Stonehenge, World Heritage Site

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There is far more to Stonehenge than meets the eye. It seems to be a mere ring of stones, however, it is more or less a ring of mysteries.

Thousand of years ago, an ancient civilisation, or was it aliens, raised a circle of huge rectangular stones in a field, which we now call, Stonehenge. It is one of the best known prehistoric monument in Europe and there are lots of theories surrounding its existence.

I visited the place without any research into it and once there, I was curious and fascinated as to their origin and wanted answers. Lots of questions but no answers.

Now I tremble slightly having read the latest scientific discovery; it seems I stood on an ancient burial ground, complete with mace heads and what not. Underground excavation and imagery have revealed that Stonehenge was once part of a complicated network comprising of burial mounds and unknown settlements.

The other theories include aliens and the wizard Merlin among others.

Once I got there, there was heavy traffic to get into the car park. I was thinking about the residents who live nearby and who had to face the traffic on a daily basis. There were lots of cars with European registrations which suggested that this was a very popular touristic attraction.

Unfortunately, the children and the hubby were not too excited. I was the only one not bored. Once we got out and walked the short distance to the Stone Circle, their excitement increased. From the parking lot, we had to take a visitor shuttle to the stone circle, but there is quite a lot to walk, especially for little feet.
Disappointment followed soon after as I realised that you could not actually go near the stones. You could only go round and stay on the path, away from the stones.

That is understandable as the stones have to be preserved and the only way to do that was to prevent people from touching them. Apparently people even try to cut a piece off while others carve their names on.

Things to do

Stone Circle
It is an amazing experience to be looking at the stone circle. Questions and questions, and lots of them without answers and more questions as I went round the circle.
The amazement of how it was built using bare hands and no machinery and the purpose of it only made me question more. But the why, the reason behind it will always be my first question.

This machine is to give you an idea of how heavy the stone is.
The stone

See the Neolithic houses

Stonehenge Exhibition
One of the highlights of the visit, especially for the children who are not partial to a bit of technology. Here is a few screenshots of what exactly is Stonehenge.

These photos speak a thousand words…

As I went round, these are how the stones looked.

The favourite part of the children’s day- the souvenir shop. As soon as we go to visit somewhere, be it a museum or a theme park, the first thing they want to do is go in the souvenir shop. Now I have this rule of buying only one magnet of each place we visit to avoid clutter at home.

The occasional bear has somehow made its way into my home.

The rest of the souvenir shop, with lots of cute things.

More information about Stonehenge

Click the link above for updated information on Stonehenge but here is a few pointers.

A family of 4-5, with up to 3 children cost around £45.

The place has a cafe, a world class exhibition centre and visitor centre.

It is open daily from 9.30am till 7pm, and it is found in Wiltshire, near Amesbury ( Postcode SP4 7DE )

Have you been to Stonehenge? What do you think of it, and why do you think it was built?

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