Sometimes gray days just add to the atmosphere. At least it did the day we left London to see Stonehenge, one of those places we had read about for years but really didn’t know if we’d see in our lifetime. As you can imagine, we were in awe of this site to see.
Stonehenge, located in Wiltshire, is about two and a half hours from London, giving us time to drive past Eton College and Windsor Castle. The Visitor Center at Stonehenge, filled with information, artifacts, and visuals, drew us in immediately with a theatre-in-the-round experience showing the stone formations in various seasons. We stood “in the round” facing the ever-changing visuals, feeling as if we were there on snow days, sunny days, and even during summer solstice when the sun appears over the heel stone.
Of course, the mystique draws everyone in. Theories notwithstanding, Stonehenge can be appreciated for what you see as much as for what it must have meant to the people building it some 5,000 years ago. Volumes have been written about the purpose of Stonehenge, how the stones were found and moved to the site, and how the formation was constructed. But even with all the research, mysteries remain.
Outside the Visitor Center, an assemblage of Neolithic thatched huts offers a glimpse of the tools and construction you might see during the New Stone Age.
And in the attempt to answer the question of how heavy bluestones were transported from the Presili Hills in Wales almost 200 miles away, an exhibit of an oblong boulder perched atop massive timbers provides insight on “how they did it.”
After spending time at the Visitor Center, we were ready for our pilgrmage up the long, winding walkway to what loomed large in the distance: Stonehenge. People stopped all along the way to point and take pictures. And we did the same.
Around 2500 B. C., sarsen stones (the larger ones) and bluestones were brought to the site and arranged in two concentric circles. A horseshoe formation of five trilitons (two large stones topped by a lintel) stood inside the circle. Only three are standing today. Time has taken its toll on the stones and the formations, but the basic structure remains.
People stood near the roped-off site, quietly observing all angles of Stonehenge. Some hugged their loved ones. Others stood with families and friends. Some found a quiet spot to stare at the formation alone.
We stood without talking, taking pictures and pointing at what we saw. And we moved slowly around the circular path to check out this place we were finally seeing with our own eyes from various perspectives.
With our telephoto, we zoomed in and out, trying to get close-up shots of weathering and nature’s forces on the stones.
In fields nearby, sheep grazed while cars and tourists rolled in to the area.
The bottom line is this: Stonehenge deserves to be seen. There are many circles in the United Kingdom — some used for burial grounds, others for worship. Some for both. But if you can only visit one, make it Stonehenge.
Whether you’re drawn to construction, artistry, mystery, or religion, you’re sure to find something to admire. And the visual of this spot, this formation, this moment when you see it . . . will stay with you forever.
The mystery remains.
For more posts on our travels in England, click here.