We booked an outing to Stonehenge, which is about 90 miles west from London. This needs no introduction. I suppose everybody knows what the Stonehenge is, though nobody is absolutely sure what it is for. I have read so much about this prehistoric monument but haven’t formed an opinion yet as to what its purpose is. The myriad of studies, research, analyses, theories, speculations, assumptions, and even conclusions on the Stonehenge have contributed to its mystery.
I had long dreamt of visiting it ever since I was a young girl. I used to look at pictures and wondered how it would be like to see these huge monoliths right in front of me and to set foot on what is considered by many as sacred grounds. I read of people’s accounts about their experiences while there – from the initial sense of awe to the sudden rush of energy. Some said they were enveloped by an unknown but wonderful force and that surge of power led to some kind of awakening. There were even others who claimed they saw visions, while some simply felt a special kind of peace and tranquility they couldn’t fathom.
Though I can’t say I fully grasp the enigma of mystical sites, I could attest to their effect on people. I had been to such places in the past and had felt their tremendous power. That’s why I was looking forward to this leg of the trip. I wanted to see what this would do to me and how I would respond. Even my husband, who’s normally not keen on anything supernatural, seemed to be interested. He slept less on the bus and actually listened to the guide’s commentary about the history of Stonehenge and what everybody says about it. He was also more attentive of our surroundings as we skirted the rough dirt roads passing through monotonous fields on both sides, which meant he was eager to see the place.
When we arrived, there were hordes of tour buses parked on the grounds across the street from the monument. There was also a long line of tourists snaking through the zigzag of makeshift path from the tourist office to the site. Our guide handed us our tickets and the included audio guides and headsets, and instructed us to join the queue. It wasn’t too bad, for the line moved fast, but since it was high noon, it was hot and humid and the sun was glaring in our eyes.
Upon reaching the grassy area around the circle, we had to sort of wrangle our way through the crowd to get a better view of the monoliths and to take some snapshots. Most visitors to Stonehenge are not allowed direct access to the stones, hence, the whole structure has been cordoned off and visitors can only walk around it through a circular path. At that time of the day, the path was crammed with tourists. I wondered if the tour companies could have done a better job at scheduling their trips so that the buses do not all arrive at roughly the same time, or if it’s something they did not have control of because it was the summer tourist peak season and there was really no point in making a time table due to the non-stop mad rush of visitors.
I tried my best to ignore the people around me and concentrate on listening to the audio guide, but found it impossible. The drone of random conversations from every side was just too distracting. I decided to turn it off and just look around. My husband did the same. After all, we had reading materials that we could look at while on the bus and we were planning to get a book from the souvenir store after the tour.
When we got tired, we rested on an outcrop near the circular path. We sat there quietly for a few minutes without even talking to each other. I guess we had the same agenda – to tune out the crowd, focus on the monoliths, absorb the energy it radiated, and simply admire the mysterious rocks towering above us. But it was hard to really feel anything. It was just too noisy, too jam-packed with people, and too hot. Whatever energy the rocks emanated was readily drowned by the cacophony of sounds coming from everyone around the area and diffused by the assortment of tourist activities.
We vowed to go back and engage in a different kind of visit next time. I read about the sunrise and sunset tours where one gets to enter the circle itself, stand beside the monoliths, and touch them, and where aside from the dramatic daybreak and twilight, one gets to enjoy some peace and tranquility, and experience Stonehenge at its atmospheric best.
For an even more special visit, it would be great to go there during the solstice celebrations. Each year on the 21st of June, visitors from around the world gather at Stonehenge overnight to mark the Summer Solstice and to see the sunrise above the stones. At dawn, the central Altar Stone aligns with the Slaughter Stone, Heel Stone, and the rising sun to the northeast.
It is said that the Summer Solstice is the most important day of the year at Stonehenge and a truly magical time to be there. It's a celebration that brings together England's New Age Tribes (neo-Druids, neo-pagans, Wiccans) with ordinary families, tourists, and travelers. I can already imagine them dressed in robes conducting elaborate ceremonies to the beating of the drums, which must create a colourful and highly moving scene.
Wiltshire, the county where Stonehenge is, has other places of interests, particularly the prehistoric landscape area containing several older monuments. Among them are the:
Avebury Henge, a Neolithic stone monument containing three circles;
Silbury Hill, a prehistoric artificial chalk mound which is the largest man-made mound in Europe;
West Kennet Long Barrow, a Neolithic tomb situated on a prominent chalk ridge;
The Sanctuary, a stone and timber circle complex that date back to 3000 BC and where a Bronze Age teenager was found buried with a beaker pot;
West Kennet Avenue, a prehistoric avenue of two parallel lines of stones that ran between Avebury and The Sanctuary;
Beckhampton Avenue, another avenue of stones that curves from Avebury to Beckhampton;
Durrington Walls, site of a large Neolithic settlement and later henge enclosure;
Woodhenge, a Neolithic henge and timber circle monument consisting of six concentric rings that possibly supported a ring-shaped building;
Stonehenge Cursus, a Neolithic cursus monument next to the Stonehenge; and others.
This area of England teems with Neolithic monuments that the entire site has been collectively called Stonehenge, Avebury, and Associated Sites and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We left this magical region after a short stop at the Exhibition and Visitor Centre, where we watched a 3D video, viewed the prehistoric display of items excavated from the site, and did some souvenir shopping (magnets, puzzle sets, and books). We had a fast-food lunch of bring-along sandwich for my husband and a hotdog in a bun for me, purchased from one of the rolling carts beside the gift shop.
Photo Credit:
londonforfree.net (cover photo), visitwiltshire.co.uk, londonist.com, viator.com, evanevanstours.com
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