Things we take for granted

[bellinghman]

Driving along the A303 on Monday under pregnant rainclouds, and passing Stonehenge.

(Coincidentally, the ancient road from Stonehenge to East Anglia is only 200 metres away from here at home, where it crosses a somewhat newer road. Newer, as in being the main Roman road between London and York, and not quite 2000 years old.)

And tomorrow, we'll be passing it again. One of these days we'll stop again and see it from close up.

Comments

[evilshell.livejournal.com]

Oh, you have made me want to return there!

Ah......someday

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Well, I did notice your picture of it.

[evilshell.livejournal.com]

Been a few years now, sadly. I need to get back - especially now that I'm so close! (ah, the perils of being horribly broke)

[pir.livejournal.com]

You can't get as close as I remember from the first time I was there, while quite young, when I climbed over some of them looking for the markings on the stones that were mentioned in the kids guidebook. Apparently tourists were damaging the stones too much with graffiti and such. Bastards.

I've shown two cute Americans around Stonehenge and Avebury in the last few years and last time I even took pictures.

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

At the summer solstice (and allegedly at the winter solstice) they have started opening the stones again to any one that wants to be there (I was a steward in 2000 when they did that for the first time since 1984, or so I was told)

However, if you write a letter to English Heritage asking for permission to examine the stones as part of some educational/historical project, then I am told they allow you in at like 7am to wander around and inspect the stones.

I went back there in early September and bought my annual English Heritage membership, which allows me to go back and visit as often as I like during the year for no extra charge (and gives free parking at Avebury and access to hundreds of other historic buildings, highly recommended!), otherwise it is five pounds to get in (and two pounds to park, but that is refunded if you pay for admission) and you get a free handset that you can wander around with and punch in numbers that will play back appropriate commentary, and I think everyone should do the commentary at least once as it's quite interesting (and a great thing to discuss with knowledgeable friends about whether you think they are right or not!)

And since I only live an hour away from Stonehenge (up the A303 to the M3 then in to just beyond junction 1 and up the A312 to Feltham) it's easy to get to!