Top Tips for Visiting Stonehenge

Top Tips for Visiting Stonehenge

We had been intending to visit Stonehenge for a very long time!  Bakerboy had been there 3 times before many years ago, but The Bunny Whisperer and I had never visited it.  So whilst we were staying at the Salisbury campsite, we thought that we would go to Stonehenge.  You can read all about our stay in Salisbury and what we got up to on our blog, but these are our top tips for visiting Stonehenge.

Our Top Tips For Visiting Stonehenge

1. If you don't already have it, consider taking out English Heritage membership - If you haven't already got English Heritage membership it might be worth joining. It means that you will be able to visit Stonehenge free of charge.  Also, at busy times there may be charges for parking.  However, if you do have EH membership you won't be charged even when the car park is busy.  It does also mean that you can visit over 400 English Heritage sites free of charge such as Old Sarum which is only 12 miles from Stonehenge.  Also, if you do then decide to visit Avebury although it is a National Trust site Avebury is one of the few NT sites that allows free parking for EH members that are displaying their car sticker.

2. Pre-book your tickets - Even if you have English Heritage membership it is still worth pre-booking tickets.  When we arrived, the queue for the pre-booked tickets was so much shorter than the queue to buy tickets.  Also, if you are buying tickets, it is worth booking them on line as they are cheaper.  Don't forget to bring your electronic ticket and membership cards with you! 

3. Download the Stonehenge Audio App before you go - The audio app is free of charge and you can download it via a QR Code once you are at Stonehenge (I did).  However, the internet at Stonehenge may not be as quick as you are used to and downloading it will use some of your phone battery so it is worth downloading the app before you go.  The Stonehenge Audio App tells you about the stones, the exhibition and the landscape, it is extremely informative.  You may even want to wish to listen to the app before you visit Stonehenge.

4. Fully charge your phone and take a power bank - Listening to the audio app will of course use power as will the hundreds of photos you will undoubtedly take.  Having a power bank in your bag will mean that you don't need to worry about your phone battery.

5. Take a pair of headphones with you - You will need something to listen to the audio app on.  However, you can buy headphones in the shop at Stonehenge for £2 if you do forget to take some with you.

6. If you have children visiting with you check out these websites before you visit: National Geographic Stonehenge Facts and Top 10 Facts.

7. If you have a little person, the cafe does have a bottle warmer and a microwave for heating baby food - When we visited we noticed that in the cafe they had both a baby's bottle warmer and a microwave for warming baby food.

8. Arrive early/book an early slot - Stonehenge is a UNESCO World Heritage site and because of this it is an extremely popular tourist destination and does get very busy.

9. Visit at quieter times - Weekends at Stonehenge are very popular.  The summer will also of course be very busy.  There are peak, standard and off-peak times, so choose wisely.  Also, the busiest time of the day is between 11am and 2pm so it is worth visiting earlier or later in the day.  The last entry to the site is at 3pm.

10. Allow plenty of time to get there - Traffic around Salisbury and the A303 can get very busy at times.

11. Avoid the A303 during the school summer holidays if you can - The A303 runs right past Stonehenge and is the main route in the South to get to the West Country.  It gets very busy at peak times.

12. If you arrive early visit the cafe - The cafe opens at 9 o'clock so you have plenty of time to grab a hot drink or breakfast before you visit the stones. 

13. Make sure that you wrap up warmly and apply sunscreen - I can't empthasize this enough!  It is very exposed at the stones, there is no shelter and you may well find that you spend longer at the stones that you anticipate.

14. Go and use the toilets at the Visitors Centre before you visit the stones - There are understandably no toilets or facilities of any kind at the stones.

15. Get the shuttle bus to the stones - Although you can walk to the stones it is about 2.6 miles there and back.  The shuttle bus is included in your ticket and takes about 5 minutes to travel from the Visitor Centre to the stones.  You can walk to the stones and back along the bus route and half way along, you can leave the road and walk through the grasslands but you will need suitable footwear.

16. Walk all the way around the stones - The footpath circles all around the stones and it is definitely worth walking all the way around and taking time to appreciate them.  Not only do you get loads of different views of the stones, but the sunlight and shadows make them look completely different.  

17. Take loads of photos - Stonehenge is amazing and it is definitely worth taking loads of photos!  The more photos that you take the more likely you are to get that perfect photo.  And with digital photography, you can delete the ones that you don't want.

18. Speak to the Stonehenge guides - They have a wealth of knowledge!  We spoke to several different guides while we were there and they were extremely knowledgeable and very happy to talk to us and answer questions.

19. Consider visiting Woodhenge and Avebury stones - Both sites are of historical importance and if you have EH (or National Trust) membership (for the parking at Avebury) then it won't cost you any more than the fuel to get there as both sites are free to enter.  Woodhenge which is about 2 miles away from Stonehenge was a monument made of wooden pillars.  It was discovered in the 1920s and the sites of the posts were marked with concrete posts around this time.  Avebury is 24 miles from Stonehenge and so is a little further away but is definitely worth a visit!  The stones at Avebury cover a large area and are dotted around the village.  Avebury and it's surrounding area is also part of the Stonehenge UNESCO World Heritage site.

Thank you for reading our top tips for visiting Stonehenge.  You may also be interested in reading the review of our visit to Stonehenge and about our camping trip to Salisbury.  If you're interested in finding out about The Chaotic Campervaners then please do also read our 'Meet the Team' post.

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