A Date with Some Old Stones
I’ve loved mysteries since I was little. The pyramids, the Bermuda Triangle, Stonehenge. If there was a documentary about one of them, I probably watched it. I’ve seen every Josh Gates episode I could find. So getting to go inside the Stonehenge circle was a pretty epic bucket list item for me.
We drove to Salisbury on Friday, ahead of our early Saturday booking. The Magna Carta was the big draw in Salisbury. The cathedral itself wasn’t especially high on our must-see list, which seems ridiculous now.
I still geek out every time I see Gloucester Cathedral. It’s enormous and spectacular, so I wasn’t expecting Salisbury to knock me sideways too. But then we walked in, and I kept looking up at the arches, the painted ceiling, and those deep blue stained glass windows.
One of the guides heard our accents and asked where we’d come from. When we said the Gloucester area, he replied with something like, “Oh yes, they tried their hand at one of these.” As though Gloucester had made a respectable effort, bless them. 😆
The US is celebrating 250 years this year. Salisbury Cathedral’s story reaches back nearly four times that far, which my American brain still has trouble processing.
There was a funny cartoon about the cathedral’s move from Old Sarum. It left me picturing a crew dragging the entire building across the countryside. In reality, stone from the old cathedral was moved and reused at the new site, but I like my version better.
One tomb had holes near the bottom that people used to reach into, hoping to get closer to St. Osmund. Naturally, I put my hand in one. Nothing miraculous happened, but it was a pretty great day, so I’m calling it a win.
Even with conservation work underway in the cloisters and courtyard, the cathedral felt peaceful. There was a breeze moving through on a hot day, and I was in no hurry to leave.
Then we went to see the thing we’d actually come for.
Inside Salisbury Cathedral, where even looking straight ahead somehow turns into looking up. Salisbury Cathedral making a very strong case for looking up. Salisbury Cathedral does not believe in subtle ceilings.
A Brief Audience with Magna Carta
The Magna Carta exhibit was in a separate hall, with displays about things like how parchment was made. To see the document itself, we queued into a small, dark viewing space built inside the hall. Soft lights illuminated the stand, and there was room for one person directly in front of it. No photos.
I thought I might feel the kind of awe I felt at the US National Archives. Instead, I was mostly aware of the people behind me and felt pressured to keep moving. I’m glad I saw it, but I spent more time with the large depiction and translation outside the viewing space. There I could actually read what it said and think about it in the context of today.
After a short walk around Salisbury, we found a pub and had a good dinner outside in its garden. They were setting up for live music. I vaguely remember a ukulele, but we didn’t stay to investigate. We had a date with some very old stones early the next morning.
The Inner Circle
Stonehenge was only about a 15-minute drive from our hotel. The GPS took us to the wrong entrance, where a guard gave us directions to the visitor centre. We arrived just in time, boarded the shuttle, and rode straight back past the spot where we’d asked for help.
We’d booked the Stone Circle Experience, which lets a limited group go inside the roped-off area outside regular visiting hours. We couldn’t touch the stones, but we could walk right up to them. We could follow a guide or wander on our own.
The guides were funny and very passionate about the site. One referred to the “official guidebook,” then brought out a pop-up book to explain the stones. Seemed legit.
There were as many ways to spend the hour as there were people in the circle. Some did yoga or tai chi. Others hummed, chanted, sang, played a flute, or held their hands just shy of the stones. We were welcome to remove our shoes to feel closer to the ground, so I did. I can’t report a dramatic barefoot revelation, but I was willing to try.
I also found a stone with what looked, to me, exactly like the face of a man who’d lost a few bar fights. And there was one guy doing handstands for photos, over and over. The circle had plenty of room. And yet, he was somehow close enough that I feared being kicked in the face.
After all those years of watching documentaries, I wasn’t sure what I would feel when I finally got there. There was no revelation I can neatly explain. But when I stepped outside the circle to hear about the surrounding grounds, I felt pulled back toward the stones. The morning was lovely, with a breeze before the heat set in, and I felt peaceful there. When our hour was up, I didn’t want to leave.
The special access cost extra, even with our English Heritage member discount, and I’m glad we spent the money. Being inside the circle made the visit for me.
I only wish I’d checked the visitor centre hours. Our tour ended around 8 a.m., before the exhibition and café opened. I’d expected to see the exhibit and get breakfast afterward, but we headed home instead. Book the experience early if you want to enter the circle, and check when everything else opens before you plan your visit.
I would have liked breakfast. I would have liked another hour with the stones even more.
Just a casual 5,000-year-old bucket list moment.
Stonehenge by the Numbers
🗓️ 5,000 years since construction began
𐙝 30 upright stones formed the outer circle
🏋️♂️ 25 tonnes: average weight of a sarsen stone
🪨 7 tonnes: approx weight of each lintel
❹ 4 tonnes: weight of some bluestones
🛣️ 150+ miles traveled by bluestones
❣️ 28.5' total length of tallest standing stone
Total Mayhem Rating
Mostly orderly. Excellent guides, one deeply suspicious stone face, and only the usual amount of tourist weirdness. Honestly, for a bucket-list day involving a 5,000 year old mystery, things went remarkably smoothly.
TRAVEL TIPS:
SPLURGE FOR THE STONE CIRCLE EXPERIENCE
If Stonehenge is a bucket-list place for you, this is where I’d spend the extra money. The regular visit keeps you on the path around the monument. The Stone Circle Experience gets you inside the stones, in a small group, before or after normal opening hours. That difference is huge.
BOOK EARLY
Sessions are limited, and this isn’t something I’d count on grabbing at the last minute.
LISTEN TO THE GUIDES
Even if you’ve watched approximately 4,000 documentaries about Stonehenge, the guides add details you’d never notice on your own. Plus, ours were funny. Bonus points for travel-size Stonehenge.
DON'T MAKE STONEHENGE YOUR ONLY STOP
Salisbury and Old Sarum made the whole thing feel more connected instead of just driving in, seeing Famous Rocks, and leaving. The official Stonehenge Tour Bus from Salisbury even offers Old Sarum as a stop.
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