Neolithic
Tour Around Stonehenge Region
If you are interested in Stonehenge and the Neolthic era and want
more than just 45 minutes walking behind a roped off area at Stonehenge,
this is the tour for you.
We can customise the tour to your level of interest, from study groups
to the layman who wants to know more about Stonehenge and perhaps
mix it up with a nice country pub lunch or perhaps more modern points
of interest only 800 years old.
Its just under 2 hours from London to the Stonehenge and Avebury area,
Avebury, Stonehenge and Salisbury are all close together. |
Avebury
Henge |
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Vehicles,
Driver/Guides + Scope Of Private Tours
FCMBS
have a range of touring vehicles with capacities ranging from 8 to
16 seats. We charge a flat fee per vehicle, (not person) for the day,
this includes the bus and services of the driver guide.
Admissions to attractions are not included. |
The
day is yours, the only rules are imposed by UK law - no smoking on
buses and driving hours and breaks governed by UK law.
Otherwise you're free to go where you want to go, when you want to
go.
Time is always the enemy, even though a typical tour will be 10-11
hours in duration. |
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Neolithic Tour - Example Template For Customisation
This particular day tour will be very different for each group. We
will take a lot of time making sure the itinerary we use as a reference
is right for your level of interest, and pace of tour.
As you will see there are lots of options, we don't attempt to put
a strict schedule in the text, the possibilities are so complex..
Because of opening times and daylight hours you really do need to
be leaving London at around 08:00 for most of the year. In the peak
months of summer afternoon/evening schedules are possible.
Avebury
Its around 2 hours from London to Avebury, with a very short coffee
stop half way.Along the way the driver/guide will have provided a
grounding in Neolithic society as well as commentary on the sights
we travel past. |
After passing through Marlborough, we are there. As we traverse the
Ridgeway, an ancient trackway, we start to see our first Neolithic
burial mounds and our first henge.
First stop is normally West Kennett Long Barrow, one of the oldest
and largest burial mounds in the area. Its a bracing walk up to the
barrow on the skyline and you can enter inside the burial mound itself
and examine the burial chambers.
The landscape around includes Silbury Hill, the largest man made mound
in Europe. |
We
then make the very short journey along the ceremonial route to Avebury
henge, the avenue of stones.
Avebury is very much a training camp for Stonehenge about 20 miles
to the south. The large Sarsen stones from the Marlborough Downs above
Avebury, supplied Stonehenge as well as Avebury.
Unlike Stonehenge there is totally free access, you can walk among
and touch the stones. Sheep are in the field with you so watch where
you are stepping! |
Avebury
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The
driver/guide will provide guiding at an appropriate level for your
group.
There is also a worthwhile Saxon village within the henge to be explored,
complete with manor house, Norman church, dovecote, barn etc.
Our driver/guide will introduce you to the ley lines and earth energies
found at nearly all the sites we visit today - too much of a coincidence
? |
Avebury
to Stonehenge
The direct route from Avebury to Stonehenge is very scenic along narrow
country lanes, its about a 45 minute journey.
For those with a real interest in things Neolithic its possible to
stop at Woodhenge, just short of Stonehenge. Here also is Durrington
Wells, the site of a Neolithic village that was clearly significant
but like Stonehenge has many theories of what kind of village it was.
It is just possible to make out the earthen boundaries of the village.
For those who want a more generalist day, a recommended alternative
is to make for Lacock and the George Inn. We can heartily recommend
lunch in the George Inn, a 13th century pub, the oldest licensed pub
in England. Its refreshingly free of the tourist trail, many of the
customers will be locals.
Thrown into the bargain you will get a country and village tour to
remember.
However if you opt for this, you will only have time for Avebury and
Stonehenge in addition. |
Apart
from the excellent home cooked food chalked up on the boards at reasonable
prices, the pub itself has much of interest.
In the yard are stocks, (so don't drink too much) and the original
medieval fireplace inside has a dog wheel, where a specially trained
small dog once fanned the flames.
There is also an information board illustrating some of the films
shot here like Harry Potter and a small museum of box cameras. The
first ever photography that took place happened right here where you
eat and drink.
Our driver/guide will help you through the menu, in England faggots
are something that you eat!
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George
Inn Lacock |
Stonehenge
The undoubted highlight of the Neolithic part of the day is a visit
to Stonehenge. By now you will be equipped to decipher Stonehenge
far better than when you woke up this morning. |
The
driver/guide will offer to accompany you into the monument at no extra
charge. An audio guide comes with admission, but many of our customers
appreciate a human showing them around.
The driver/guide will be glad to take group photos as well as act
as a guide. For those of you into the mystic side, the guide will
involve you hands-on in tracing earth energies using dowsing forks.
Most people take an hour at Stonehenge. |
Stonehenge
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those with a specialist interest, there is much more than Stonehenge
in the landscape around. It is possible to take a walking tour of
this landscape walking the ceremonial avenue to Stonehenge and the
Cursus as well as other barrows. This activity takes a significant
chunk of time though. |
Old
Sarum & Salisbury
Less than 30 minutes south of Stonehenge is Salisbury and Old Sarum
(Old Salisbury)
Old Sarum was first an Iron Age hill top village, and still today
the earthworks impress.
When the Norman's came along in the 11th Century, they built a castle
and cathedral within the old Iron Age settlement.
The cathedral was subsequently levelled and moved down the hill into
the valley to found the modern day Salisbury, The ruins of the castle
are there to be explored. |
Down
in Salisbury itself the main draw is Salisbury Cathedral,
The Cathedral was begun in 1220, and finished, with the exception
of the tower and spire, in 1258. At 404 feet, it is the tallest spire
in England.
The cathedral library houses an original copy of the Magna Carta,
brought here by the William Longpre, Earl of Salisbury and half-brother
to King John.
Just as there is more to the cathedral than the spire, so there is
more to the city than the cathedral. A wide green space, The Close,
surrounds the Cathedral. The Close, essentially a walled city within
the city, is ringed by wonderful period houses.
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Salisbury
Cathedral |
As
you can see the possibilities of a tour in the area are complex. Below
are some of the most popular.
Some
Popular Tour Schedules
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Classic
08:00 - Leave London hotel
10:15 - 11:30 Avebury
12:15 - 13:15 Stonehenge
13:45 - 15:15 Salisbury
15:30 - 15:50 Old Sarum
18:00 - 18:30 Arrive at London hotel.
Specialist
08:00 - Leave London hotel
10:15 - 12:45 Avebury + Lunch
13:45 - 14:45 Stonehenge via Woodhenge
15:20 - 15:50 Old Sarum
18:00 - 18:30 Arrive at London hotel.
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With
Good Lunch + Countryside/Villages
08:00 - Leave London hotel
10:15 - 11:30 Avebury
12:00 - 13:45 Lacock with lunch
14:45 - 15:45 Stonehenge
18:00 - 18:30 Arrive at London hotel.
Summer Evening
12:00 - Leave London hotel
14:15 - 15:30 Avebury
16:15 - 17:15 Stonehenge
18:15 - 19:45 Lacock with dinner
22:00 - 22:30 Arrive at London hotel. |
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