In Depth Stonehenge Experience
In Depth 'Hands On' Tour Uncovering Stonehenge From Salisbury, Southampton & London
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| Pat Shelley At Stonehenge On Special Access Visit |
With most tours to Stonehenge you will be part of the mainstream commercialised tourism industry. You'll be at Stonehenge probably 45 minutes, at most an hour before you're whisked off to somewhere else totally unconnected.
Independently it can be frustrating, Stonehenge is remote, facilities frugal and a whole host of interesting sights nearby unexplained.
Pat Shelley & Tour Overview
If you really want to understand Stonehenge and the Neolithic culture it is a symbol of, this tour is for you. Pat Shelley is a leading local blue badge local guide, a larger than life character.
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| What is Special Access |
| Special Access Tours |
| With Bath & Lacock |
| With Avebury / Salisbury |
| From Salisbury |
| Independently / Private |
| Alternative To |
| Stonehenge & Avebury (Stonehenge in Depth) |
| Day Tours To Stonehenge |
Pat is an enthusiastic guide who will immerse you in the subject, not bombard you with a monologue of facts. As well as explaining the theories from academia and archeologists, the planetary alignments will be explained and pagan style religions and 'mystical' elements you hear so much about will be addressed.
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| Day Tours Including .... |
| Tour Overview |
| Stonehenge |
| Bath |
| Stratford Upon Avon |
| Cotswolds |
| Oxford |
| Windsor |
| Canterbury & Leeds Castle |
| Paris |
| Multi Day Tours |
| Cotswolds & Bath |
| Edinburgh / Highlands |
| Paris |
| Most Popular Tours |
| Bath & Stonehenge |
| Windsor, Bath, Stonehenge |
| Stonehenge Afternoon |
| Lunch in Cotswolds |
| Independent Trips |
| Stonehenge |
| Bath |
| Windsor |
| Salisbury |
| Avebury |
| Lacock |
| Glastonbury |
| Oxford |
| The Cotswolds |
| Stratford & Warwick |
| Canterbury & Leeds Castle |
| Paris |
| Tour Operators |
| Premium Tours |
| Evan Evans Tours |
| International Friends |
| Anderson Tours |
| Car Private Tours |
| Mini Bus Private Tours |
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We have two template tours that you can customise to your own requirements and itinerary.
The full Avebury & Stonehenge experience visits Avebury henge in addition to Stonehenge, At Avebury you are able to touch and feel the stones at all times, unlike Stonehenge. You'll go inside a Neolithic burial mound and see aspects of a henge that are substantially hidden at Stonehenge.
The tour culminates with a visit to Stonehenge itself, by which time you will be equipped to get maximum enjoyment equipped with all the insights and knowledge you have acquired in a few short hours.
The Stonehenge experience is a shorter, intense experience covering the Stonehenge landscape only.
This is a private tour, so is very much customised to your own individual itinerary and personal interests.
We have alternatives from Windsor, Heathrow and Central London.
The tour starts from Salisbury or other towns in the vicinity, including Southampton, and can be easily taken as a day excursion off your cruise ship. Salisbury is easily visited quickly from London by an excellent train service from London's Waterloo Station. (more details below).
Avebury & Stonehenge Experience 00:00 - Leave Salisbury 01:00 - 02:45 West Kennet & Avebury 03:30 - 03:50 Woodhenge, Durrington Walls 04:00 - 04:20 Cursus, Barrows 04:30 - 05:30 Stonehenge 06:00 Salisbury Stonehenge Experience 00:00 - Leave Salisbury 00:45 - 01:10 Woodhenge, Durrington Walls 01:20 - 02:10 Cursus, Barrows, Avenue 02:10 - 03:15 Stonehenge 03:45 Salisbury |
Example Itineraries From Salisbury
The example times right illustrate the core of each experience from Salisbury. For those in Southampton, the city and cruise terminal is about 30 minutes beyond Salisbury adding an hour overall.
For those coming from London who do not want to take the train, we have options to start a tour from Windsor or Heathrow Airport or your hotel in Central London about 2 hours from Stonehenge. These tours because of their length will include a lunch stop at a choice of country pubs or local towns/villages.
Outline Of Both Tours
(note: tour is not suitable for young children or those with walking difficulties)
West Kennet Long Barrow, Silbury Hill - (Avebury & Stonehenge Experience Only)
Starting out from Salsbury with about an hours drive to Avebury. For England, this area is comparatively sparsely populated. The River Avon is followed much of the way, through a British Army tank range, past quaint thatched cottages and over the ancient Ridgeway and a white horse carved in the hillside. In the summer months if you are lucky you may see a crop circle.
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| Interior Burial Chamber of West Kennet Long Barrow |
After introductions you will be briefed with background information on what you are going to see in the next few hours.
First stop is West Kennet Longbarrow, a burial mound built around 1,000 years before the henges like Stonehenge. You will get to understand more about the Neolithic people who built Stonehenge. You can go inside the burial mound which has several burial chambers. You will start to learn about planetary alignments and earth energies (ley lines) which like so many of the monuments visited today have a ley line running through their axis.
From the hill on which West Kennet Longbarrow is located you have a grand view of the Avebury landscape, with Silbury Hill a mysterious mound also built by the Neolthics below you.
We have walked by a spring, one of the sources of the River Kennet which flows into the Thames and down to London. A sacred place like Stonehenge today for pagan religions. A tree we walk past often is filled with ribbons after a pagan ceremony.
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| Avebury |
Avebury - (Avebury & Stonehenge Experience Only)
Avebury is one of the finest and largest Neolithic monuments in Europe dating to around 5000 years ago and is less than a mile from West Kennet barrow. It is older than the megalithic stages of Stonehenge, which is located about 32 km (20 miles) to the south.
Before arriving at the henge we take time out to walk a little along the impressive avenue of stones, the same route which the Neolithic procession would have taken up to the henge. Again, a ley line is tracked that traces the route of this avenue.
Avebury is a great training camp for Stonehenge. Some aspects like the ditch all around the henge are much more evident than Stonehenge itself. What is more, unlike Stonehenge you can walk among and touch the stones at all times.
Avebury is also a picturesque village complete with thatched cottage, village store, pub, church and manor house. If you are into the mystic side, the 'Henge Shop' will be hard to get away from.
We now head back to Stonehenge. The large Sarsen stones at Stonehenge came from up on the hill above Avebury henge, so the route we take must be a similar journey that those stones made all those years ago!
The Start Of Stonehenge Experience
The Stonehenge Experience leaves Salisbury and follows the scenic Woodford Valley all the way to the Stonehenge Landscape area. You pass below the ancient iron age hill fort of Old Sarum, past water meadows, and quaint villages just like those on all the tourist brochures.
Stonehenge Landscape - Durrington Walls, Woodhenge, The Cursus, The Avenue, Stonehenge
Both the Stonehenge and Avebury & Stonehenge itineraries now converge by Woodhenge and Durrington Walls.
National Geographic have a neat interactive map of the Stonehenge landscape (link below) and we cover the terrain and theories you may have heard on their programme's or read about in many volumes.
National Geographic Interactive Map Of Stonehenge Landscape .
We Visit Woodhenge and Durrington Walls by the River Avon where the builders of Stonehenge are believed to have lived and feasted. A lot of archeological work has happened here in recent decades, whose findings have triggered some of the recent theories you may have heard.
Just along from Woodhenge is the Cursus, another Neolithic monument, very different and as impressive as the henges in its own way.
We now walk past many burial mounds / barrows. Those who have visited Avebury would have gone inside one of these. Sadly you cannot do this at any of the barrows at Stonehenge.
Its now over a mile walk along the original procession route to Stonehenge, something few people do. Those that do have a memory for their lifetime.
Those who took the Avebury option would have walked/visited a section of the Avebury avenue which still has stones lining their way. This is an area you might want to customise when booking your tour. The timetable for the Avebury option can be amended slightly to accommodate this walk which by default involves transport between the Cursus and Stonehenge, not the mile walk. For the Stonehenge experience we assume all your party will wish to experience the full walk.
Stonehenge
The finale of the experience is of course a visit to Stonehenge. Unlike the big bus tours the guide will come inside the henge. Everything you have seen and heard in the last few hours now come together and Stonehenge makes an awful lot more sense than if you just turned up 'cold'.
Stonehenge Special Access
We heartily recommend that you plan well ahead and time this tour so that your visit to Stonehenge is an evening 'Special Access' slot. Unlike public opening hours you can walk among the stones at these times.
Stonehenge Special Access - More Details
Indicative Pricing
This is a private tour and is customised for every group.
The basic price is for transport from Salisbury Railway Station and guiding services, but doesn't include admission to Stonehenge.
Guideline prices below are based on the relevant experience as described above.
From Salisbury
Stonehenge Experience - £240 to 4 people, £300 5, 6 people, £460 7-10 people, £550 11-15 people
Stonehenge & Avebury Experience - £340 up to 4 people, £390 for 5, 6 people, £650 7-15 people
From Windsor or London Heathrow Area
Stonehenge Experience - £550 1-7 people, £650 8 -15 people
Stonehenge & Avebury Experience - £600 1-7 people, £700 8 -15 people
Note, this price is per private group. We do not co-ordinate individual applicants into a larger group. The Salisbury price doesn't include transport to Salisbury Station, though assistance can be provided on request.
Getting To Salisbury From London
Salisbury is a bit of a rail hub with main lines and frequent trains going east to London, south to Southampton and west to Bath and Bristol.
Frequent trains run from London's Waterloo station taking approximately 80 minutes to do the journey.
There are normally two trains an hour operating up until very late evening.
During the week, the cheap ticket are not available until after the morning commuter rush.
London - Salisbury Train Timetables & Fares
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On the Salisbury - Waterloo route there is also a chance you may be able to get deep discounted fares on Megatrain / Megabus.
This is a web site that sells cheap fares on a subset of the trains where it is unlikely they will sell many tickets otherwise. You have to purchase in advance.
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Pricing From Windsor, Heathrow or Central Area (Not Pat Shelley / Avebury & Stonehenge Only)
We can offer a similar tour from the London area, but not with Pat Shelley himself. This will be with an alternative experienced driver guide and includes a lunch or dinner stop between Avebury and Stonehenge. This is a long day lasting around 9 hours.
From Windsor/Heathrow - £350 for up to 6 people, £450 for 7 to 10 people, £550 for 11 to 16 people
From Central London - £699 for up to 10 people, £749 for 11 to 16 people
Stonehenge In Depth Tour Enquiry Form
Enter your ideas on what you want to visit on your custom day tour. We will by return provide you with a written quotation and draft itinerary.