ryan754

We would like to visit stonehenge on our short visit to LON. Any recomendations on how to get there? Would it be cheapest to rent a car? How far is it from London? Worth a visit? I am a person who would like to visit IPC..

Thanks

PremEx

I would highly recommend taking a London Walks "Explorer Day" to Stonehenge. It's a great way to see it on the cheap, but you won't see it any better, I assure you. And you'll have a knowledgable "Blue Badge" guide to get you there by train, escort you to the site and give you all the skinny about the place while you are there.

They run almost every Tuesday to Stonehenge and it's combined with a visit to Salisbury.

Go to: www.walks.com

...and click on the "Explorer Days" link.


[This message has been edited by PremEx (edited 11-11-2002).]

Cobijonz

I can't speak to the Stonehenge walk, but I have taken the "Jack The Ripper" London Walk offered by the same group and highly recommend it. If you have the time, I would definately take that walk...

Sweet Willie

I was going to say no need for a tour group, but the fact that they stop in Salisbury it sounds good. You are "out that far" and in close proximity, it would be shame to miss Salisbury or go a little further to Bath.

Both times, we've simply rented a car, as we like the independence and hate tour groups, plus if you are an early riser (as we are) you get to the destination before the tour busses arrive. Driving is easy and there are plenty of drop offs in London (or LHR).

I will say that we have always gone on to other locations from Stonehenge and our trips were not day trips.

FlyerBeek

I'll probably visit Stonehenge on my next trip to London in two weeks. I was planning on using the Discount London Tour Company (http://www.discountlondon.co.uk/sightseeing_tours/stonehenge_bath_tour.htm). The cost is 45 pounds (about $70 USD) for a full day Stonehenge/Bath tour including hotel pickups.

Hopefully this is helpful,
FlyerBeek

ryan754

Thanks for the advice. I think I Will go with Willie, and rent a car at LHR it will save us from paying for Heathrow express. Any idea on parking costs at Sheraton Park Tower? Or parking recomendations. We are in the UK for only two days, but Bath seems like a place we might have to pass by.

Thanks

Ryan

ranles

Refer to my trip report of 11/14

MeLike2Travel

Any thoughts for cheap transportation to Stonehenge from London in January or February? It appears that most tours don't operate in the winter.

awcrounse

Take the train from Waterloo Station to Salisbury. From Salisbury Station there is a local bus services that takes you out to Stonehenge and then picks you up. I don't know what it cost for the bus now, but it was very reasonable. The town of Salisbury at it's Cathedral has more to offer than Stonhenge. Stonehenge is like the Grand Canyon, after a couple minutes it's time to go.

GadgetFreak

Welcome to Flyertalk. I must say though I respectfully disagree on this. I could spend some time looking at Stonehenge (or the Grand Canyon or that matter) and looking at the explanations, etc. Perhaps I have some Druid genes floating around in there somewhere

BigLar

While you're in the area, also consider Avebury. It's not as well known as Stonehenge, but it's certainly more extensive and the little town (inside the stone circle!) has a cosy pub, museum, store, etc.

And these stones go back several thousand years, too.

See my trip report, too!

MeLike2Travel

Welcome to FT, and thanks for the tip. Is the bus you're referring to something I need to reserve? Or is it a public bus? And how what range are you talking about when you say reasonable?

Thanks!

CrazyOne

It's an ordinary public bus service.

On our trip last March we also considered Avebury, but ruled it out with no car. We would have had to do both in the same day based on previous existing plans that couldn't be altered at that point, and it was impossible or darned near it with just the buses. We did hit a second point outside Salisbury though which is accessible by the public bus: Old Sarum. I find the English Heritage web site to be rather sparse. Here's a little more info: http://freespace.virgin.net/philip.d...s/oldsarum.htm It may not be that exciting to some, but I find much of these old ruins and such worth seeing at least once.

You can easily visit Old Sarum and Stonehenge in the same day (in that order, then catch a direct bus between the two vs having to go back to town), and have time left for at least seeing the cathedral in Salisbury as well. (Don't go to Salisbury without seeing the cathedral at least!)

This is the relevant bus company: http://www.wdbus.co.uk/ If you head to the Salisbury bus station (as opposed to the rail station) you will have more choice of buses, and the staff will help you plan out getting to one or both of those places. (The timetables are online at the web site though.) I believe at the time you could ride all day for Ł5 or thereabouts.

The train would be the pricier part of the journey, though you might be able to cut the cost assuming it's a round-trip. You can check times and fares at http://www.qjump.co.uk or http://www.thetrainline.com QJump will definitely sell you tix in advance if you can pick them up at a station (even if you don't live in the UK; I did this myself). Unfortunately, Waterloo is not one of the stations (or wasn't back in March anyway) so you'd have to make an extra stop at a different one. Sometimes advance tickets can have hefty discounts rather like airfares. There may also be a bus (coach they will call it) you could take that could cost less. I'm not well-versed in those services though, never having used them. The main company is National Express http://www.nationalexpress.com/

If you were to decide to go to Avebury ONLY, forgoing Stonehenge and/or Salisbury, you should not go to Salisbury but instead to Swindon (by rail or coach). Getting between Avebury and Stonehenge requires some 1.5 hours or so each way on bus on winding roads plus a potentially iffy extra transfer.


[This message has been edited by CrazyOne (edited Jan 05, 2004).]

Boraxo

Don't bother with either Stonehedge or the Ripper tour - the former is a worthless pile of rocks which you can only view from a distance, and we found that the crowd of 300+ (no kidding) on a cold Sunday night detracted from the latter.

If for some reason you must see the rock pile, rent a car (generally around $20 a day); otherwise it will take you hours and $$$ via a train/bus connection or a silly tourbus.

GadgetFreak

And the painting "The Holy Family" in the National Gallery in London is just a piece of canvas that some gay Italian guy spread colored plant extracts in oil on a few hundred years ago. Then again, maybe that isnt all it is.......