Stonehenge
On nearly the shortest day of the year:
I am completely shocked that this World Heritage Site is located right on a major highway. Your driving along, admiring the sunny countryside, as you reach the crest of a rolling hill BAM! THERE'S STONEHENGE! Right on the side of the road! Way out in the open! I mean, I knew it was in the open, it was just rather shocking how out in the open it is. People commute past Stonehenge like it was the lit up dancing lights christmas tree on 376.
It was a wonderfully sunny day and we decided to head towards Wiltshire where there are many additional archaeological sites to visit in addition to Stonehenge. We almost didn't make it there. The M4 had a massive traffic jam, due to an overturned truck, which caused part of the highway to shut down. We were making excellent time, but then ended up traveling 3mph toward the next available exit 3 miles away. You do the math. This was so aggravating that we almost decided not to go. But once we were off the motorway, it was a short trip to Wiltshire. This delay significantly reduced the amount of our available daylight when the sun sets at 3:50pm.
It is an impressive sight. And they are one photogenic circle of neolithic rocks! All the photos turned out beautifully! We had something around 100 shots on the camera, but have posted our top favorites in the complete photo set.
The public are allowed in around the stones only on rare occasions and on the summer solstice for which apparently the sunrise is spectacular through the stones that mark this solar passage. The stones are much larger than I had imagined as well. From the hill top there are some of the largest burial mounds in England within sight. These are mounds where leaders would be buried.
After admiring this neolithic marvel, we headed towards Marlborough, where there is another circle of standing stones and a number of the large white horses carved into chalky hillsides. However, it was already getting dark when we reached the town, so we wandered around the village and into the Redundant Church. Although, I found out, the other circle of stones is open day and night, with no charge, so we could have made the trip in the spirit of adventure. We had a lovely and enjoyable drive through narrow lanes and across one lane bridges. A large number of the buildings and homes in this area were topped with thatched roofs.
There were peculiar road signs, "Danger! Tank Crossing" These signs, along with the large numbers of "Elderly People" warning signs, England's country side must be teeming with roving bands of wild tanks and elderly people, ready to strike at any moment.
And I thought of Robyn where the signs for even the highway service station nearby, which would ordinarily read "Services" with a picture indicating a gas station and food, the sign read, "Solstice Services" and there was the "Solstice Plaza" nearby, everything was named solstice. I had to make a double take, "Solstice services? They're advertising pagan ceremony schedules on the highway?" then I realized it was for the service station.
The complete photo set
I am completely shocked that this World Heritage Site is located right on a major highway. Your driving along, admiring the sunny countryside, as you reach the crest of a rolling hill BAM! THERE'S STONEHENGE! Right on the side of the road! Way out in the open! I mean, I knew it was in the open, it was just rather shocking how out in the open it is. People commute past Stonehenge like it was the lit up dancing lights christmas tree on 376.
It was a wonderfully sunny day and we decided to head towards Wiltshire where there are many additional archaeological sites to visit in addition to Stonehenge. We almost didn't make it there. The M4 had a massive traffic jam, due to an overturned truck, which caused part of the highway to shut down. We were making excellent time, but then ended up traveling 3mph toward the next available exit 3 miles away. You do the math. This was so aggravating that we almost decided not to go. But once we were off the motorway, it was a short trip to Wiltshire. This delay significantly reduced the amount of our available daylight when the sun sets at 3:50pm.
It is an impressive sight. And they are one photogenic circle of neolithic rocks! All the photos turned out beautifully! We had something around 100 shots on the camera, but have posted our top favorites in the complete photo set.
The public are allowed in around the stones only on rare occasions and on the summer solstice for which apparently the sunrise is spectacular through the stones that mark this solar passage. The stones are much larger than I had imagined as well. From the hill top there are some of the largest burial mounds in England within sight. These are mounds where leaders would be buried.
After admiring this neolithic marvel, we headed towards Marlborough, where there is another circle of standing stones and a number of the large white horses carved into chalky hillsides. However, it was already getting dark when we reached the town, so we wandered around the village and into the Redundant Church. Although, I found out, the other circle of stones is open day and night, with no charge, so we could have made the trip in the spirit of adventure. We had a lovely and enjoyable drive through narrow lanes and across one lane bridges. A large number of the buildings and homes in this area were topped with thatched roofs.
There were peculiar road signs, "Danger! Tank Crossing" These signs, along with the large numbers of "Elderly People" warning signs, England's country side must be teeming with roving bands of wild tanks and elderly people, ready to strike at any moment.
And I thought of Robyn where the signs for even the highway service station nearby, which would ordinarily read "Services" with a picture indicating a gas station and food, the sign read, "Solstice Services" and there was the "Solstice Plaza" nearby, everything was named solstice. I had to make a double take, "Solstice services? They're advertising pagan ceremony schedules on the highway?" then I realized it was for the service station.
The complete photo set