Jimit, I've walked up those ramps right up onto Salisbury Plain in my capacity as gofer for Pilgrim who did a lot of work on the various proposed routes on behalf of the Stonehengineers.

When you view the ridge looming up even from miles away it looks extremely daunting and that exact spot looks very obviously the spot that would have been aimed for since it's a bit lower than what lies to each side. How old the ramps are I have no idea (I got the impression they were at least partly natural) but that gap seems the obvious one whether ramps existed or not.

I reckon stones could have been dragged or stonerowed up there along the line of the ramps, i.e. by going diagonally and thereby reducing the gradient. On the other hand going straight up on either side would be quite impossible IMO.

Vinegar is always passed left to right in our house.

I'm really very sorry.

Hi Jim
The route of the sarsens? Seems to me that they would have chosen a route that used the hills between (took advantange of) rather than ovoiding them. If stone-rowing is the answer...... then use the hills, stone-rowing is easier going uphill, so head for the highest ground on route and use rollers to move the stone down the other side.

Haven't posted for a while but thought this thread looked quite interesting. I must admit I don't know much about the technical points of moving tons of rock but I do know the landscape in question quite well having grown up in the centre of Salisbury plain and now living 2 miles away from Marden.

Those of you who also know SP well will know that its not just a matter of getting over that "first hill" near Marden Cowbag, SP is full of hills! If the theory is the builders/draggers chose the shortest route then that would also entail tackling the various monsterous hills within SP. I find it quite hard to believe that they would do this, as lets face it, they were pretty clever to construct Stonehenge and the other fantastic monuments of that time, surely they would have used a more "intelligent" route making full use of what the land could offer them? Without sounding dumb, but why are we disfavouring the theory of transportation via river? Again, as I said above I'm not too clued up with the technical points but this would seem the easiest and most energy efficient way of transporting things. Perhaps someone would answer this question as I have often thought about this theory.

Just a couple of ideas and questions.

Dee

I have been studying Stonehenge for over 30years. One of the questions is which route did they take the stones from Marlborough Down. I walked over Salisbury Plain for several years before I found a possible route.

The main obstacle is the escarpment (Red Horn Hill). I am suggesting they took the stones along the side of the escarpment until Market Lavington and then turned left through the gap in the escarpment. There is a road there now; there is no incline or obstacles.

I spoke to some local farmer’s on Salisbury Plain. One was born in site of Stonehenge. They discussed my possible route amongst themselves and finally one of them said – It had to be that way, we know this land better than anyone and there is no other way.