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Stonehenge and its Environs

There is no place quite like it..

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Rhiannon R
Rhiannon Dec 17, 2013 22:31:43
Replying to tjj

a lot of the landscape is at the moment access land. And there's a thumping great byway too. Will they change that? (in fear of repeating myself) but when I walked around and about there years back I was virtually alone. Despite the full carpark. So I don't think they're going to have huge problems with hundreds of renegades walking in from miles out, people are just too lazy. Do you not think? They'll probably check tickets when people get on the bus, but otherwise..

am I just being an optimist for a change.

Not that I'm trying to dodge paying particularly. But it'd be nice to have an option of avoiding some of the tourist circus. You know how crazy it gets there on a nice day.

C common era
common era Dec 18, 2013 10:23:42
Replying to Rhiannon

Just found the BBC clip on the new centre, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25412430, which I think is the same link posted earlier.

Whilst it looks great and is hopefully better than the overcrowded old facility, the bit that I had the hardest part to swallow was that ticket prices are almost doubling. I have visited Stonehenge a few times in the past few years, mostly to take visitors from overseas there who wanted to see it as part of a journey to these shores and always thought it was expensive to begin with.

I hate sounding Grinchy, but sorry EH, £14.90 adult entry is a lot of money to me. Yes, I know the money helps fund this and other projects, but it now seems like a very expensive day out (not that you would get close to a full day there anyway).

I also don't like the fact you now have to pre-book a time slot to be guaranteed entry. Takes away all spontaneity, plus don't they realise that life, and especially travel, doesn't work to a strict timetable? I can foresee a lot of disappointed people turning up in the height of the season without knowing this only to be told "sorry, there's no room at the stones today".

Go and see Avebury. It's free (parking excluded).

T tjj
tjj Dec 18, 2013 13:17:56
Replying to Rhiannon

Rhiannon wrote:
a lot of the landscape is at the moment access land. And there's a thumping great byway too. Will they change that? (in fear of repeating myself) but when I walked around and about there years back I was virtually alone. Despite the full carpark. So I don't think they're going to have huge problems with hundreds of renegades walking in from miles out, people are just too lazy. Do you not think? They'll probably check tickets when people get on the bus, but otherwise..

am I just being an optimist for a change.

Not that I'm trying to dodge paying particularly. But it'd be nice to have an option of avoiding some of the tourist circus. You know how crazy it gets there on a nice day.

It should be possible to walk from Durrington Walls or Amesbury and I'm guessing if approached from a different direction the hefty entrance fees might be avoided. They no doubt include entry to the display rooms which do look worth paying for. I'm not a NT member but in the old order members could go up to the stones for free. Is this still the case I wonder?