I hope it’s not too late to write a post about my visitation to Stonehenge in early January this year.  Yes, it was winter. Yes, It sucks.  Typical winter weather, the days are shorter and nights are longer, the sun sets at 16:30-ish.  Rain falls during the day and night intermittently, it was frustrating.  Not to mention that tropical child like me can barely survive the harsh cold winter. 

However, I still got to suck it all, and continue the trip, while my body just wanted to lay down on the bed all day long doing nothing.  And, just as planned, my friend and I rented a car to drive to Bath then Stonehenge.  I’m not here to tell you about Bath city, I mean no disrespect, Bath is truly a beautiful city but we skipped so many worthy objects to be able to visit Stonehenge on the exact same day.   Like I said, it’s winter, sun sets really soon.

It took around 1 hour from Bath to Stonehenge by car.  We got there 15 minutes before the last admission!! In winter the last admission to this historical site is at 15:00 p.m. So I guess, we were lucky, and yes we were lucky indeed.  The weather that afternoon was really nice, there’s sun, something that’s really rare to find in winter and we’re able to catch a glimpse of the sun set. 

A little about Stonehenge, it’s one of over 900 stone circles in Britain.  It’s located in Wiltshire, near Amesbury, England; it’s neighboring city is Salisbury which also famous for its cathedral and Bath which is also listed in UNESCO's World Heritage site. Archaeologists believed Stonehenge was constructed around 5000 years ago (3,000-2,000 BC).  It was constructed in three phases and it's been estimated that it required more than 30 million hours of labor.  The true meaning behind Stonehenge is still a mystery, although it was speculated that it was built on the range of human sacrifice to astronomy.  The site and its surroundings was added to UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 1986.  Admission fee for adults is ₤15.50, a little too pricey, eh?

Stonehenge is really famous, it's advertised as giant prehistoric monument.  Umm, prehistoric, yes, but giant, nope.  Truth is, for me and for some other visitors, Stonehenge was a bit underwhelming.  Considering the age of the monument, I supposed its "giant" would be as gigantic as Pyramids perhaps or Petra in Jordan.  It's surprisingly small and Stonehenge is not unique, as I mentioned above, there are over hundreds of stone circles.  However, it still attracts millions and millions visitors each year, I guess, good advertisement and strategic location.  

Despite being underwhelmed, I felt grateful because the weather was terrific when we got there, a few hours ago it was pouring a little, when we were still in Bath.  If you ask me if it's worth a visit, well..umm, yes! But the visitation will only take around 30 minutes, 45' tops!  So, arrange your time wisely, consider the neighboring city like Bath or Salisbury.  From London you can take the bus or train to Salisbury, the bus to Stonehenge, but there are also plenty tour package to Stonehenge, usually it's paired with Bath as well and it's easier than driving on your own to the sites.

At least #Iveseenthestones :p