Old Sarum, Stonehenge and Avebury

Old Sarum turned out to be located just a few kilometers from our campsite and was on route to Stonehenge. The aerial photo we saw made the place look awesome. Before we could find a ticket booth, there was a man who worked for English Heritage blocking our way further into the site. He asked us if we knew anything about English Heritage, obviously we don’t, so he went on to explain everything. He also asked us where we were heading in order to further promote his sale. Julie wanted nothing to do with the guy (her usual reaction towards sales people) but what I learnt was valuable, at least I deemed it so. If we were to join up with English Heritage, all English Heritage sites would be free for us, in addition we would receive discounts on participating English attractions, 50% off on Scottish Heritage sites (like Edinburgh castle which we intend on visiting) and half off of some sites in Wales. It also came with a guide book and map which allows us to plan day trips along the way to our already planned stops. The cost to join was steep though, £73 for a two person membership. I decided it was worth the expense and purchased the membership. With this membership, Old Sarum was free, as well as Stonehenge and Avebury as they are English Heritage sites. Julie was still doubtful after I purchased the tickets, so we have ourselves a contest now. She believes I will not be able to make up the £73, and will have spent more money on the membership than if I just paid each time at the attractions themselves. I think the opposite.

Old Sarum is a very ruined castle. Actually, it just looks like small stone walls on a hill. It wasn’t overly exciting; Julie was more interested in the small bunnies living on the side of the hill. It did offer great views, and from the hill top we could see Salisbury’s Cathedral. Old Sarum is probably best viewed from the sky, the many small airplanes flying by the site attests to that. It would have been £3.50 each to get in.

Stonehenge was another short drive and parking was surprisingly easy. The wind has picked up considerably making it feel much colder than it is. Our membership got us onto the Stonehenge site with an audio guide for free, it would have been £7.50 each without. Julie and I learnt nothing new with the audio guides, as we have both watched TV shows on Stonehenge. The site itself was nice although the stones were not as large as they make them out to be on TV. It was cold, windy and threatening to rain but it didn’t stop us from doing a complete circuit of the stone circle while listening to our audio guides. I would have liked to have been able to walk amongst the stones, but I am glad I couldn’t at the same time. There were so many people there it would have ruined the experience. The entire site is an open field, making it feel solitary. If I was bumping shoulders and waiting to take a photo without anyone in it, it wouldn’t have felt as it did. It was worth stopping at, and even walking around. If I had to pay for it, I would only do it once, because its just one of those things you got to do.

Avebury has another set of stone circles, one of which surrounds the entire town. The site is free to visit, but the car park is £5.00 for the day, but free for EH members. The stones were located in a nearby field and just as Julie and I started to walk towards them it started to pour. Because it was raining so much and still cold, we didn’t spend too much time here. We left shortly after for our next stop, Oxford.