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Summer solstice is one of the most popular times to see Stonehenge.
Photograph by Tolga Akmen, Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

 * Travel
 * World Heritage




HOW TO SEE STONEHENGE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Here’s how to experience the mystery of this megalithic monument.


ByNational Geographic Staff
Published July 25, 2022
• 7 min read
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Around 4,500 years ago, a structure of enormous stones aligned with solar
patterns was erected in England’s Salisbury Plain by a civilization without
metal tools, horsepower, or wheels. Many of the mysteries of how and why the
megalithic structure of Stonehenge was built remain unanswered.

But recent discoveries via new technology are providing fresh clues to these
enduring riddles, even as the site itself, located about 90 miles west of
central London, faces the looming threat of modern development.

In 1922, National Geographic published its first photograph of Stonehenge, a
black-and-white aerial image of the site with the cutting-edge technology of
that time—the airplane. For a century, we have covered the prehistoric site,
reporting on evolving research about its age, formation, and use.

Our coverage continues to be groundbreaking. National Geographic’s August 2022
cover features the site and stories within the issue push boundaries. National
Geographic Explorer and photographer Martin Edström created an immersive 3D
model of the site using photogrammetry. Using a drone, he and his team took
7,000 images of the site from all angles and processed them into a
high-resolution digital replica. You can find a Stonehenge AR experience here.

0:18



Stonehenge Revealed Cover

Timelapse video of Stonehenge
Video by Reuben Wu, Animation by Rebekah Barlas


Stonehenge is composed of blocks that weigh more than 45 tons and tower up to 24
feet high. The monument is not only notable for its size, but for its ceremonial
design—the first 1,600 feet of the avenue from Stonehenge is built on the axis
of the summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset. Whether this
alignment was constructed for sun worship, calendar keeping, or other purposes
remains a mystery.

Over time, Stonehenge has been attributed to Druids, Romans, Vikings, Saxons,
and even King Arthur’s court magician, Merlin. But the people who actually
constructed the site left no written language or legend—only bones, potsherds,
stone, and antler tools.

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
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Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
1 / 7

1 / 7
<p>Revelers gather to observe the sunrise on summer solstice, one of the most
popular times to visit Stonehenge.</p>

Solstice Sunrise

Revelers gather to observe the sunrise on summer solstice, one of the most
popular times to visit Stonehenge.

Photograph by Tolga Akmen, Anadolu Agency/Getty Images


According to a 12th-century legend from chronicler and cleric Geoffrey of
Monmouth, Stonehenge’s monoliths were taken from a stone circle in Ireland after
a great battle and transported by magic and by boat to where they stand today.

He was correct in a way—we now know that, of the hundreds of stone circles in
Britain, Stonehenge is the only one whose stones, averaging two tons each, were
brought from a great distance, according to National Geographic Explorer and
archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson.

New tools including x-ray fluorescence spectrometry and ICP-MS laser ablation
have helped geologists Richard Bevins and Rob Ixer identify four outcroppings in
Preseli Hills, Wales, where the monoliths in Stonehenge originated from. That
means the stones traveled some 175 miles to where they stand today.

In Belgium, researcher Christophe Snoeck pioneered a technique to retrieve
isotopes from cremated remains to reveal where an individual lived in their last
decade of life—revealing more than ever before about those buried at Stonehenge.
He learned nearly half of those buried in the structure’s early days lived miles
from the site, and was even able to determine the kind of wood burned for
cremation—trees not found near Stonehenge.

Experts say Stonehenge required an enormous amount of timber for its
construction—not just for palisades of trunks driven into the ground, but also
for builders to drag 20-ton stones on wooden sledges, on possibly miles of
wooden tracks, as well as giant scaffolds to erect the stones on site.

The ten square mile area of Stonehenge includes avenues, settlements, some 350
burial grounds, and healing centers. This symbol of prehistory stands in stark
contrast to its modern neighbor, the A303 highway, which most of the million
annual visitors take to see the structure.

Notoriously fettered with heavy traffic and spotted with potholes, the narrow
road hosts rumbling trucks that can disturb the peace at the Stonehenge site. To
ease these issues, a two-mile-long, four-lane tunnel was proposed to bypass
Stonehenge, drawing fire from archaeologists and sparking protests. For now, the
$2.2 billion project is on hold after a ruling from Britain’s High Court last
year.




HOW TO VISIT

Summer solstice is the most popular time to visit Stonehenge. During the summer
solstice, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone, and its first rays shine into the
heart of Stonehenge. Archaeological excavations have found it may have once had
a partner stone, the two stones framing the sunrise. This is one of the few
occasions the inner circle is open to the public.

1:46


What is a Solstice?

What is the definition of a solstice, and when do they happen? Is the winter
solstice always the first day of winter? Find out what causes these bi-annual
astronomical events, as well as how they bring about the shortest and longest
days of the year.

Turning 180 degrees to face southwest, during the winter solstice, the sun would
originally have set between the two uprights of the tallest trilithon, but the
effect has been lost since half the trilithon fell at some point in the
millennia since its construction.

Stonehenge is open year-round, and timed tickets for Stonehenge can be booked in
advance for guaranteed entry. A walkway surrounds the famed circle, but due to
conservation concerns, the public is typically not allowed inside the ring.
However, many compensations await. The landmark is surrounded by a vast expanse
of fields, perfect walking country dotted with associated earthworks, burial
grounds, and other monuments.




HOW TO GET THERE

There is regular train service from London, Bristol/Bath, and Southampton to
Salisbury, located 12 miles from Stonehenge. Bus service is also available via
Salisbury Reds. From there, take a taxi or hop on the wheelchair-accessible bus
to the Stonehenge Visitor Centre. Finally, a 1.5-mile (25-minute) walk leads to
the circle. For those who are unable to walk, a free bus service operates
between the disabled access parking lot and Stonehenge.

Click here for more information on transportation.


WHERE TO STAY

A variety of hotels and guesthouses are available in Wiltshire, and several
campsites are located within 10 miles of Stonehenge.

National Geographic Travel editor Allie Yang contributed to this article.
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