Bloody English Heritage.

[TiggyD]

They find a slightly interesting heap of rocks in a field somewhere. To "protect" it (Mow the grass twice a year) they fence it off and install a little hut for somebody to take your money from and to sell loads of tourist crap from. They install toilets and a car park and loads of information boards. They then start charging £4.50 for you to see the slightly interesting heap of rocks.You think it's going to be fascinating because it costs £4.50 but realise too late that it's just a slightly interesting heap of rocks that really just needs one notice board and a mow twice a year costing 10 pence but has £4.40 worth of unnecessary amenities and security to make sure you don't avoid paying £4.50 for a 5 minute look!

Bastards.

Stonehenge?

Then don't go, I have annual membership and think it is a fantastic organisation.
Look up a site on their website if you feel uninformed about what you are going to see.

I know, I know, but... bigger picture!!

This stuff would disappear forever* if not for their efforts and they have to raise funds somehow.

*As in, not just for a little while, while it has a break and regroups before coming back, bigger and better than ever, but forever, never to be seen again. [busad]

If you get closer to an interesting heap of rocks, you will see the carved graffiti, the paint spraying and the hordes of children being allowed to use it as a climbing frame unless there is something to prevent them doing so.
As an archaeologist and historian, I'd say there is usually something more about a site than what is immediately visible, did you bother to do any reading up before you went?

If it's stonehenge then YANBU

I remember being distinctly underwhelmed - I think I was expecting druids and festivities. But it was a slightly interesting heap of rock in a field. In the drizzle.

Facetiousness aside, built heritage is very important. And once it's gone, it's gone. And all you're left with is a load of 1960s tower blocks and a bunch of Barrett homes.

Happy now? [buwink]

YABU - Stonehenge is what it is, rocks in field that you can see from the road if you don't want to pay. Something can be historically important and worth protecting and also not very interesting to the layman. Not everything has to be an interactive theme park.

Try the castles, my sister has a membership and has been to a lot, Dover castle being the best :)

I love English Heritage/ Scottisj Trust/ National Trust but it's definitely worth getting the annual pass via direct debate.

YABU.... and probably a philistine into the bargain.

When they fenced it off they ruined the experience IMO.

Walkng round in a big circle looking at the rocks...you can actually do that from the road, you get a great view from the rd.

Bloody expensive.

It's a choice OP, it is not as if they tax you at source to support their heap of stones.
Don't like it, choose not to go. Like me and soft play areas.
Stonehenge is magnificent.

"Stonehenge is what it is"

These are exactly the words I was thinking - it is what it is. Ostensibly a bunch of rocks, but actually an engineering marvel which we still can't explain, to this day.

If you're not interested in that sort of thing, then don't pay to go and see it. If you're expecting an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza minus the rain, then go to the West End.

It's one of the reasons we love the Pitt Rivers Museum and hate the Science Museum TBH, the fact that one hasn't gone down the computer screens, Horrible Histories all singing all dancing extravaganza route.
Sometimes you just want to walk and look and wonder in silence. Avebury and The White Horse are remarkable in the same way.

It's not just a pile of rocks, you need to take the whole landscape into account and it's connection to other monuments in the area.

In the early 90's I felt very privileged to be able to go inside the circle, it was a cold day with freezing fog and the stones just seemed to float there, was very cool...

Sounds like you're more of an Alton Towers kinda gal.

Avebury is a great visit (NT?)

Not if you don't like old rocks and earthworks. [busmile]
A theme park was my children's idea of hell, they are adult/almost adult now and feel the same way.

Meh - I spend most of my weekends going to historical sights, castles, NT stuff, plus I pick my holidays based on what there is to see when I get there, but I was still a let down by StoneHenge

I was 15 and I think had built it up in my mind too much

TiggyD - your comment reminds me of a comment my DW made about some very interesting Roman temple ruins we went to see for free while on holiday. I really enjoyed it and was slightly taken aback by:

"When you've seen one pile of rocks, you've see em all".

Whaddaya going to do though? They can't drape tinsel over it, just to make it a bit more interesting to the people who were expecting a bit more.

It is what it is.

Oh, I'd make the trip to see it with tinsel and fairy lights Sodoff

I LOVE English Heritage. We've had membership for years. My DCs asked this year to do "rock pooling, crabbing and castles, especially castles" on holiday this year.

Pendennis, St Mawes and Framlingham Castle are fab. Eltham Palace is amazing. I'm always surprised by how much EH stuff is free.

I do see your point about Stonehenge. We went last week and it's probably the worst site I've been to. Packed, poor facilities and full of language school students

It falls into Giants Causeway territory for me

Can't be Stonehenge - it's £16 to visit it.

We went to Avebury and the Long Barrow instead, plus the wooden Stonehenge - we just drove past Stonehenge and got an ice cream.