Something else to do/see near Stonehenge

[NancyJoan]

13 yr old DS loves history, and wants to go to Stonehenge in the summer. It’s a long drive for us, so I’d prefer to do an overnight stay. What else can we see/do? We like history/art/ literature. We’re coming from South Wales, so something on the way/on the way home would be best.

OP if your DS is keen and you’re NT members definitely do it. It’s less busy early in the day. You can have more of an experience by walking from the visitor centre past the barrows and approaching the stones along the last part of the avenue. If you’re keen walkers the NT has various trails between Stonehenge and wood henge nearby.

I’d second votes for Bath, Wells and Wookey Hole. There’s a lovely little campsite next door to the caves at Wookey Hole.

Hello, late to the thread but have just been to Avebury and Stonehenge.
Recommend Avebury for being able to touch the stones and walk to other sites very close by.
At Stonehenge, we walked other sites in the area - the Cursus (long open area nearby that was marked out before Stonehenge), Durrington Walls and Woodhenge. About 10k round walk (NT provide a leaflet and map, also on website) or you can drive between.
At Stonehenge, you do get quite close, but we also paid for a morning slot to go in the circle. It was expensive but worth every penny. Personally I don’t think they should restrict it so tightly but if you want to pay extra you can do this and I think it changes your perception a lot.
There’s a lot in the guidebooks and exhibition about how it is built which is really interesting.
Or you can go at the Solstices when they allow open access - I watched the winter one on a webcam and it is crowded but respectful.

Stonehenge isn’t NT, it is English Heritage.
It’s a bit out of the way, but Warwick Castle is worth a day. They often have medieval shows of jousting and a trebuchet with flaming rock being flung, falconry, archery, the walls and towers are restored so you can climb up them. It’s touristy but still fun.

NT members get in free to the stones even though it's an EH site.

Also recommend Wilton House. We stayed near Wells and it's a really pretty town.

as a PP said, I highly recommend Hawk Conservancy (just off A303, near Andover). Really great experience (and nice cafe too !)

If it’s any consolation I love history and absolutely loved Stonehenge. Avebury was fab too.

20 minutes away is Imber the abandoned village but is only open to visitors a couple of times a year. Residents were forced to leave during the war and never allowed back. The military decided to keep it and no compensation was paid. Worth a visit for the atmosphere and sadness.

Pay the extra and go inside the circle.

Salisbury has a rifle/armour museum which is haunted AF.

It’s called The Wardrobe Museum but there’s no wardrobes. Some cabinets, but no wardrobes.

If you do go to Avebury, here was a children’s TV serial filmed in Avebury, called ‘Children of the Stones’. It was filmed back in the 1970’s so ‘is of its time’, but your DC would probable enjoy it because of the setting. It’s on YouTube.

Lacock is worth a visit, loads of history and was one of the film locations for Harry Potter.

You were probably being a bit tongue in cheek, but the wardrobe without wardrobes has the name as the building used to be the Bishops store / wardrobe with ceremonial clothing etc

….. if people also don’t get the rifles reference it is the museum of the Wiltshire & Berkshire regiments, all current infantry regiments are now ‘The Rifles’, with each battalion having a linear history through the past mergers

Fun/boring fact, is that one of the private rooms has or had a dressing table and coat stand from my old department. They wanted ‘nice’ ‘proper’ old fashioned wooden furniture for a sitting room for the Queen during one of her visits. The coat stand was from my office

WHAT?

You mean it wasn’t an historical museum of wardrobes which got repurposed when all of the customers fucked off to Narnia?

I am disappointed.

I love Stonehenge. Always get a buzz driving past it. But I second Avebury, Silbury Hill and West Kennet longbarrow. Plenty of cheap places to stay nearby too.

I did stonwhenge and Avesbury. Avesbury is bigger and better, plus it's a nice village. He'll get.more history from Avesbury too. So do both. There's plenty round there as long as you drive

😁

You could also go to Wells Cathedral.

It’s not as big but there’s a cat who works in the gift shop.

Salisbury, Bath, Wells, depending on your route. Just driving over Salisbury Plain on a nice day, through Marlborough and Devizes, is quite spectacular and unusual.

Avebury is better than Stonehenge and you can really commune with the stones. Also recommend West Kennet Long Barrow.

There is a pagan wishing tree at Avebury.