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One of the most well known ancient attractions on earth – Stonehenge remains a mystery to this day.

The pre-historic monument is a stone circle made of massive standing stones, built somewhere between 3000 and 1600BC. In the middle ages, they thought it was built by magic, though it has been estimated that the construction of Stonehenge required more than thirty million hours of labor.

Prior to the 1950’s most archaeologists believed that Stonehenge’s use had been limited to the ritual activities of different Neolithic chiefdoms. However, it is now known that Stonehenge had another equally important function, which was its use as an astronomical observatory.

The monument is made from two types of stones: the ‘bluestones’ (weighing as much as four tons and brought from 240 miles away) and the Sarsen stones (averaging eighteen feet in height and twenty-five tons in weight).

Stonehenge tours from London take roughly two hours to get down to the site, however it’s truly a once in a lifetime experience to witness the ancient stone circle for yourself.

A kick-ass day trip from London.

Stonehenge: a kick-ass day trip from London.

The time you spend once here may well be short – it doesn’t take too long to appreciate the stones and snap a few photographs, though tours which leave from bus stations across London will combine this day trip with a visit to other popular tourist towns such as Oxford and Bath. Cheapflights to London operate from throughout Europe daily, so if you find yourself on vacation with a few extra days, why not consider London for Stonehenge?!

For those geology geeks wanting more, head for the town of Avebury where the road actually goes through similar stone formations.

These are our best photos from London’s Stonehenge.

Stonehenge

One of the most well known ancient attractions on earth.

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The pre-historic monument is a stone circle made of massive standing stones, built somewhere between 3000 and 1600BC.

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In the middle ages, they thought it was built by magic, though it has been estimated that the construction of Stonehenge required more than thirty million hours of labor.

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Prior to the 1950’s most archaeologists believed that Stonehenge’s use had been limited to the ritual activities of different Neolithic chiefdoms.

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The monument is made from two types of stones: the ‘bluestones’ (weighing as much as four tons and brought from 240 miles away) and the Sarsen stones (averaging eighteen feet in height and twenty-five tons in weight).

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The drive from London takes roughly two hours, however it’s truly a once in a lifetime experience to witness the ancient stone circle for yourself.

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Combine your day trip with a visit to other popular tourist towns such as Oxford and Bath as well.

Photos by Meg and Mike Jerrard. 

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Megan is an Australian Journalist who has been travelling and blogging since 2007, with the main aim of inspiring others to embark on their own worldwide adventure. Her husband Mike is an American travel photographer, and together they have made the world their home.

Committed to bringing you the best in adventure travel from all around the globe, there is no mountain too high, and no fete too extreme! They haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on their list.

Follow their journey on Facebook, TwitterYouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.

    17 Comments

  1. Super photos… especially your kick ass one.lol.

    • Lol glad you like that one – I had fun with it :D

  2. Great photos! Definitely going to swing by and check out Stonehenge when I am in l=London for my trip through Europe in a couple months!

    • Thanks John, glad you enjoyed them! Highly recommend the visit – as I mentioned, you don’t spend too long there because in essence it is just a pile of rocks lol, though it’s an amazing site to witness and knowing the history behind it makes for a fascinating site trip.

      Happy travels!

  3. I love the kick leg picture at the top Megan, shows you still have lots of fun on your travels :-)

    Stonehenge is undoubtedly one of our UK historic treasures with an air of mystery to entice people in.

    As you say it can be brief to visit but still worth the time. In some respects it is shame that it has now been roped off from visitors but it was ruined by people being disrespectful in the past.

    Stonehenge is not unique, there are many more less famous stone circles across the UK and Ireland. They are always fun to stumble across.

    • Lol thanks!! Trying as many cheesy tourist photos as we could and that one turned out to be the best :D

      I definitely recommend the trip, totally agree with those who say “it’s just a pile of rocks” – well, it is, though knowing the history behind the formations is truly fascinating, and as you said, it’s a historic treasure with a real air of mystery :)

      We were disappointed that we couldn’t get up close, though we totally understood why. A few stupid actions ruin it for the rest. I’ll have to do a bit of a more extensive roadtrip around the UK to get up close with some of her other rock formations. Thanks for the tip!

    • Make sure you include Yorkshire on your next UK road trip. God’s own country (as we call it) and I wonderful place to live – yep that’s where we are based.

  4. What a great post. Love the photos. The last few times I’ve been to London I gave Stonehenge a miss. I think next time I visit, I’ll have to include it. Just to say I’ve been there.
    How close are you actually able to get?

    • Thanks Jeffrey! Glad you enjoyed the post :) It took me a few visits to London to make it down to Stonehenge, though I’m so glad I finally did. As you said, just to say you’ve been there mainly :D

      You’re not able to get that close – it’s sadly roped off; the last photo in black and white of myself and Mike, that’s as close as you’ll be able to get. We were pushed right up on the rope for that snap.

      Still recommend the trip though, it really is something :)

  5. It’s weird how i have been so often in the UK and never managed to visit stonehenge.

    I’ve been to Malta tho, where they have equally ancient temples (made me wonder how these people managed to get their in the first place, but that is quite a different story i guess)

    I have read so many stories about Stonehenge and how it was built. I always figured that it would havev been easiest to cover all stones with earth and just push the horizontal stone slaps ontop and then remove the soil again. Yet from what i gather, scientists imagine some sort of elaborate wooden leverage stage.

    ah well – thx for sharing the pictures!

    • It’s not too weird lol it took me three trips to the UK before I managed to make a trip to Stonehenge happen. Though I’m so glad I finally did, it really was a wonderful experience!

      I would love to get to Malta eventually, I can’t even begin to imagine how fascinating it would be exploring ancient temples!

      I think your theory actually makes more sense than an elaborate wooden stage – it’s the simpler, straight forward approaches which are usually spot on!!

      Happy travels – I hope you do manage to Stonehenge soon Norman :)

  6. Nice post and photos of Stonehenge – it looks like you had a good time. Can’t wait to visit this historical sight – on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing!

    • Glad you enjoyed the photos Danielle – we had a really wonderful time :) Hope you get the chance to visit and experience Stonehenge for yourself sometime soon!

  7. Really great photos but “London’s Stonehenge”? Stonehenge isn’t in London and it is a bit like saying “Philadelphia’s White House” or “Newcastle’s Harbour Bridge and Opera House” (as you’re Australian). Stonehenge isn’t even in the same County as London.

    Anyway, just calling it “Stonehenge” should suffice. I guess “England’s” or “Britain’s” would save any confusion other other lesser known henges or stone rings though.

    • Hey Marcus! The post is obviously about Stonehenge as a day trip from London, for instance the first photo which says “kick-ass day trips from London”, and the details on how it takes a few hours to get there from the city, though I have changed the title of the post to “Britain’s Stonehenge” to avoid further confusion.

      I’ll add it to the list to edit the feature photo at the very top too.

      Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the photos all the same :)

  8. I have not yet seen Stonehenge, but your pictures really inspired me. I will definitely go there this summer during my trip to London!

    • So glad that we could inspire a trip Daria! It’s a really great day trip, we loved our time :) Have a great time in London this summer – happy travels!

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