Stonehenge Rocks!

Sunday 22nd May

Today was an experience of a lifetime - we got to stand in the middle of the Stonehenge at sunset!

We'd booked an organised tour which gave us special access to the Stonehenge inner circle and included a tour of Bath and lunch at an very old pub.

First we went to Bath where we went for a tour of the Roman Baths - an ancient site where the natural hot springs pump over a million litres of warm (46°c) water a day. While it was most popular during Victorian times, there are signs that it has been in use since before the Romans arrived. We're due back for a night in Bath so we didn't explore the town too much.

After Bath we went to a tiny 13th century village of Lacock for lunch in a 650 year old pub. Almost entirely owned by the National Trust, the village has not changed much so it's the perfect location for filming. The pub has photos all over the walls showing the cast and crew of the various films that have been based here - like Harry Potter. Had a very late lunch in the pub (British classics of Fish and Chips with Peas and Steak & Ale pie).

Stonehenge was probably built 4500 years ago but no one knows how or why - it's so old that we can only guess. Because of the risk of damage, most visitors only get to see it from the path (about 20 meters away) but we got a lot closer. When we arrived, the site had been closed to other visitors so we had it to ourselves (the 50 on the tour group).

The Stonehenge was built in a circle, but time has meant that parts of it have fallen over. This means that it looks different from every angle and at times the stones hid everyone, giving you a chance to experience it almost alone.

Its hard to describe the feeling when you know you're standing somewhere that is so old and mysterious. As the sun set the atmosphere changed - I hope we captured some of this in the photos. We set a new record for photos taken at 160 plus 4 videos.

If anyone is ever considering visiting - you must do it via a special access tour, seeing it from a distance is nothing compared to seeing it close up. There is ancient graffiti on some stones (naughty Roman soliders) and you can see what appears to be tool marks from it's creation.