How a visit to Stonehenge reminded me of deep time
An aerial view of Stonehenge (not taken by James)
Russell Brown/Alamy
The easiest and quickest way to visit Stonehenge is to join the traffic jams on the UK’s A303 road. And there’s no denying that this 5,000-year-old Neolithic monument offers one of the most spectacular road views in the world.
As is the case with everyone who drives past it, my first glimpse of the giant stone circle from inside my vehicle was breathtaking. Tick. Job completed. RIGHT?
The fact is, if you pass by it on the highway, you can say you saw a magnificent archaeological site that has intrigued researchers for centuries – but you didn’t smell it. I’m not talking about New Age woo-woo feelings, or touching them, because that’s forbidden. I mean feeling what it’s like to climb the hill towards the giant cut stones, experiencing the landscape over which Stonehenge looms as the highest point, and seeing it get bigger and bigger the closer you get.
Immerse yourself in the earliest human periods of the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age on this gentle walking tour.
Human origins and gentle walking in prehistoric southwest England
I also mean taking the time in its presence to realize that, despite the efforts of countless researchers, the more we learn about Stonehenge – temple, burial site and ancient calendar – the less we really know.
Because I had traveled to the UK from Australia, I had decided to pay extra for my visit and take the so-called Inner Circle tour, guided by experts from the English Heritage charity. This meant I had to wait until dusk on a grey, dark and cold afternoon. At that time the site was closed to the public and the guides accompanied our small group over the rope fence and inside the ring of stones. From this point of view, Stonehenge was no longer a distant monument embedded in a giant landscape, as seen from the highway.
James marks his visit with a photo
James Woodford
We had maybe half an hour to wander around and look at each stone from every angle. Then, just as our allotted time was coming to an end, the setting sun came out from beneath the clouds and illuminated the entire circle with golden light, casting long shadows. Whatever the significance of Stonehenge, it is a place that reminds us of deep times and should not be consumed from a distant road as the tourist equivalent of a drive-thru meal.
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