Stonehenge, Old Sarum Castle, & Woodhenge: Private Day Trip from Bath
Explore the archaeological remains of Old Sarum, a castle and cathedral from the dark ages situated near the historic city of Salisbury, followed by a guided tour of the magnificent Stonehenge on this private day trip from Bath. On your private tour you will:
- Enjoy the personal attention of your private Blue Badge Guide and the comfort of a luxury private vehicle for the day.
- Spend time in Old Sarum, which uniquely combines a royal castle and cathedral with an Iron Age fortification. For 150 years, this was a major centre of both secular and ecclesiastical government.
- Ride through picturesque villages full of thatched cottages, and see the homes of William Pitt, and the singer/songwriter, Sting.
- Stop for a cosy pub lunch in the cathedral city of Salisbury.
- Drive by the Durrington Walls and Woodhenge as your guide gives you all the known history of this archaeology-rich area of England.
- View the Long Barrows and burial mounds dotted around the countryside of Salisbury Plain, now the largest military training ground in England.
- Visit Stonehenge with timed tickets included, and enjoy a new exhibition at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre, a stunning and interactive experience where you’ll see how the henge was created over a period of 2500 years.
- Learn about their capabilities outside in the Neolithic ‘village’. Feel the 'touching stone' and attempt to pull the mighty sarsen!
- Take the shuttle bus to Stonehenge and wander around this awe-inspiring ancient monument as your guide tells you all we know of its fascinating history, the many theories about how it was built and what it meant to the people who constructed it – some realistic theories, some rather far fetched!
- Stop and admire the mystical stones – the giant sarsen stones from 30 miles away, the bluestones from the Petrocelli mountains in Wales travelled over 250 miles, and the placement of the ‘blood stone’ and learn about its alignment with, and its importance at the summer and winter solstices. To be in the presence of the stones is a truly humbling experience.
- Return to Bath with a scenic drive, in time for drinks and supper!
Enjoy a scenic drive through the southern English countryside from Bath to Old Sarum just outside the cathedral city of Salisbury. Old Sarum is a fascinating and beautiful archaeological site spanning over 2000 years of history! It was the ‘original’ Salisbury – a once-thriving town, a castle, a cathedral. Stand in the footprints of the original Salisbury Cathedral, climb over the ramparts and the old castle to see the views of the countryside, learn about the motte and bailey method of building in the early middle ages, and discover the astounding Iron Age hill fort on which it was all built. Learn about the peoples that lived here including the Celts, the Romans, Saxons and the Normans all of whom helped to forge this impressive landscape.
Then, visit the mighty and mystical Stonehenge, with tickets included.
Begin at the new interactive exhibition at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre. A fascinating and immersive experience – with surround screens that make you feel as though Stonehenge is being built around you in hyper speed. (The monument took around 2500 years to complete. Think about that for a moment!) Explore the Neolithic village with its huts and replica of one of the giant sarsen stones. See if you can get it to budge!
Then take the free and very regular shuttle bus up to the stone circle, where your guide will walk you around this mighty edifice that has inspired the imagination of millions of people over 4 millennia. See how the stone circles were constructed, and how they miraculously align with the solstices. Sacred to pagans, mystics and atheists alike, you will be forever humbled by your visit to this magical place.
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