Stone Henge is up there with some of the most iconic British landmarks, standing proud in the countryside of Wiltshire just off of the A303, this circular ring of standing stones attracts visitors from far and wide – Even from as far afield as Norfolk ! Yet even with all the history luring me in, with 3 young children i knew i didn’t want to pay full price to see it as they would loose interest in all out 8 seconds ( At the time of writing this a family of 5 would pay £55.90 ! ) therefore i researched how to see this iconic attraction yet without the price tag !
Historical estimations as to when Stonehenge was built vary but fall within a very wide window of between 2000BC – 3000BC. It’s purpose again is up for debate, some link into to a burial ground, others put it as a site of religious significance, whilst the ‘Tin hatters’ amongst us use it as a clear demonstration of extra terrestrial presence. Regardless of its purpose it was on the list of places to visit for the Norfolk explorers !
Now i know your not hear to read my motivations as to why i wanted to see it etc what you want to know is how to get there and see the icon without the cost, so here we go.
So step 1) Using your Sat-Nav simply search for the road named ‘Fargo Road’ Salisbury or use the postcode SP4 8LL. Fargo road runs parallel to the A303 just on the other side of Stonehenge.
Step 2) Park on near the marker i have placed on the map below – Be considerate as this is a residential area, however on arrival you’ll see your not the only one and this is clearly the way used by the locals, best of all though its free !
Step 3 – Leaving your car, you will see a dirt path that roughly follows the arrow i have placed on the map and goes between the fields. You can drive down here if you like but i don’t recommend it if you like your cars suspension ! Follow this path for approx 15/20 minutes. There is plenty to see on route and when we visited in the height of summer it was a really nice walk ! Whats amazing about this road is that there is people either living their or long term camping along the sides in either campervans or caravans that have clearly been there a while. At this point you start to release your inner hippy and even start contemplating how you can sell your house, quit your job and live off grid. Well at least i did anyway.
Step 4, follow this path down all the way until you can see Stonehenge on your left. Don’t be tempting to cut across the fields on your left on the way down, these are all compartmentalised and you’ll find yourself having to go back 10 minutes – Not that we did this …..When you have Stonehenge pretty much on your left, cut across the field and you will find yourself approx 40 meters from the Rocks without the pricetag! At this point you are free to take pictures, explore the surrounding fields and enjoy the day !
Now don’t get me wrong if your a die hard history fanatic and your children share your enthusiasm, then yes you should pay, naturally this is what funds these get places and keeps them alive for future generations. However if like us your children would not get the value from the paid visit and you simply want to get out and see something different i would advise you follow the above instructions.
The Norfolk Explorers therefore would highly recommend this trip, we used this as a stop off on our way to Cornwall and it was defiantly worth the stop over. As always i hope you enjoyed this blog and its given you the motivation to get out and about, enjoying what the UK has to offer. While your here take the opportunity to check out our other blogs of our visits, feel free to drop us a comment or a DM of your thoughts, recommendations or just to say hi. Thank you and take care !
Cost – Free
Distance – approx. 2 miles
Toilets – No
Catering – No
Dog Friendly – Yes
Norfolk explorers - Family Blog 