Stonehenge

[Gracie]

What do YOU think it was or represented? A temple? A place of worship? A calendar? A beacon/marker for aliens? None of the above?

 

[JakeStarkey]

Religious and funerary purposes.

 

[TheOldSchool]

A Mecca, Vatican, or Wailing Wall of several thousand years ago.

 

[HenryBHough]

Having visited Stonehenge at least twice and examined some of the faint inscriptions I'm guessing it was used in conjunction with huge religious festivals held on the adjacent plain. Used as a toilet. Or, perhaps, as a sort of bulletin-board to solicit sex.

 

[Vigilante]

Religious and funerary purposes.

I agree, England's greatest Jakeasses were buried there! The Manchurian Republican should know!

 

[CrusaderFrank]

It's a calendar.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Its quite beautiful. If you haven't seen it, you should go.

From Stonehenge, go to Bath.

And ignore the ignorant ^^^ assholes ^^^ who have never been there but think they know all there is to know.

 

[Gracie]

Whatever it was used for...it's still fascinating.

 

[Vigilante]

It is quite interesting that CROP CIRCLES show up every year right across from Stonehenge.....and NO ONE sees any human's making them, as you can see the road next to the monument is well traveled, day, and night

 

[HenryBHough]

Whatever it was used for...it's still fascinating.

Right now it's better than it had been for over 50 years. The garish "visitor center", replete with touristy gift shop, has been banished! The nearby highway still destroys what should be the silence. Some say a proposed tunnel under the site will fix that but others worry the work could wreak destruction. First visit, back in the 60s, there was no fence so you could walk unmolested among the stones. Later that was no longer allowed except for those who came on an escorted package tour. It's best seen when open for the occasional religious observance but you need to be in proper dress and with a recognized group. I haven't been back in some ten years so am not certain of the degree of access currently available.

Location is such that if you're not driving it's just best to book with a day tour, especially one doing the sunrise visit which ensures best access and minimal crowding.

 

[HenryBHough]

"Henge" encompasses a variety of constructs. Stonehenge is the best known but there are dozens, perhaps hundreds, more. Many are on private property; some are opened only for special occasions as I will attend in May if my timing works out right. This particular one is sometimes mistaken, from above, as a "crop circle" but it's a permanent, ancient construct:

Thornborough England.

This year's Beltane is May 3. Nearest place with lodging is Ripon, North Yorkshire. There is bus service though limited. Parking is such that it's best not to drive. If the regular bus is not convenient it's not an expensive trip by taxi but there is spotty mobile phone service from the site so you need to pre-arrange a return ride and definite meeting place.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Whatever it was used for...it's still fascinating.

Right now it's better than it had been for over 50 years. The garish "visitor center", replete with touristy gift shop, has been banished! The nearby highway still destroys what should be the silence. Some say a proposed tunnel under the site will fix that but others worry the work could wreak destruction. First visit, back in the 60s, there was no fence so you could walk unmolested among the stones. Later that was no longer allowed except for those who came on an escorted package tour. It's best seen when open for the occasional religious observance but you need to be in proper dress and with a recognized group. I haven't been back in some ten years so am not certain of the degree of access currently available.

Location is such that if you're not driving it's just best to book with a day tour, especially one doing the sunrise visit which ensures best access and minimal crowding.

Don't pay any attention to ^^^. He's wrong.

The tunnel has been there for many years, its quiet and peaceful, very pristine.

Go with or without a tour, gift shop is very tasteful, inexpensive, high quality.

Sheep and ravens mingle with the stones and tourists.

 

[HenryBHough]

Posted to Google News just two hours ago:

Short tunnel will damage Stonehenge heritage site say leading historians From Swindon Advertiser

As to the visitor center, the old intrusive one closed in December, 2013:

New Stonehenge visitor centre finally opens UK news The Guardian

I have not seen the new one and the new gift shop that one might hope has more substantive offerings. Remember, at least ten years since I was there last. I do maintain my memberships in both English Heritage and The Royal Oak Society (American affiliate of The National Trust) so pretty well stay on top of developments and developing threats.

 

[westwall]

Whatever it was used for...it's still fascinating.

Right now it's better than it had been for over 50 years. The garish "visitor center", replete with touristy gift shop, has been banished! The nearby highway still destroys what should be the silence. Some say a proposed tunnel under the site will fix that but others worry the work could wreak destruction. First visit, back in the 60s, there was no fence so you could walk unmolested among the stones. Later that was no longer allowed except for those who came on an escorted package tour. It's best seen when open for the occasional religious observance but you need to be in proper dress and with a recognized group. I haven't been back in some ten years so am not certain of the degree of access currently available.

Location is such that if you're not driving it's just best to book with a day tour, especially one doing the sunrise visit which ensures best access and minimal crowding.

Don't pay any attention to ^^^. He's wrong.

The tunnel has been there for many years, its quiet and peaceful, very pristine.

Go with or without a tour, gift shop is very tasteful, inexpensive, high quality.

Sheep and ravens mingle with the stones and tourists.

The shop is presented well, that is true. But a lot of what they sell is pretty silly. I do like the mead they sell though. That is quite good!

 

[emilynghiem]

What do YOU think it was or represented? A temple? A place of worship? A calendar? A beacon/marker for aliens? None of the above?

 

[Gracie]

Wish I were younger...and had more money. I'd love to see it. And Bora Bora. And visit Ireland and Scotland.

 

[HenryBHough]

Wish I were younger...and had more money. I'd love to see it. And Bora Bora. And visit Ireland and Scotland.

Gracie, I rather suspect you are somewhat younger than am I though our health/vigor may differ in ways that are unknown to me and none of my business. Unless you require someone to accompany you Stonehenge and a variety of British historical sites can be seen at quite low cost. Ireland is more difficult and Scotland tends toward the pricey though I have had very limited experience with the latter.

Bora Bora is definitely out of my range!

Depending on where you live it's possible you might be able to find packaged charter flights that include hotel and ground transport that might not be unaffordable. I do my own arrangements these days but when I was younger I often booked "Arthur Frommer" tours from the east coast to London which typically were 5-days, 4-nights at a cost less than a weekend in New York (which was accessible by train).

My regret is that I didn't get serious about travel for pleasure at a younger age. On the one hand my work had me all over Europe but seeing not much and that put me off having fun going that way. Once I retired that all changed.

I'm retired and mucking about with travel only for amusement; I don't sell anything. If you'd like to consider some possibilities send a pm and we can explore possibilities that might be in budget and get you to some of the things you've missed seeing.

 

[Shotgun_Sammy]

A calendar.

 

[HenryBHough]

Or was it Mecca-West?

Has the Stonehenge mystery been solved New theory emerges for Britain s most famous prehistoric site - Mirror Online

"The World Heritage site could be 'an ancient Mecca on stilts' according to Julian Spalding, an art critic and ex-director of some of the UK's top museums

 

[konradv]

It is quite interesting that CROP CIRCLES show up every year right across from Stonehenge.....and NO ONE sees any human's making them, as you can see the road next to the monument is well traveled, day, and night

Photoshop, IMO. The two sides of the road don't look like the're in the same area. Also there's an intersecting road in the third picture that doesn't appear in the others.