The Extended Stonehenge Sunset Tour: With Special Inner Circle Access

Join us for a cross country adventure; exploring the finest landscapes the south-west of England has to offer. From the beauty of the Cotswolds’ rolling hills, to the mystery of Wessex’s Neolithic sites, the quaintness of Lacock village to the mesmeric antiquity of Stonehenge – for an unforgettable sunset amidst the sacred stones.

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Stonehenge Special Access Tour Highlights

  1. • Sunset VIP Access viewing of Stonehenge
    • Private viewing of Stonehenge – enter the inner stone circle (1 Hour)
    Luxury + Midi Coach Travel
    • Personalised small groups – maximum 26
    • Expert Local Stonehenge Guide
    • Walking Tour of Avebury Stone Circle
    • See Ancient Chalk Hill Figures
    • See Prehistoric Silbury Hill
    • Lacock Village in the Scenic Cotswolds

Our special arrangement with English Heritage allows us to invite you within the inner ring of Stonehenge as part of a unique tour experience. For 99% of people visiting the sight the stones are roped off and observed from a distance. But not you…
As the sun goes down and the tourists clear the area, you will stay. You will then be permitted beyond the fences, within the inner circle and tread the sacred ground which so few have before you. Our special access tours will allow you to contemplate the mystery of the ancient monoliths as you walk amongst them, whilst an expert tour guide brings to life their many myths, legends and fascinating history.

5000 Years of History in just one Day

The Tour
After your mini coach pick-up direct from or near to your central London we leave London behind and take the old coach road through Hungerford, Marlborough, along the Kennet valley and through the Savernake Forest to Avebury Stone Circle.
Visit two awe-inspiring prehistoric monuments of pagan Britain.

Avebury Prehistoric Stone Circle
As we meander through the countryside to Avebury, we pass famous white horses carved into the chalk hillsides and picturesque, tucked away villages. We explore the mysterious phenomena of crop circles and take a closer look at any which may be in the area.
Feel the magic when walking amongst this the largest ritual stone circle in the World.

Avebury may be less famous then its Neolithic cousin Stonehenge, but it exudes the same occult energy and the same historic significance. It is the largest prehistoric stone circle in Europe, the product of over 500 years of effort by Neolithic man. You will be able to appreciate this enigmatic space on foot, appreciating the ancient and spiritually intuitive earthworks of our Neolithic ancestors. Your appreciation of Neolithic customs will continue to grow as you try your hand at the ancient art of drowsing – prepare to be wholly amazed!

The charming village will add a dimension of variety to the Avebury experience, it’s picturesque thatched cottages, antiques and village churches contrasting with the ancient mysteries of the circle- showing the full range of British history – and of course you can appreciate a cream tea or a pint of beer in the Red Lion!
Before making our way to Lacock Village, we will also see seemingly eternal mystery of Silbury Hill, Europe’s largest prehistoric man-made monument.
Voted one of the most spiritual places in the country

Lacock Village in the scenic Cotswolds

Steep yourself in the transcendental history of Lacock. A national trust village whose quintessential English charm has been so unaffected by modern development, so untouched by recent history, that it has become the setting for many movies and television dramas: Including…

Despite its unadulterated charm, Lacock remains little known and so its beauty remains. Many of the villages wonderful buildings originally formed part of an extensive monastic complex and Lacock Abbey is truly the jewel if Lacock is the crown. We will take a walk through the village and through British history, from the towns Saxons origins to its newfound televisual glamour. There will also be the chance for food and drink at one of the towns splendid pubs.

If you are looking for drama, history and scenery then this is the tour for you!

Stonehenge Sunset Access
Finally, we reach the pinnacle of the tour, the world’s most famous prehistoric monument: Stonehenge and the opportunity to walk amongst these hallowed monoliths

Private Viewing of Stonehenge
Our tour separates you from the crowd. Whilst the average Stonehenge visitor views from a distance, amidst the crowd- our visitors enter the stone circle itself when everyone else had left. Our visitors can stand next to the stones, appreciating their true magnitude as they render you minisule in comparison- some of the stones standing at 9m. The peace of the evening, when all have left adds to the arcane mystery of the Stones- the isolation only increasing the mythic awe of the site. Your intrigue will crescendo as one of our expert guides regails you with the depth of their knowledge.
Was it observatory of the moon, a temple to the sun, or an elaborate cemetery? Who were the people who carried and carved these 40 ton rocks? Come and unlock the secrets for yourself and marvel at this remarkable and mysterious feat of ancient engineering and design.

April – September 2021
Availability is strictly limited so book early, as private viewings regularly sell out and operate on selected days only.

This exclusive tour departs central London at 12 noon and return to London approx 11pm mission all rush hour traffic therfore maximising your sightseeing time,
We can often arrange extra inner circle dates for private groups, ideal for couples, families and small groups with specific dates and wanting to save money. – click here

Stonehenge Guided Tours
Operating Stonehenge Access Tours Since 1990
www.StonehengeTours.com

This is a rare opportunity to visit the most mystifying Prehistoric site in the world.

Stonehenge VIP Access Tours

Stonehenge VIP Access Tours. A truly magical experience

The special access tour gets you into the inner circle of the stones- either in the early morning (sunrise) or evening (sunset). The stones are closed off to the general public and you will be able to walk amongst the stones! The Stones true glory is magnified by the silence of the surroundings. It feels like it is just you and the stones, connected to their ancient mysteries in a new way.

Stonehenge Sunset Access Tour

Stonehenge Sunset Access Tour. A unique photo opportunity.

5 STAR reviews on Trip Advisor and other Quality Travel Review sites

In the evening after Stonehenge is closed to the public, or at dawn before it is open, we arrange these exclusive access tours for you. Without the distraction of the crowd you can truly appreciate the wonder of the UK’s greatest prehistoric landmark. Few people can claim to have walked amongst these most ancient stones, as our ancestors did, and to have felt themselves miniscule stood next to the giant sarsen stones towering 6.4 meters high and weighing up to 50 tonnes. Close encounters with stones endows the wanderer with a true appreciation of the mysteries of our history, but also the scale and majesty of our entire university-especially when the transitioning sky above the monoliths provides the cosmos as the background to one of the worlds greatest wonders.

Stonehenge sunrise access tour

Stonehenge sunrise access tour

The Stonehenge VIP Experts!

Normal viewing only permits access from the path that surrounds the circle. Instead of being passive you can Interact with 5,000 year old history- entering the enigma itself. Stonehenge dates from 3100BC- you will be walking where very few people have access, especially in recent years. And to accompany the up close experience with the stones, an expert tour guide will regale you with stories of its history, tales of its mystery and accounts of its magic. The sheer magnetic wonder of the stones is this enhanced by a thorough and entertaining mythology, the perfect partnership to leave you with the utmost special memories.

Our Stonehenge Special Access Tours (1-30 persons) can depart from London, Bath, Salisbury, Oxford, Southampton or any location in the South West of England.

Explore the beautiful South West of England in the luxury of your own private car, MPV or mini bus, enjoying the knowledge and expertise of our professional local Stonehenge experts.

Our Stonehenge private access tours can also include Bath, Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey), Salisbury Cathedral, Castle Combe, Windsor Castle, Winchester, Avebury Stone Circle, Lacock Village, The Cotswold’s or where ever you want to visit. We will help with your tour planning

Please take a look at our Twitter and Instagram for Stonehenge access picture

Customised tours of Stonehenge – Tailored to suit individuals, families and small groups- with the Stonehenge Experts. Our tour planning department are always pleased to help you plan your itinerary. Competitive rates for cars, luxury MPV’s, mini- coaches and coaches (with driver/guide or driver and guide) to suit your requirements.

Email us your desired dates and group size for a prompt reply.

Stonehenge Guided Tours
Operating Stonehenge Access Tours Since 1990
www.StonehengeTours.com

 

 

Start or finish your special day with an exclusive trip to Stonehenge with a private inner circle tour. One of the wonders of the world and steeped in mystery, this ancient temple was built around 5,000 years ago, making it older than the pyramids of Egypt. It is classed as a World Heritage Site and thought to be a place of healing, as well as an astronomical clock and a religious site.

Stonehenge Sunrise Special Access Tour

Stonehenge Sunrise Special Access Tour. A unique photo opportunity

This is a unique and private opportunity to visit the landmark and walk among the stones either during sunset or sunrise.

Stonehenge sunrise access tour

A truly magical experience………..

Spaces are very limited, please check the table below for availability before booking. Then using our booking form specify in the ‘additional information’ box your preferred date/time for the tour. Whilst we will do our very best to reserve your requested date/time, we cannot guarantee this until your payment has been received and the visit has been booked and confirmed.

To help you get the most from your Inner Circle experience, your Stonehenge tour guide will accompany you during private access to give you all the interesting stories surrounding Stonehenge.

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Salisbury Cathedral

In addition to visiting Stonehenge, guests alternatively may like to visit the picturesque City of Salisbury and it’s breathtaking Cathedral. Over 800 years old it is one of the UK’s most iconic medieval buildings. Discover the original 1215 Magna Carta, one of only four in the world, and explore its legacy in an interactive exhibition.

Roman Baths

Alternatively complete your private tour by admiring the heritage of the City of Bath boasting spectacular Georgian architecture, and more listed buildings than London. Here you can visit the ancient Roman Baths, built over 2,000 years ago. The Romans harnessed the hot local springs and were able to engineer a magnificent complex of plunge pools, steam rooms and saunas.

Alternative Tour Sights

This tour can be customised with an alternative visit to Windsor Castle (the oldest and largest royal occupied castle in the world), Avebury (a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles), or Lacock Abbey & Village (picturesque streets and historic cottages featuring in Pride & Prejudice & Harry Potter).

Pickup Times and Lunch

If you choose the sunrise Inner Circle tour, pickup for your day tour will be early morning at 5am. For the sunset tour drop-off will be around 10pm depending on the actual time of the year. Times will be confirmed upon booking and based on your pickup/drop-off location.

Stonehenge Inner Circle Tour Availability (Last Updated 24/09/2019)

Please note whilst we do our very best to reserve your requested time/date, we cannot guarantee this until your payment has been received and the visit has been booked and confirmed.

January 2020

08:00 – 9th, 10th, 12th.

February 2020

08:00 – 2nd, 6th, 7th, 13th, 16th, 20th, 21st, 23rd, 27th.

March 2020

06:45 – 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 30th.
08:00 – 1st, 6th, 8th, 13th, 15th, 27th.
16:45 – 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th, 12th, 16th, 23rd, 26th, 30th.

April 2020 onwards will become available to request in late October.
Please check back then.

Book a Stonehenge Private Access Tour here

Book a small group Stonehenge Inner Circle Tour here

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Stonehenge Guided Tours
Operating Stonehenge Tours Since 1990
www.StonehengeTours.com

 

StonehengeNews's avatarStonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

THE Autumn Equinox is rapidly approaching as the last days of summer slowly come to an end. English Heritage are expected to offer a short period of access, from first light or safe enough to enter the monument field (approximately 06.30am) until 08:30am on the 23rd September this year.

The Autumn Equinox (Mabon)
The 2019 Autumn Equinox is at 08.50 GMT on the September 23rd
Sunrise will be 6.55am

IMG_20180320_155928_570Mabon is a harvest festival, the second of three, that encourages pagans to “reap what they sow,” both literally and figuratively. It is the time when night and day stand equal in duration; thus is it a time to express gratitude, complete projects and honor a moment of balance.

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What is the Equinox?

The equinox is when day and night are actually the same length. It happens several days before the spring equinox, and a few days after the autumn one.

The…

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StonehengeNews's avatarStonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

Scientists turn to ‘laser accurate’ model to test Stonehenge acoustics

A diminutive model of Stonehenge could help crack the acoustic secrets of the ancient site, according to scientists who have built a version of the megaliths at a 12th of their size.

sonic

The team say the 1:12 model, with a stone circle spanning 2.6 metres, has an edge over other replicas of Stonhenge, such as the full-scale one near Maryhill,Washington, for being based on laser scan data. The data collected by Historic England allowed the team to produce a highly accurate representation.

Academics worked with English Heritage using laser scans of the stones and architectural research to create the shape and position of the stones in an acoustic chamber.

In 2012, a team of academics carried out acoustic experiments using a full-sized concrete reconstruction of the monument in Maryhill in the United States.

RELATIVE LINKS: 
Scientists turn to ‘laser accurate’…

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StonehengeNews's avatarStonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

The archaeologists have their ideas about how and why Stonehenge was built. The annals of legend have another story, one that involves Merlin the magician plus the uncle and father of King Arthur.

The story begins not in Neolithic times but in the troubled years of the fifth century, after

46739440934_98a8f1b736_z (1) 21st Century Merlin at Stonehenge

the Roman legions had withdrawn from Britain. The Saxons had invaded and were advancing rapidly across the land. The native British sought to resist them and to sustain the remnants of Romano-British civilisation. So there was terrible fighting between Saxon and Briton. So much bloodshed that their respective leaders agreed to meet at a spot on Salisbury Plain to try to negotiate a peace treaty.

The thing is, some people take a more hardball approach to ‘negotiation’ than others do. It had been agreed that the leaders should meet together unarmed, but the Saxon chieftains…

View original post 614 more words

StonehengeNews's avatarStonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

DNA reveals origin of builders: DNA shows migrants who arrived in Britain around 6,000 years ago constructed the world’s most famous prehistoric monument.

20180620_205048 Britons who built Stonehenge were product of ancient wave of migrant farmers, DNA reveals

Researchers compared DNA extracted from Neolithic human remains found across Britain with that of people alive at the same time in Europe.

The Neolithic inhabitants appear to have travelled from Anatolia (modern Turkey) to Iberia before winding their way north.  They reached Britain in about 4,000BC.

Ancient skeletons reveal arrival of eastern Mediterranean population replaced hunter-gatherer population of British Isles

Paleogenomicist Federico Sánchez-Quinto from Uppsala University in Sweden used these techniques on dozens of remains from four megalithic tombs in Ireland, Scotland, and Sweden that were first uncovered years ago. He and his team sequenced the nuclear genomes of those remains—most of which have been dated to between 4500 B.C.E. and 3000 B.C.E.

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StonehengeNews's avatarStonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

Visitors headed to the famous 5,000-year-old stone circle in Wiltshire in the dark to ensure they got to see the sun rise. And they made the most of one of only four public annual events that allows people to get so close to the stones.

Big event: The equinox happens twice a year around March 20th and September 22nd, between the summer and winter solstices. On the equinox, day and night are nearly equal because the sun appears to rise before its centre is at the horizon

WHY CAN PAGANS AND DRUIDS GET SO CLOSE TO THE STONES FOR THE EQUINOX?

The famous Stonehenge circle is normally roped off to the public, but special access is granted four times a year.

This is only on the mornings of the summer solstice, winter solstice, spring equinox and autumn equinox.

English Heritage has ‘managed open access’, meaning the public can stand among the stones…

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StonehengeNews's avatarStonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

Archaeologists have unearthed evidence of the earliest large-scale celebrations in Britain – with people and animals travelling hundreds of miles for prehistoric feasting rituals.

20170923_065342 Autumn Equinox Celebrations

Four sites close to Stonehenge and Avebury, including Durrington Walls, Marden, Mount Pleasant and West Kennet Palisade Enclosures hosted feasts which drew people and animals from all over the country.

A study examining the bones of 131 pigs from four Late Neolithic complexes show that the animals came from as far away as Scotland, the North East of England and West Wales, as well as other sites in Britain.

Archaeologists have found people travelled from Scotland, Wales and North England to take part in feasts at Stonehenge.

Researchers believe that those attending the feasts may have wanted to contribute animals raised locally at their homes.

Before this study, the origins of the people who took part in the rituals and the extent of…

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StonehengeNews's avatarStonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

Stonehenge is one of many megalithic monuments from prehistory dotted around Europe and scientists have now discovered the art form of giant rocks was a popular trend that started 6,500 years ago in France.

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  • The first monument was erected in northwest France in 4,500 BC, study finds 
  • Then the tradition, practice and popularity for similar monuments spread 
  • Monuments appeared at coastal regions on Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts
  • Sailors are thought to have taken the trend around Europe over 2,000 years as they used their budding sea routes  

The knowledge and expertise to create these monuments was then spread around Europe by sailors over the following millennia.

Similar monuments to the original appeared in coastal regions around the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts via sailors on large ships using emerging sea routes.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, theorizes that these megalith structures have…

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