October 14, 2015

Stonehenge Helicopter Flights. Fly Over Stonehenge and Wiltshire

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“Combining an aerial view of Stonehenge with a ride in a helicopter is an experience not to be missed”

Enjoy the opportunity of seeing the amazing structure of Stonehenge and its intriguing formation from a unique perspective. This incredible monument is a popular visitor attraction from the ground, but is even more special to see from the air with no tourists obscuring your views of this special site. One of the most historic and interesting sites in the world, is best viewed from the air so that it can be fully appreciated. You’ll be treated to unbelievable views down onto the mighty Neolithic Stonehenge and the numerous burial mounds dotted around the ancient Salisbury Plain. Who knows, from this unique vantage point you might even shed light on why Stonehenge was built.

We now offer a Stonehenge Flight Voucher for just £115 per person (Approx 60 mins with 30 mins flying)

Stonehenge Helicopter Flights

Fly Over Stonehenge

Bespoke Helicopter Tour Service

Our bespoke tours provide great photo opportunities and give you the chance to make some unique and lasting memories, which you can share with family and friends when you are back on the ground.

What could be better than treating someone special to a unique day out, tailor made for their enjoyment? We can even supply a special hamper for them to enjoy as you fly together over the countryside and famous landmarks.

There’s no shortage of other interesting sites nearby. Select to fly over stunning sights such as the stones at Avebury, the Cerne Abbas Giant and the Uffington White Horse, Salisbury Cathedral’s mighty spire or the mysterious Wiltshire crop circles, but if you’d prefer, you can simply fly over the familiar streets of your hometown and even your own house.

If you’re stuck for ideas the friendly team at Stonehenge Helicopters will help you with suggestions. We will recommend tours based on your particular interests, availability and budget using our extensive knowledge of the UK. .

Why not fly over Stonehenge and then be taken into the inner circle for an exclusive private guided special access tour, beyond the fences after the crowds have gone

Contact us for a quote – it may be cheaper than you think: experts@stonehengetours.com

Stonehenge Guided Tours
The Stonehenge Experts
www.StonehengeTours.com

 

February 9, 2015

STONEHENGE TRAVEL: Discovering hidden gem is best by coach

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What do we know about Wiltshire? we asked one another as we headed off for a weekend break.

And, to our shame, the answer was little.

Vist Stonehenge

The World Heritage Site of Stonehenge near Salisbury in Wiltshire

As one of the country’s lesser known counties, Wiltshire had us stumped for its list of attractions much beyond Stonehenge.

But there are parts of the county you’ll already know well, even if you don’t know their names.

From the chocolate-box village of Lacock– location for Meryton in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice – to Mompesson House in Salisbury – used in the Emma Thompson film of Sense and Sensibility – there are places period drama fans at least will know very well.

Other draws – not just Stonehenge, but Swindon, Salisbury Cathedral, the sweet little village of Bradford on Avon, and stately homes aplenty – are here too, making Wiltshire a perfect destination for an attractions-packed short break.

We were taking in the county from the stress-free comfort of a coach, safe in the knowledge negotiating a route and finding somewhere to park would be taken care of for us, and we’d be able to really see the scenery, not just the road ahead.

A packed itinerary made for a whistlestop tour – quite literally at our first stop, Swindon and the Great Western Railway Museum STEAM, where our guide spoke with such passion about the heyday of the railway you could almost hear the pistons and smell the coal.

It was here thousands of men once toiled, making Swindon the locomotive manufacturing capital of the world – and where, tragically, all that now remains is a poignantly moving museum, and replica period platforms with carriages from through the ages to wander through and explore.

Onwards to Stonehenge we explored history of an altogether vintage.

We were surprised by the 4,500-year-old stone circle’s scale – smaller than we had imagined – and a little underwhelmed by its acclaimed new ‘world class’ English Heritage open air visitor centre which, on the wet and blustery day we were there, allowed the rain to lash in.

But we could not fail to be impressed by Stonehenge’s enduring enigma – and, as a British ‘must see’, we were pleased to have seen it.

There was history of yet another kind at Salisbury Cathedral – home to the finest of the four surviving original 1215 Magna Carta documents, marking their 800th year in 2015. A major new anniversary exhibition explores one of the most celebrated documents in English history and it was spine-tingling to see the parchment skin and tightly-packed Latin script up close.

Salisbury has been ranked the seventh best city in the world to visit during 2015 – and the Magna Carta is one reason for that, but there are plenty of others too.

The cathedral itself is full of interest, explained to us by an extremely enthusiastic guide. Afterwards we found Chorister’s Green, the beautiful lawned square outside the cathedral, to be the city’s prettiest spot.

It was here scenes for Sense and Sensibility were filmed in 1995, at the calm and elegant Mompesson House – a Queen Anne townhouse of perfect proportions and symmetry, its interiors decorated as they might have been in the 1700s.

A few doors along, we visited Arundells, the home of former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath, whose wish was ‘for the public to share the enjoyment’ of his house after his death. We were given a tour by his clearly devoted former landscape gardener, now the house’s manager and curator, whose personal anecdotes added a unique intimacy and depth to rooms still furnished with Sir Edward’s furniture, ornaments, ceramics and books.

In the National Trust village of Lacock we wandered pretty winding streets, popped into perfect pubs and gazed at timber-framed 13th century cottages so unspoilt by the modern age it’s obvious why they were chosen as a backdrop for Pride and Prejudice and the Harry Potter films.

Read the full story in the Star: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/travel-discovering-hidden-gem-is-best-by-coach-1-7093719

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www.StonehengeTours.com

 

November 22, 2014

Stonehenge is an important stop on any tour. So hit the road and get up close to the ancestors

Posted by StonehengeNews under Stonehenge Tours of Britain | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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From Neolithic stone circles to gothic cathedrals, history is all around us. So hit the road and get up close to the ancestors

Stonehenge
Stonehenge is an important stop on any tour of historic sites. Photograph: Getty Images

Early civilisation
Next year marks the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215, the basis of our modern democracy. Only four copies remain of the Great Charter, one of which is in Salisbury cathedral. Start your journey here and climb the country’s tallest spire. Walk out into the Meadows to gaze back at the cathedral as John Constable did when he painted Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows in 1831.

It’s a short drive out into the Wiltshire countryside to Stonehenge. The ancient stone circle has a new visitor centre, which explores the many theories surrounding its mysterious creation, possibly as long ago as 2500BC. Don’t miss the nearby village of Avebury, which is surrounded by three circles of standing stones, and the Neolithic chambered tomb of West Kennet Long Barrow, which dates from about 3650BC.

Drive on to Bath, your final stop, to see the Roman Baths and experience the healing geothermal waters for yourself at the fabulous Thermae Spa. Here you’ll find an open-air rooftop pool to contemplate it all from.

Hadrian's Wall

Visit the longest continuous section of Hadrian’s Wall still standing. Photograph: Getty Images

Along the wall
Carlisle has long been strategically important, close to the border with Scotland, and was once on the very outermost edge of the Roman Empire. As a result there is plenty of history here. See the city’s timber-framed Guildhall and visit the 12th century cathedral, one of England’s smallest, before taking a walk around Carlisle Castle, which has 1,000 years of military heritage and is also where Elizabeth I kept Mary, Queen of Scots, as her “guest” in 1568.

Drive out of the city on the A69, which hugs Hadrian’s Wall all the way to Newcastle upon Tyne. Stop first at Birdoswald Roman Fort, where you can see a model of the wall as it appeared when complete, as well as the longest continuous section of it still standing today. Next up is Vindolanda, home to the Vindolanda tablets, the oldest surviving handwritten documents in Britain, and a world-class museum of Roman objects.

From here, it’s just 45 minutes to Newcastle upon Tyne, with its 12th century castle keep and ancient cathedral. It is better known, though, for its vibrant cultural scene, so don’t miss Baltic, a contemporary art gallery housed in a converted flour mill.

Skara Brae

The ancient village of Skara Brae on Orkney. Photograph: Getty Images

Ancient treasures
History doesn’t get more potent than on Orkney, where a cluster of hugely important Neolithic sites stand against a dramatically beautiful landscape.

Pick up a car in Kirkwall and make the short drive out to Maeshowe, the most impressive Neolithic burial chamber in a landscape dotted with them. The guided tour is fascinating, with tales of 12th-century Viking raids (and graffiti) and the jaw-dropping explanation of how at the winter solstice the tomb is aligned perfectly to the rays of the sun.

The nearby lochs of Stenness and Harray are separated by promontories that once formed the heart of Orkney’s Neolithic ceremonial complex. Today the standing stones of Stenness remain, along with the Ring of Brodgar – originally 60 stones, now 27.

Drive on west to the Bay of Skaill and the amazingly well-preserved village of Skara Brae. This 5,000 year-old settlement was buried until a fierce storm uncovered it in 1850, revealing dwellings with everything from beds to fireplaces, cupboards to tables. Add a roof and you could happily live here.

Oxford's dreaming spires

Oxford is home to some of England’s finest architecture. Photograph: Getty Images

Spires and spies
Oxford is known for its “dreaming spires” and the university city is home to some of England’s finest architecture. Top pick is Christ Church College, where Christopher Wren’s imposing Tom Tower lords it over the city’s largest quad, surrounded by honey-hued stone buildings that are photogenic from any angle. Don’t miss seeing the Radcliffe Camera, an 18th-century rotunda that forms part of the Bodleian Library, the country’s largest after the British Library.

From Oxford, it’s an easy drive to Bletchley Park, once Britain’s best-kept secret and today home to the world’s largest collection of Enigma code-breaking machines. Explore the Second World War code-breaking huts and discover the life and work of pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing in the exhibition.

Drive on to Cambridge, where yet more spires and college quads await. The most imposing is King’s College, where the chapel represents the zenith of gothic architectural design, with four spiky turrets and copious stained-glass windows.

Article source: The Guardian – http://www.theguardian.com/enterprise-open-road/2014/nov/21/the-uk-top-historic-sites-itineraries-drive-history

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