Stonehenge

Stonehenge

Stonehenge in Wiltshire is probably the most important prehistoric monument in Britain.

This is a major tourist attraction for all of North West Europe, in fact. Nobody wants to miss it, whether on holiday locally, visiting England for the first time, or on an educational school trip. It stands as a timeless monument to the people who built it 3,500 years and more ago.

Stonehenge is situated in Wiltshire and easily accessed from all parts of Wessex by car, bus or coach. No need to book, but the gates close at teatime, so don't go too late in the day unless you are content with viewing from a distance.

Danebury Hill Fort

A nationally important Scheduled Ancient Monument and also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Danebury Iron Age Hill Fort is around 2,500 years old and was occupied until around 100BC.

Danebury is situated in Hampshire, about 14 miles from Stonehenge and is open at all times with free access. It can provide great views and atmosphere - rising to 469 feet up, it's also brilliant for kite flying!

Old Sarum

Originally an Iron Age Hill Fort constructed around 500BC, Old Sarum, i.e. Old Salisbury, sits on a hill two miles north of modern "New" Salisbury.

The Romans and then the Saxons took an interest in the place; the Normans built a motte and bailey castle there, and this was the site of the first Salisbury cathedral. Eventually everything was relocated down the road, leaving only ruinous foundations, and by the 19th century the village was officially uninhabited. However, its fraudulent parliamentary representation continued, making it the most notorious of the infamous rotten boroughs that existed before the Great Reform Act of 1832.

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Make it an historical day out by visiting all three sites, or couple them with a trip to Salisbury, home of the tallest cathedral spire, or Winchester - the ancient capital of Wessex.

Not far from Stonehenge: Bournemouth