Stonehenge in the rain

My husband and I are getting to an age where we have started thinking about our "bucket lists". At the top of our lists is grandchildren, of course--but that's not up to us. Beyond that, there are a few places we'd like to visit, and experiences we'd like to have. For my husband, one of his top destinations is Stonehenge. Since Worcester is in the west of England, making a day trip to Stonehenge is absolutely do-able. After renting (and more importantly DRIVING) a car while my friends from Duluth visited in October, I had the confidence to drive, and I reserved a car for the time when my husband was in town at the end of November. So... it was off to Stonehenge the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Thursday had been rainy, but Friday had dawned bright. We had lovely weather in Birmingham, so I wasn't too worried about travel on Saturday. Mother Nature, however, had some other ideas. By the time I picked up the car, it was cloudy, but no precip. I drove back to the flat, collected my husband and we headed off to the M5. The first part of our trip saw rather sporadic rain spits, but by the time we got to Gloucester and turned east, it was getting more consistent. I had some trouble figuring out how to keep the windshield wipers working. I found it necessary to keep the wipers going by holding the right lever while also keeping my hands on the wheel. It got a bit tiresome.

The first part of the trip was quite easy, but then we had to start winding around smaller roads. We got a bit lost and I ended up making a wrong turn. I was headed north instead of south, so I had to pull off and go in to a village. Fortunately we found a lady walking her dog who was willing to direct us back in the correct direction. Sometimes Google Maps fail us.

Finally, we made it to Stonehenge. The rain was coming down quite steadily, but we were determined to power through to our destination. Stonehenge is an English Heritage site. Anyone coming over to England for an extended period of time should really consider buying an English Heritage membership. Our tickets cost seven pounds and 80 pence, so it wasn't too dear, but if you go to a sufficient number of sites it adds up to a good cost savings.

Once we arrived, we found quite a few people had the same idea we did. It was not crowded, but it was well populated. By the time we parked, the rain was coming down quite steadily. We were well equipped with our umbrellas, and headed through the underpass.

The murals lining the walls offered a theory of how the stone circle came to be.

It is mysterious. These stones weigh so much and came from so far away. The English Heritage site lists questions most people conjure: "Was Stonehenge a temple for sun worship, a healing centre, a burial site or perhaps a huge calendar? How did our ancestors manage to carry the mighty stones from so far away and then, using only the most primitive of tools, build this amazing structure?" Indeed!

I visited here in 1972 with my friend Susan Whitehead Whiting and her parents. I remember it vaguely, but I do remember thinking the stones were so big. Back then, people could walk right up to and among the stones. Today, guests are asked to walk on a path behind a rope barrier.

Neither the rain nor the barrier impeded my husband's delight at being there.

He's wearing an audio guide, something I've come to appreciate at these sites. The problem is one needs time to listen to those items of greatest interest. I've decided that these guides are best used alone. People respond to these guides in such an independent way. I like them, but I get frustrated if I can't listen to those things I find most interesting. Ah well...

We decided to take another shot without the umbrella blocking the view.

I have to say, I was so happy he was able to have this thrill. He truly loved being there.

We were able to get some nice shots of the site.

I was pleased with these sites, but it would have been nice to get a few other perspectives. Unfortunately, there was limited accessibility. The other paths were closed off because of the rain. Still...I saw a few people had crossed over and walked on the path anyway. I tried doing it and was shooed away by a staff person. GRRRRRR

Our whole visit was well under an hour, but it was worth it. My husband really loved being there and that's worth everything.

We thought we would have lunch in Amesbury, the nearest village. It wasn't particularly convenient to stop there however, so we continued on until we found a promising site. Finally, we drove through Marlborough and spied a promising lunch venue. We parked in a kind of dodgy spot, but headed down the block to the Marlborough Conservative Club for fish and chips.