3½ miles
Nearest station: Salisbury (Stonehenge)
Stonehenge is one of the world’s most impressive man-made creations and, quite luckily, it’s easily accessible. This mysterious site has enchanted visitors for around 5,000 years. The surrounding Salisbury Plain is equally rich in intriguing archaeology, including Bronze Age burial mounds and ancient ceremonial pathways. The National Trust has created a 3½-mile circular walk from Stonehenge car park (a leaflet with detailed directions is available from the Visitor Centre), which leads you through some of the area’s highlights. Points of interest include The Cursus enclosure just north of Stonehenge, which is thought to be older than the circle itself. Stretching 1¾ miles from east to west, its low earthworks form a massive, thin oblong. The name “cursus” is Latin for “raceway”—a name given to it by 18th-century antiquarian William Stukeley, who thought it was a Roman chariot track. Also part of the walk are Cursus Barrows, which are mounds that were likely built to house the remains of the most important people in Bronze Age society, and The Avenue, an ancient ceremonial pathway stretching two miles from Stonehenge to the River Avon. Catch the Stonehenge Tours bus (01722 336855; from South Western Road), which travels the nine miles to Stonehenge, departing on the hour from 10am to 2pm and returning 11.40am and then hourly until 5.40pm. Buy a combined South West Trains ticket to Stonehenge, which includes your bus travel from the train station to/from, the site and admission to Stonehenge.
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