Our stay in Great Britain is slowly coming to an end. But we have saved a big highlight until the very end: Stonehenge. Stonehenge is located a little bit outside of Salisbury, so we use this proximity to visit Salisbury first and then Stonehenge from there.

Salisbury

Salisbury Cathedral

A special highlight in Salisbury is the historic cathedral. The oldest foundation stones of this cathedral were already built in the 13th century, and it has been constantly expanded and restored until today. A large and magnificent cathedral. At first sight, the high church tower catches the eye. As it turns out, this is with 123 meters the highest church tower in England.

Inside the cathedral, the impressive architecture of the English churches is once again convincing. Besides the impressive high stone ribbed ceilings and the beautiful stained-glass windows, there are also newer elements such as the infinity water basin made of black stone, in which the church is reflected, which make a visit really worthwhile.

In addition, one of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta is on public display in an annex of the cathedral. It is a historical document of outstanding importance, as it established the first kind of establishment of liberties. It served as an agreement of several counties and kingdoms in Europe to observe basic civil manners. This was also intended to curb royal despotism and raids, so to speak. It is not so clear, however, whether at the time of the constitution the importance was as high as only later in the 17th century during disputes between the English royal house and the parliament. What we took away from it was that it was a first attempt to curb arbitrariness and enable a civilized society across national borders.

Mon – Sat: 10:00 – 16:30 (last admission 15:45).
Sun: 12:30 – 16:00 (last admission 15:15)
Admission: £10/adult, £6/child, under 13s free entry.

Old Town of Salisbury

Adjacent to the Cathedral grounds is the Old Town of Salisbury. There are numerous houses that still appear to be of the old half-timbered construction – but have probably been completely renovated, at least on the inside. We stroll leisurely through the alleys and enjoy the pre-Christmas bustle around us. The transition from the old town to newer parts of Salisbury is smooth. If you need a starting point for Stonehenge, we think Salisbury is a good place.

Stonehenge

In an App, which are fed by users with possible overnight stay places for campers, we read from the tip that we can spend the night directly adjacent to Stonehenge in our van. So ingenious! We are convinced of the idea and look at the described road in the dusk. There are already about 15 other vans and campers on the gravel road. We don’t think twice and spend the night directly at Stonehenge. A successful thing! With that we can get a quiet view of Stonehenge before the regular opening hours in the early morning hours in December. We decide against the expensive entrance fee and for the sight from the public dirt road. This is clearly signposted and it may be used without entrance fee, and only this road. As we get closer, security guards are already patrolling around Stonehenge, because other campers must have jumped over the fence before us and visited Stonehenge within the entrance area without paying.