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Encountering
Stonehenge
I
visited in the summer—which is the perfect time to avoid the gloom of
Merry Olde England—well, at least you’ll stand the chance of
catching a few rays of sun and avoid getting rained on very much. My
husband and I seemed to travel forever from London
along a smooth divided highway that traverses the flatter than two-day
old beer Salisbury Plain.
But before we knew it, we spied the massive prehistoric stones
from afar and found ourselves gaping at monoliths over 3500 years old
that were erected for some arcane purpose that no one has yet to
determine. The Stonehenge site is
managed by Britain’s National Trust,
and they have tried their best to create an accessible experience. Pulling
into the flat parking lot, we were concerned about using the disabled
parking place because we weren’t carrying a British orange disabled
placard, so we chose a standard parking place. Once outside the car, we
were engulfed in a sea of belching tour buses, snack wagons and mobs of
camera-toting tourists, who pushed their way to the entrance. Moving
down a long accessible ramp that ran under the highway, we followed a
timeline on the wall that culminated at the year 2800 B.C., where we
finally reached the stone circle. The
sidewalk that surrounds Stonehenge is flat, wide and perfect for
wheelchair users. Unfortunately, visitors are no longer able to touch
the famous monoliths because graffiti artists were destroying the
stones. A rope surrounding the circle prevented anyone from touching
them, and guards cautiously watched anyone who seemed determined to
breach the rope barrier. Despite
the busy crowds, we tuned out the hubbub and enjoyed viewing the stones
and listening to the tour guide explain the history of the most famous
stone circle. We
made the mistake of visiting the very commercial gift shop on the
premises but managed to
escape without investing in a Stonehenge T-shirt. Stonehenge
is open daily from Easter through September 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. and
October through Easter from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Admission is about
$6.00 U.S. An accessible bathroom is available. Visit
these excellent web site for additional information.
Global Access Disabled Travel
Network |
If
monoliths are your fancy, then Stonehenge is your kind of place. The
rocks here are the granddaddies of all time and a sight to behold.