How a visit to Stonehenge reminded me of deep time

The easiest and quickest way to see Stonehenge is to join the traffic jam of cars on the UK’s A303 road. And there is no denying that the 5000-year-old Neolithic monument is one of the world’s most spectacular roadside views.

As is the case for everyone who drives past, my first glimpse of the giant stone circle from inside my vehicle was breathtaking. Tick. Job done. Right?

The thing is, if you pass by it on the highway, you can say you have seen a magnificent archaeological site that has puzzled researchers for centuries – but you haven’t felt it. I’m not talking about any kind of New Age woo-woo feelings, nor about touching it, because that is forbidden. I mean feeling what it is like to walk up the hill towards the giant worked stones, experiencing the landscape over which Stonehenge holds the commanding highpoint and seeing it get bigger and bigger as you get nearer and nearer.

Human origins and gentle walking in prehistoric south-west England

Immerse yourself in the early human periods of the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age on this gentle walking tour.

I also mean taking the time in its presence to realise that, in spite of the efforts of countless researchers, the more we learn about Stonehenge – temple, burial site and ancient calendar – the less we really know.

Because I had travelled to the UK from Australia, I had decided to pay extra for my visit and actually do the so-called Inner Circle tour, guided by experts from the charity English Heritage. This meant I had to wait until near-dusk on a grey, bleak and chilly afternoon. By this time, the site was closed to the public and the guides accompanied our small group over the rope fence and inside the ring of stones. From that perspective, Stonehenge was no longer a distant monument embedded in a giant landscape, as it appears from the highway.

We had maybe half an hour to walk around and look at each stone from every angle. Then, just as our allotted time was coming to an end, the setting sun came out from below the clouds and illuminated the entire circle in golden light, casting long shadows. Whatever Stonehenge was intended to mean, this is a place that reminds us of deep time, and shouldn’t be consumed from a distant road like the sightseeing equivalent of a drive-through meal.