Stonehenge

There’s nowhere else in the UK that quite matches Stonehenge for history, atmosphere and mysticism.

An ancient burial site dating back to at least 2,500 BC, the iconic stone circle is one of the most famous prehistoric monuments in the world. Surrounded by burial mounds, and Bronze Age and Neolithic monuments, Stonehenge offers a unique glimpse of England’s pre-history.

The state-of-the-art visitor centre has over 250 archaeological exhibits discovered around the site, alongside a 360-degree virtual experience of standing among the stones. Next to the centre, a clutch of re-created Neolithic houses gives an insight into how people lived 4,500 years ago.

While much has been discovered about the site, Stonehenge remains shrouded in mystery to this day. No one is sure for certain what purpose the structure once served. Was it a temple for sun worship, a healing centre, or simply an elaborate burial site?

Most mysterious of all is how our Neolithic ancestors – more than four millennia ago and using only primitive tools – managed to manoeuvre the huge stones, the heaviest of which weighs around 50 tons. It was once thought the stones had been transported from the Preseli Hills in Wales (more than 150 miles away), but a recent theory suggests the stones may have come from much closer, deposited near the site by the Irish Sea Glacier during the last Ice Age.