Stonehenge Tour from Salisbury

What the Stonehenge private guided tours include:

If you are travelling as a small group, you can design your own day trip. We will collect you from any location within Salisbury. Our private tours are available all year round.

With enough notice, we can plan ‘inner circle access’ allowing you to get up close and personal with the stones of Stonehenge, a world-famous monument.

Discover Stonehenge tour from Salisbury to Woodhenge, Durrington Walls, Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Bath Abbey, Pitt-Rivers Museum in Oxford, Old Sarum Hillfort, the Uffington White Horse, West Kennet Long Barrow, Silbury Hill and Avebury stone circle: 6000 years of culture – Neolithic, Bronze Age, Medieval, present day.

Durrington Walls

Visiting Stonehenge ‘builder’s village’ Durrington Walls, a large henge situated in the beautiful Wiltshire landscape. The site consists of a large circular earthwork with a diameter of over 500m. Within the earthwork are two large timber circles, thought to have been used for ceremonial purposes.

Durrington Walls is one of the largest and most famous henge monuments in the world. The site is believed to have been constructed around 2600 BC, making it one of the earliest known examples of this type of monument. It is thought that Durrington Walls was used as a ceremonial centre for the local population. Durrington Walls is an important archaeological site that provides insight into the lives of our prehistoric ancestors.

Woodhenge

Our private tours then take you to Woodhenge, a prehistoric monument that was built during the Late Neolithic period. The monument consists of a series of six concentric rings of wooden posts, consisting of 168 posts in total. The posts are arranged in a symmetrical pattern and were possibly connected by lintels. Woodhenge is thought to have been used as a ceremonial site, and it may have been aligned with the movements of the sun and moon. The site was excavated in the 1920s, and the wood posts were found to have been made from oak trees.

Stonehenge

The power of Stonehenge lies in its inspired evocation of our shared past. A fusion of imagination and history. Although many theories and ideas have been put forward over the centuries to answer the enigma of ‘what is Stonehenge?’, perhaps of more significance is why this monument evokes the need in people to travel vast distances to walk amongst these stones and throughout this landscape. The answer to this may be beyond our current understanding, but what we do know is this ‘force’ on visitors is not new. Archaeological evidence indicates Neolithic and Bronze Age peoples travelling (perhaps over weeks and months) the length and breadth of the British Isles and continental Europe to stand amid this testament to human ingenuity.

Like these ancient travellers, you too should pilgrimage to Stonehenge along paths well-worn and truly experience this iconic symbol of Britain and our shared past humanity.

An Independent lunch at Bath

Bath

On the slopes of the River Avon, stunning Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The famous Roman Baths, the inspiring 15th-century Bath Abbey, and beautiful Georgian architecture. Pulteney Bridge, modelled on Florence’s Ponte Vecchio, fits in beautifully in this Italian-inspired city.

No tour would be complete without a visit to the famous Roman Baths, a wonderfully preserved bathing complex that still flows with water from Britain’s only hot spring.

Silbury Hill

Visit the largest man-made tumuli in Prehistoric Europe – Silbury Hill. Silbury Hill is a man-made mound in Wiltshire, England. It is the tallest prehistoric artificial hill in Europe and one of the largest in the world. The hill is part of the Avebury World Heritage Site and is near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stonehenge. The hill was constructed around 2500 BC. It is thought to have been built as a burial mound, although its exact purpose is not known for sure. It is thought to have been built as a burial mound, although its exact purpose is not known for sure.

The hill stands at a height of 37 meters (130 feet) and has a base diameter of 160 meters (520 feet). It is made from chalk and clay and was built using a technique known as terrazzo (or ‘pounded earth’). This technique involved mixing water with dry chalk and clay and then pounding it into place with wooden beams or stone hammers. The resulting mixture was powerful and durable and allowed the builders to create a huge mound without the use of modern construction techniques or materials.

Silbury Hill is an astonishing feat of engineering, and its size and scale are testimony to the skill and dedication of its Ancient builders.

West Kennet long barrow

Enter the 5500-year-old Neolithic tomb at West Kennet Long Barrow, a Neolithic monument located in Avebury, Wiltshire, England. The barrow consists of a burial chamber with an attached passageway and side chambers. It is roofed with large slabs of stone, and the entrance is flanked by two massive upright stones.

The West Kennet long barrow was built around 3750 BC, and it is one of the country’s largest and best-preserved examples of its type. In recent years, the barrow has been the subject of archaeological excavations, and it is now open to the public.

Avebury Stone Circle and Village

We finish by visiting the world’s largest stone circle at Avebury, with its beautiful medieval village situated inside. As John Aubrey in the 1600’s notes [Avebury]…’does as much exceed in greatness the so renowned Stonehenge as a Cathedral doeth a parish church.’

Avebury is a small village in Wiltshire, England, best known for its extraordinary stone circles. The Avebury Stone Circles are among the largest and most impressive megalithic monuments in the world, and they have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The site consists of three stone circles: the outer circle, which is the largest, two smaller circles (northern and southern), and the avenue. The stones are thought to have been erected between 2600 and 2400 BC, and they may have been used for astronomical purposes or for ritual ceremonies.

We will explore the stone circles, walk along the avenue, and finish the day with a drink at the Red Lion pub.

Transportation by Air-Conditioned Coach and your Professional Archaeologist Guide. Pick up and drop off can be arranged from your hotel.

Further details of tours we have available

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Further Testimonials

“Stonehenge, Wayland’s Smithy, Uffington Horse, ancient British history! We had a fantastic day trip with Tom, a professional archaeologist. I wanted a private inner circle Stonehenge tour of ancient British history. Tom was so prepared and knowledgeable. And he was wonderful to travel with. The Stonehenge walking tour was amazing. We spent time in the afternoon in the other Stonehenge landscapes, learning about the entire area. Then we visited Stonehenge with Tom at 6:45 pm and it was like we had it all to ourselves. He knew all the ways to make it special. I was reluctant to get too excited about Stonehenge due to the crowds but it was magical!! Two of the best days of my life as a passionate ancient British history student. Highly recommend!'”

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“We took a Stonehenge tour with our older children of Avebury, Stonehenge, to quote a friend who had done the bus, “just piles of rocks”? (not even close to what this tour covers). Years ago I visited both on my own, interesting but a little disappointing, add a big tour group audio guide and it is a little better, but still a waste by comparison to the alternatives. Instead, take this tour with an amazing guide and driver and not only see these fantastic parts of pre-history in a new light but understand the current thinking and ongoing research that’s changing our viewpoint on history. Edward was a fantastic guide, we took a private tour and he shared not only the current theories and thinking on these monuments but also technology and the process that’s gone into how our understanding has evolved. I cannot recommend this more highly.”

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“I took the Stonehenge tour, including ancient Roman Baths and Avebury with our guide Edward, and I’ll say at the outset that it was terrific. I had been to Stonehenge previously, but this time it felt like I was able to appreciate it in a much deeper way. Edward is knowledgeable, personable, and funny, everything you could ask for in a guide. During the day, he never tired of answering our questions and providing up-to-date information. Although we learned a lot, I should also point out that the tour was great fun, ending up at a convivial pub. I was so thrilled with everything I took from the experience, that I talked about it to friends long after I returned to New York.”

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“This tour was awesome. The things I loved most about it were that the number of people on the tour was very limited so you were not competing to hear your guide. The guides are incredibly knowledgeable not only from an archaeological perspective but also from a regional/geographical basis. Going to Stonehenge would have been cool for us anyway but we would have never travelled to the other places that the tour took us like Woodhenge and some of the burial mounds. My husband and I felt that this was money well spent and I have referred this tour to others who have also taken it and found it to be well worth every dime spent! I’d highly recommend it!”

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“This was probably my most talked about tour from my two weeks in the UK, and believe me, I took a lot of tours. Edward is a walking, talking encyclopedia of information. When we got to Stonehenge, I saw all of these other tour groups walking around with their sad little earphones on. Not us. We had an actual archaeologist walking us through our tour, talking about the latest information, etc. It was fascinating. We visited a 5300 year old burial mound which again Edward was able to discuss in great detail. No type or amount of questions stumped him. I have wanted to see Stonehenge my whole life and I’m very glad I chose this tour to do it. Other tours are probably ok, functional, etc, but they will fall far short of this one. The whole experience was great and we even had a driver so Edward could focus on talking with us during the transit times. If you want a cursory look at Stonehenge, Bath, Avebury, etc, just to “check the box” so to speak, then this is not your tour. But, if you want to really learn some things I promise you didn’t know before, this is the only tour you should consider.”

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“I have lived overseas for 30 years, travelling the world. This guided tour was THE BEST of them all. That is quite a statement and not an exaggeration.”

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We went on an all-day, 7;30 am until 7:30 pm tour of Woodhenge, Stonehenge tours, Bath and Avebury in early June. Tom, our guide, was absolutely fabulous! He was engaging, knowledgeable and wonderful to each and every member of our tour group. What an asset for your company. We had a delightful stop at Woodhenge and were able to see the post holes and cement stones. Then it was on to Stonehenge. We had a wonderful tour by Tom and every question was answered with very thoughtful answers. We were able to be at Stonehenge before the crowds descended. The site itself is amazing and easy to navigate. Walking paths all around it made it easy as did a bus to take you from the parking lot to the site and back again. After Stonehenge, it was on to the city of Bath where we lunched and shopped and did a quick bus tour of Bath. We also visited an ancient burial mound and were able to go inside. Then we were on our way to Avebury, a beautiful little village and amazing stones. All in all, a wonderful day and a fabulous tour.

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