ENGLAND: Stonehenge Inner Circle on a budget

Last May we had rented a narrowboat on the Kennett and Avon Canal for a two-week vacation. I had planned to dock a couple nights in Bath, so the opportunity to visit Stonehenge was high on my list.

Now I had heard to expect crowds and I’m not a fan of crowds. Searching further, I discovered that there is an Inner Circle tour which not only limits the number of people to 30, but also brings you within nose-distance from the stones! This became my launching point for planning this excursion.

My initial Google search was “Stonehenge Tours from Bath”. Results for tours that include the Inner Circle experience ranged from $130 U.S. per person on up – depending on whether bus or car, dinner provided, etc. So for three people, our price would have been approximately $500.

My next step was to read the tour descriptions to see what they included. This was usually a visit to the medievel villages of Lacock and Salisbury, usually a meal in Salisbury, and then to Stonehenge. Then using those descriptions as a template, I re-created the tour a la carte! (Note that prices are approximations as I am converting Pounds to Dollars)

1. Car rental from Bath: $135 for 1-day, 5-seater, automatic transmission. We used about $20 in gas.
2. Special Access Inner Circle tickets purchased directly from the English Heritage website. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/ approximately $50 per person; the souvenir guidebook is approximately $8
3. Admission to village of Lacock: $5 for parking
4. Admission to village of Salibury: $7 for parking. Access to the famous cathedral is donation only.
5. Dinner at pub in Salisbury: approximately $15 per person (includes a pint!)

My personally curated version of the Inner Circle Tour from Bath came to approximately $370 U.S. – a savings of $130. Now here are the considerations:

1. You are driving. These are narrow country lanes and you are on the opposite side of the road. We did not have traffic issues as we left Bath at near 11:00 a.m. and we returned from Stonehenge after 8:00 p.m. Allow 1 hour to drive the 38 miles from Bath to Stonehenge. Make sure your car has GPS!
2. WARNING: Outside of London, most car rental businesses are CLOSED ON SUNDAYS. This was true in Bath but we found one SIXT car rental open in Bristol.
3. Google the directions for Bath to Lacock, (to Stonehenge for the Visitor’s Center -highly worth the visit and is included in your ticket- but the Center is usually closed at the Inner Circle Access times.), to Salisbury, back to Stonehenge for your tour, and then return to Bath.
4. I like to do a Pinterest search for each village I visit. For example, search for “Best Things To Do in Lacock” https://www.pinterest.com which will display a variety of options! FUN FACT: The Salisbury Cathedral has one of the best-preserved originals of the Magna Carta!
5. Purchasing tickets. You need to fill out the Inner Circle request form found on the website above and print out your tickets.
6. Dinner can be hit-or-miss if you do not have a recommendation. Again, I like visiting Pinterest and searching for “Favorite pub in Salisbury”.
7. BENEFITS: (Other than cost savings) You are on your own schedule so your only time constraint is for the Inner Circle tour; Food can be as nice or casual as you like – There is a Sainsbury grocery store in Salisbury; if something catches your eye… STOP!; and finally, the comfort of having your own air-conditioned vehicle!

I cannot recommend enough how wonderful the Stonehenge Inner Circle experience is. It absolutely took my breath away to be standing in the middle of such an ancient site. There were maybe 20 people at most with us and a guard is present to make sure you don’t touch. The stones are vast. You are in the middle of rural countryside. It’s quiet. And when the sun sets and the rays cast through one of the arches… it was truly awe-inspiring!