I have made a conscious effort to travel around the United Kingdom while living in London as it’s often too easy to neglect the sites around the country you reside.
A gloomy, overcast day in May provided the best backdrop to get the authentic feel of England’s Stonehenge and Bath.
I have done a lot of my trips on my own so far, but this was the perfect opportunity to pack a hire car with fellow lost souls, and hit the road.
Hiring a car is fairly easy for anyone over the age of 25. An Australian driver’s licence can be used for up to a year before you need to switch to a British licence through a long and tedious process with the DVLA. Much like obtaining a National Insurance number, you ring up or apply online for a series of paper forms sent out, then you will need to submit them along with your passport (if you are an Australian or on the list of countries that have agreements with the UK) and surrender your existing licence.
Stonehenge is just under two hours by car west of London and is fairly straight forward, following the freeway the entire trip. Naturally, as a big tourist destination it is well marked so you can’t miss it.
You park in a designated car park and take a shuttle out to the location. The site itself is in an open field and you will walk around it following a marked path where you can stop to take horrible selfies and group photos…
… and the occasional good shot too!
A further 50 minutes east is Bath. The city is famous for its Roman-built baths and architecture. It’s a nice destination for the afternoon after you walk around Stonehenge and go into the museum.
There are obviously tour buses that do the trip, but if you can get a small group, I would recommend looking at a hire car as a cheap option to get to the two locations at our own pace. A comfortable size car for four comes to less than 20 per person, making for a good out-of-London day trip.
