We had wanted to visit Stonehenge last year, in December 2021, but we arrived too late and found our planned park up at The Drove was closed in preparation for the Winter Solstice. This time however, it looks like we’re in luck as its mid-November and we can see other vans lined up as we approach on the A303.

To set the scene, we are back in the UK and it feels like we’re having a ‘between trips’ break as we’ve already booked our seasons ski pass for next year with a plan to travel out in France in February. As it’s heading towards Christmas (I know it’s too early to mention it in November) it seems like an excellent opportunity to have a bit of a road trip, catching up with as many family and friends as we can mixed in with some essential Beatrix maintenance stops.

Our first stop is Exeter to catch up with my parents and on the way is Stonehenge and The Drove.

To explain, The Drove is a peculiarly British thing I suspect. It’s a by-road (really a gravel track) that winds through the ancient and protected landscape of Stonehenge. It seems incredible that right in the middle of this world heritage site, such a road exists that you cannot only drive through but can actually park up on, for an indefinite amount of time it appears in some cases, without paying any money. I assume there must be some ancient protection that means right of access must be maintained and so we plan to take advantage of this for the evening.

Access is only from the west, to avoid totally blocking the A303, and when we pull onto The Drove, we’re confronted by some massive, crater sized potholes. Now the suspension on Beatrix is a little agricultural and whilst it works just fine on smooth tarmac, we’re not really an offroad bus so getting in involved slow driving and weaving wildly across the road whilst every loose item on our shelves jettisoned itself across the motorhome.

Once we were past the really bad bit by the entrance though, the track evens out and there is parking on the grass verges on either side of the by-way. It’s not exactly level but we do our best to find a flat-ish bit and use the air suspension to try and level out the worst of it.

We’ve chosen the right-hand side, so we have a clear and uninterrupted view out across to the stones from the bedroom and lounge windows. It is very cool indeed and we would highly recommend it.

Curiously, when we go for a walk, we find that our byroad and the main access road from the Visitor Centre cross each other, and we’re instructed by polite, high vis clad officials that only paying visitors with tickets are allowed through the gates. No matter, there’s a track that takes us round to the other side of the monument.

The path less travelled sometimes provides an unusual perspective on things and so it proved here. We found ourselves adjacent to the main path and as such there was a great image of people paying their modern, iPhone homage to the stones which privately made me chuckle and I think made a fun photo.

It’s actually possible to walk all around the landscape from Stonehenge, which hardly anyone seemed to be doing, and as it was such a glorious Autumn day, we extended our walk around some of the ancient barrows nearby.

When we had arrived, we noticed the new version of our motorhome, a Carthago Chic S Plus, had also made it through the craters and was anchored on an enviously level patch of grass. Whilst out walking we met the owners Iain and Andrea and had a chat. They too are fulltiming in their van and have been on the road for 3 years now. They told us that this Stonehenge park-up is a regular stopover for them and that there are lots of great walks all around the area which we will have to come back to explore.

It’s always lovely to meet fellow travellers on the road and share a few experiences plus, I can’t lie, it always gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling when I see a motorhome the same size or bigger than us, in a small or inappropriate stop over as I know that if there’s a problem, I won’t be the only one that can’t get out.

Once the visitor centre had closed, we few van lifers (and security) had the sunset to ourselves.

In the morning, we were treated to a real spectacle though with our own private viewing. Overnight, the weather had completely changed and the stones emerged out of the early morning fog as we approached. Apart from a slightly sinister line of crows, we had the place to ourselves.

It was Monday morning, but we were elegantly able to turn around and easily pull back out onto the A303 to continue our journey onto Exeter. Well, perhaps somethings are best done in the fog…….

We hoped you enjoyed this week’s tale,

Sally, Toby and Merlin