Stonehenge! Where the demons dwell
Where the banshees live and they do live well
Stonehenge! Where a man’s a man
And the children dance to the Pipes of Pan
When I thought I might actually have a chance to visit Stonehenge, I immediately thought of the nonsensical lyrics of the song Stonehenge from the 1980s mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. The parody song from the fictional band gives a sense of the continuing fascination with the ancient monument.
We were in the planning stages of a family vacation to the U.K., my first trip overseas. I knew it would be a dream vacation but accessibility was a constant concern as I walk with a cane and stairs are a real struggle for me. One of the options that we were considering was a bus tour to Stonehenge. Along with a few stops along the way, the finale of the tour was a private viewing of Stonehenge at sunset. It sounded amazing as I had long wanted to see Stonehenge for myself.
We were close to booking it but then I started to worry. I thought my ability to get on and off a tour bus might prevent me from seeing an ancient monument that has stood for over 5000 years. Not being able to manage the stairs on the bus and spoiling the tour for everyone in my family played out in my head. When these doubts show up, I know I need to get more information.
I sent an email to the tour company with my concerns. Very quickly, I received a reply from one of their agents. She wrote, “with regret I have to inform you that our vehicles are not wheelchair accessible. Our customers have to be able to get on the coach and climb the stairs.” I was a bit disappointed but I appreciated that she acknowledged the difficulties a lack of accessibility would create for me and took responsibility that their buses were not totally accessible.
But that wasn’t the end of the discussion. I asked for more details about the steps on the bus, and soon received this reply: “I managed to get some pictures of the steps on the coaches we usually use. I’ll attach them so it’ll be easier for you to decide whether there will be any issue with climbing them.” She had taken the time to go to each of their buses and take a closeup picture of the stairs. I immediately got a good sense of the size of the stairs, the hand railings and grab bars available, and how much space I would have to manoeuvre. The buses could also be lowered into a kneeling position to make it easier to board. I didn’t even ask for these photos but they gave me the reassurance to go ahead and book the tour.
A few months later, I was on my way to Stonehenge. Getting on and off the bus wasn’t easy but with my cane and some help from my son, I managed. The Stonehenge site itself is flat and very accessible. I had no problem enjoying it like everyone else. So while the sun set on the Salisbury Plain, I walked amongst the stones at Stonehenge, something that I wasn’t sure would even be possible for me.
I like to think that even the Neolithic people who built the monument over 5000 years ago thought about accessibility and deliberately built it without steps.
With all the stops on the tour, I had to get up and down the bus steps a number of times that day. I was exhilarated but tired. As we prepared to head back, I struggled to get up the steps of the bus that last time. I took it very slow but each step was a little harder. With a couple steps to go, a few of the other tourists at the front of the bus noticed my struggling and started gently encouraging me. It was a bit of kind support offered in a very subtle way with a tone that was not at all condescending. When I reached the top they gave me a little cheer. But it wasn’t just about me, it was a shared cheer celebrating the day when we visited Stonehenge at sunset, a day that none of us on that tour will ever forget.
– Kent Hoffman
To get more information on accessibility at Stonehenge, why not check out the English Heritage website.
You can also check out more of our features, here.
