Travel Blog: Stonehenge and Bath Day Trip

During the time we spent in London, we made it a point to make it out to Stonehenge before we left.  Originally we decided to try to go on our own by train, but after some research and deliberation, we decided to go with a bus tour, which was actually recommended by the receptionist at the hostel.  We were able to make reservations and pay for the tour at the front desk, so that was very convenient.  The day-trip which cost 44GBP included RT transportation by bus and admission to both Stonehenge and the Roman Baths.  I have to admit, from the beginning of the trip I was pretty set on not doing any kind of tours, but this one was actually pretty good and very affordable too!
We woke up really early in order to meet our bus at the Baker Street tube stop.  We were supposed to meet at 8am but our bus arrived a little late, so we ended up leaving around 8:15.  There were several other pick-up stops after ours, so we got to see more of the city by bus, and then it was a really long drive out to Stonehenge.  The drive probably took about 2 hours or so, and we got there around 10:30 or so.  The tour included an audio guide so we go those before we were allowed to walk around.  We had about an hour here to do the audio tour and buy souvenirs, but we only spent about 15 minutes outside.  The weather was pretty bad that day, very cold, windy and rainy, so after walking around once and taking pictures, we went into the gift shop where the heater was on.  You aren't allowed to get very close to the stones because it's roped off, but I've heard certain tours do let you get up close, but I think they're pretty pricey. As you can see in the picture above, you get fairly close (this is right near the entrance).  The below picture was taken on the far side, away from the entrance.

After spending about an hour there, we drove to Bath.  This probably took another 45 minutes or so, and once we were there, we toured the city by bus before they let us off.  From there, we went to the Roman Baths, and then had some free time to eat lunch and walk around the city.  We spent about an hour at the Roman Baths and then ate a quick lunch at Mark and Spencer.  Thankfully by the time we got here, the weather had cleared up and it turned out to be a pretty nice day.  Bath was such a pretty city.  I really loved it there!  I'm glad we took this tour, because I never would have thought to go there on my own.

We met back at the bus around 3:30 and headed back to London from there.  The drive back seemed really long and there was some traffic too.  We got back to the city at around 7 and went straight back to our hostel to eat dinner.  Although we were completely exhausted at the end of the day, the tour was a lot of fun and a good value.  I would say the only downside was that half way during the trip Alana and I got pretty sick from being on the bus so long.  The tour guide was very informative and pretty entertaining, so we each left a 10 pound tip at the end of the day.
If anyone is interested, here's the link to the tour page: Stonehenge and Bath Tour.  Feel free to leave any questions below, or if you've been to Stonehenge, please share your experience!  I'd love to hear your stories or other recommendations!