Hotels near the Stonehenge

Numerous myths surround Stonehenge - that sacred circle of standing stones on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. They are always fascinating to visit - although the day of the Summer Solstice has an extra magic to it.

Such is the fascination with the strange ring that many have devoted their entire lives to speculating about them. It was only in the 1950s when the field of archaeoastronomy was pioneered at Oxford University that the staggering astronomical alignments among the stones was realised and it was first thought that they may have been used as astronomical observatories.

At the very least, these stories remind us of the undeniably awesome power and magic attached to one of the biggest tourist sites in the UK. More than 900 unexplained stone rings are scattered through the British Isles, but the ones at Stonehenge have attracted the most attention. For centuries, people from all over the world have made a pilgrimage to the site, either as tourists or to celebrate a variety of feasts and other auspicious festivals.