Excellent tactical avoidance of the excessive entry fee there, Tweedy! And, of course, the other excellent thing was that fake dronery. Superb. Even flying through the gap between the stones in the fashion to which UA-camrs have become accustomed! Mrs. WC21 (UK) Productions Ltd broke my spaghetti up the other day, when she caught me teasing it slowly into the water. So it's fine to do that. I really liked the look of your little camp there in the rain. There's something great about doing things like that on a weekday when a lot of people are at work. And you even got some free chocolate! Brilliant video as ever.
Thank you Mr WC21! As mentioned "offline" I had flashbacks of that day in St. Albans when I was larking about doing the fake drone bits. You were there in spirit! I think it's eminently sensible to break spaghetti in half, should the circumstances require it, and let's not forget pasta is supposed to be "peasant food" traditionally in Italy. As I understand it the Italian nobility would have eaten something more akin to a Sunday roast every day back in the middle ages. The ordinary people of Italy in that era would likely have had similarly pragmatic concerns around not using too big a pot to boil the pasta in because that means using more water and more fuel. The free chocolate was the icing on the cake! They were a lovely family - the Mum even offered me her umbrella. I vaguely recall hearing about a TV programme in Germany some years ago which had a regular segment featuring the eccentricities of the English, and our German cousins seemed quite fascinated by it. I hope that family will return to Germany and excitedly tell their friends of their encounter with a real life eccentric! "He was wearing a three piece tweed suit in the pouring rain, completely soaked, and seemed to be talking to himself... He was somehow contained, the other side of a fence, like a zoo animal... There were no signs saying not to feed the English eccentrics so we gave him a bit of chocolate, and he seemed so pleased!"
@@tweedyoutdoors oh yes! When the fake drone became a javelin! I loved that shot of you flying your fake drone - I wonder if the Germans drove by at that moment? Good news about the spaghetti. All these years I’ve been wasting time, when I could have just snapped it all up and lobbed it in!
I loved my trip to Stonehenge in 1964, when I was 10 years old. You could still walk up to it then. We had a lot better weather. Enjoyed your greetings to all the sheep as you found your backroad path to the henge. Funniest episode I've seen, and my favorite. Thank you for skipping all the discussion about how they got the big stones there.
I always wondered why they didn't build Stonehenge next to a Harvesters, for some cheap warm grub. But cooking Spaghetti Bolognese in the woods was inspired.
I couldn't do what you do, when im out in cold wet weather I wear a warm down jacket and head to toe waterproofing; but you have such style, as many have said, so wonderfully English.
Subscribed to your channel a few weeks back after seeing your London pubs series. Didn't check for other content. Just got back from 2 days in Avebury and nearby, and searched YT for Avebury midsummer content, and lo, it turns out you've also got a playlist full of neolithic videos! Great job!
My first visit to 'the stones' was with my Dad in his Morris 8. All you did in those days was stop at the side of the road, two wheels on the grass if it wasn't too wet, and walk over to the henge. That must have been in about 1948 or so.
The professionals make their drone noises with a comb and a piece of tracing paper. I think. @HedleyThorne will know. Interesting perspective with Stonehenge “appearing” in that fashion. Afternoon Ladeez ✅ ✅ ✅ Thirty quid, though. Shocker. Avebury really is a bargain. Q: which wine is good for sitting around in a wet wood? A: the one you have in your pack. Also: technically, I think that dish is a SpagBol. Well done, carry on.
Thanks Barry! I am quite impressed with my level of sheer amateurishness that I didn't even do the fake drone noises using the correct method! Yes there were indeed lots of sheep to greet on this walk. I found that individual at 7:48 particularly photogenic.
@@tweedyoutdoors i'm sure there are UA-cams that cover the making of fake B-roll sound effects. If not, there's an opening for someone with the appropriate skillz. Not me, though. Clean out of tracing paper.
I too have set eye's upon the copy of the Stone henge Inn henge!!! :) it is quite good how they did it, the stones are somewhat larger, I've heard some folk say they are made from polystyrene :) But the real one is much better especially on a hot day when you will need a pint to quench your thirst after the hike:)
It seemed like a pragmatic solution as I believe you're not allowed to fly a drone over Stonehenge itself. ...and it also helped with the problem that I don't own a drone!
Thanks Dave - yes I think it's excessive, especially when Avebury is free (other than the car park) and at Avebury you can get right up to the stones, whereas at Stonehenge you can't get closer than about 10 to 15 metres, if I recall correctly. Although there is still open access for a few hours around dawn at the solstices and equinoxes, which is good. I do understand that the site needs to be protected - and that costs money - but there must be a better way.
Yes I understand the need to preserve, protect and manage the site - and no doubt all of that costs money - but the price really seems excessive and surely there must be a better way! I would love to see an independent survey of visitors to see how many of them really felt they got value for money. We had relatives visiting from overseas earlier this year, they wanted to see Stonehenge (mainly because they thought it was a "must see") but we managed to talk them out of it, other than a quick drive-by, and took them to Avebury instead, which I think is a much better overall experience.
Hi John, this was excellent really enjoyed watching. I seem to have a problem posting comments at the moment and wrote quite a bit more which I've now deleted This was a classic, please don't ever stop. All the best
Thanks David! I have occasionally seen people write things along the lines of "sorry for the long comment" which baffles me slightly - I think it's an honour / privilege that people feel inspired to write lengthy comments in response to a video I've made! Unless it's scathingly negative of course! 😂 I do sometimes fall behind on reading / replying to comments - particularly as I ridiculously have four channels!
Very impressed with your cheeriness in the face of this endless bleak chilly and drenched winter/spring - a bit like narnia where it was always winter but never christmas :(
It has been hard work recently hasn't it? I've learned to love bad weather because I (very selfishly) like having the countryside all to myself, which is more easily achieved if everyone else wants to stay indoors! A tarp also makes a big difference - it can turn an inhospitable environment into a little home-from-home for a few hours. All of that said I miss the sun too, and surely this bad weather can't last forever!
I once pulled over by the roadside, leaned over a fence and touched what I believe to be called the "heelstone". It was back in the nineties, apparently, the road is about half a mile away from there now. "Some food!" Cuts to a pensive looking sheep, obviously unaware of your dietary preferences... EDIT: That Hedley bloke will be quaking at the sight of your drone skills...
Thanks AFT! Yes I believe the heelstone is that big stone in the foreground around 6:31. I recall that now defunct road too. I also noticed that unfortunate cut from "Some food!" to the sheep when watching the video back before uploading it - I assure you it wasn't intentional! I found that sheep really charismatic and delightful and I had no intention of trying to eat it!
Hi Tweedy. “Bloody lovely” you say, and no doubt it was. Oh if only you ran an outdoor vegetarian restaurant 😋 Loved the Stonehenge drone footage ……. Inspired 😂 I also don’t know who in their right minds would pay £30 to view Stonehenge from the other side of the fence. Thank you for another enjoyable, entertaining and informative video. Never change 👍😀
Thanks Andrew! Yes it's bizarre isn't it? The difference between what you can get for free versus what you get for paying the entrance fee is really quite negligible - a matter of metres. Even if you have actually paid you still can't get closer than about 10 metres to the stones, if I recall correctly. I suppose in fairness I should have pointed out that "The Drove" is a pretty rough old track, full of massive potholes, so if you were arriving by car and planning not to pay, you are somewhat taking a risk with your vehicle! It's also a bit of a faff getting to/from the Drove from the A303 - I think you can only turn into the Drove if you're coming from the West on the A303, and similarly if exiting the Drove you're forced to head East. All of that said I still find the idea of paying £30 to get just a few metres closer quite galling!
I have never been to Stonehenge. It seems a 'rip off' price. BTW I Just received a nice complimentary bottle of Bourgogne Hautes Cotes De Nuits La Montagne 2019 from Tom.
I've only paid to get in once, which I think was about 20 years ago now. I don't recall the exact entrance fee then but I think it was somewhere in the region of £12, and that still seemed exorbitant at that time. Nice to hear Tom sent that complimentary bottle! I think I bought a bottle of that last summer, but alas I don't think I recorded any tasting notes for it. If I recall correctly it was on the subtle side, but quite pleasant.
@@tweedyoutdoors Tom said in his email to me: I opened a bottle over the weekend, and, as sometimes happens with wines, this has gained in colour, and is firmer than I expected.
Absolutely spiffing, Tweedy! I think the contrast between the grimness of the conditions and the cheerfulness of your presentation sets a new record that may, possibly, never be broken! Interestingly, I was close to your location there not even five weeks ago, when I did the other extreme: Paying (Ok, by way of my National Trust membership) but then not even bothering to go within sight of the stones - just browsing the museum shop for some books about neolithic Britain. I had Stonehenge on my UA-cam-mind for a while but, for the life of me, couldn't see what angle to present that wasn't done a grillion times before. You have just shown us all how it CAN be done! Feeling peckish now...Cheers, Matt
Thanks Matt! Part of the inspiration for going to Stonehenge this time was that I had just read a recent paper by geologist Brian John, which argues against the theory that the bluestones were transported by humans from Waun Mawn in Wales, and instead just arrived naturally on Salisbury Plain as glacial erratics. I had originally thought I might talk through the two sides of that debate while I was there but somehow that fell by the wayside and we ended up with this somewhat more frivolous video! So in the end I don't know whether I had much to say about Stonehenge here that was novel, but hopefully, by virtue of arriving by public transport and walking, I at least showed a bit more of the wider landscape than some other videos might have done. It would of course have been much nicer in better weather though!
The magic of this channel is that it's all fantastic content, even when you say it isn't. Would it be worth adding in your wine selections to the descriptions to future videos, who knows, a winery might at some point think about some channel sponsorship.
I loved that. You have a winning format.I still haven't stolen your map-on-phone technique, thank you for reminding me. As I get older I crave a dry place to sit down so I shall steal your tarp sequence as well.I very nearly went out in plimsolls, over-enthusiastically with thespring and I am glad I didn't, but it won't be long now.
Thank you Mr Fox! Tarps are a kind of magic to me, in inclement weather they can transform an inhospitable bit of the wilderness into a cosy den. It has taken me a surprisingly large amount of practice to get to the point of being able to set one up in the space of minutes, versus practically an hour, but that likely points to my brain's apparent difficulties with thinking in 3D. I was never a cub or scout as a child so I have a bit of a gap in my knowledge when it comes to knots and things, but I find a taut line hitch is pretty much the only one you need to know. Some tarps come with those guy lines with tensioning toggles attached which makes it even easier.
Tweedy thrives on adversity, great job with the spaghetti, try adding a splash of Worcestershire sauce to it next time gives it more depth of taste. I wonder what the Henge builders had in their lunchboxes?
I have used that in the past (or a vegetarian equivalent thereof) and agree it does a great job of adding depth to dishes like this! I think in some of the excavations at Durrington Walls and Woodhenge large numbers of pig bones were found (which, if I recall correctly had evidence of having been roasted) so at least some of the time roast pork!
Another epic explore....love the mini me Stonehenge...shame about the rain but as ever that was not going to stop you..!! .The spag bol looked almost edible too...!!
Thank you! In a way I think I had a richer, fuller experience without paying the entrance fee - I doubt many people who do that also roam the wider landscape as I did here. The spal bol really was good, I promise!
The Cuckoo Stone -- sort of reminds (albeit smaller) of the statue-monuments on Easter Island ... What were our ancient ancestors really up to (?) ... 👌👍😎
Shocking isn't it? Especially when you compare it to Avebury, where all you have to pay for is the car park (or nothing at all if you arrive by some other means)... and at Avebury you have no time limit and can get right up to the stones - even hug them if you so desire - whereas at Stonehenge you're always kept some distance away.
Great stuff! admire your upbeat spirit despite the rain. Loving your channel and have binge watched most of your videos. You should come check out the Malvern Hills at some point...direct trains from london. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I have family in South Wales / Herefordshire, not a million miles from the Malvern Hills, and that area has long held a fascination for me. A video of that neck of the woods is long overdue!
I might well have done but not intentionally! It's a weird business editing videos in which I hear myself speaking - it seems so much of time time there's a big deviation between what I intended to say and what it sounded like I actually said!
Wonderful video Mr. Tweedy :) Great and admirable to see your continued cheerfulness amid mildly unpleasant weather circumstances! Bloody lovely cooking indeed. The wine choice also looks tasty. And lovely to find that route to the stones. I actually went amongst them during the 'summer' solstice almost twenty five years ago. I used inverted commas on the 'summer' because the weather was similar to what you experienced during your visit! Fantastic drone shots at the beginning of your video. I wonder if they're the same 'stones'/set used in the Spinal Tap film where they used inches instead of feet to build them :)
Thanks Graham! I've never been to a solstice at Stonehenge, but feel I ought to do that one day, at least once. I'm always more drawn to Avebury instead, which seems a lot more free and unregulated... but there is no denying the fact Stonehenge is a very special monument. I had the Stonehenge song from Spinal Tap in my head pretty much the whole day! That replica at the Stonehenge Inn evokes those stage props marvellously.
Great video as always. You seem to have missed a trick as today is National Tweed Day! Attended many free festivals there back in the day. Nowadays it seems to have lost it's charm!
Thanks Alistair, and I had no idea it was National Tweed Day! Yes I think it's fair to say with the current way Stonehenge is managed that it isn't what it once was. I personally much prefer Avebury for the sense of freedom you get there - none of it is fenced off, and the only thing you have to pay for is the car park. Which I've only ever done once, as almost every time I've been I've arrived by bus or on foot.
Thanks Cara! I had been to Stonehenge a few times before but always by car (I only paid to get in once!) and I didn't really walk around the wider landscape very much before this visit. I chose this route mainly based on where the buses went! ...but it did seem to work really well and made a lot of sense in terms of trying to understand how the landscape might have been used all the way back in the Neolithic.
No, not really, but there are signs at regular intervals with some threatening language about trespassing etc. I do think the site needs to be protected, and that obviously costs money, but the current entrance fee seems excessive to me.
It is excessive isn't it? Hopefully I have demonstrated here that you can get pretty close without paying that, and if the weather was a bit nicer than this it would make a really nice day out!
We think you should do a colab with Geowizard... short straight line mission? Ripstop UK issue DPM vs Tweed. Jelly babies and custard cream biscuits vs a pasta dish and a bottle of burgundy. See who's got the great outdoors tamed ;)
It depends what the objective is - if it's the person who does it quickest or with least deviation from the route I am sure to lose. However if it's a question of who has the most fun along the way I think I might stand a fighting chance!
@@tweedyoutdoors Could be a study in the correlation between the straight line deviation and the weight of the bottle and it's contents? To be honest, if I sat down midway to a nice bowl of Fettuccine, I'd probably just elect to have a little snooze in the hedge rather than trying to crawl through it.
Thanks David! I just love being outdoors, pretty much whatever the weather and I think we're all a lot more resilient to discomfort like this than we at first think!
What a fantastic adventurous video, the next time you will visit, that footpath will cost £15.00 to enter. Maybe just a little tip regarding the shelter, a 3x3 DD Super light tarp has more coverage and really doesn't weigh or take up more space than what you have now, plus you can use it in a multitude of ways to camp etc. Loved the Drone footage 👍
Thanks Ysgolgerlan! Yes I was almost slightly hesitant about publicising the fact that you can get so close to Stonehenge for free, for fear that the authorities might decide to fix that glitch! I have a DD superlight tarp, albeit the S size. You're right though - it really doesn't take up much more space or weight than the "micro tarp" I took along with me on this trip and it would have given me much better coverage!
Cheers Tweedy, just what I needed after a tough day, I've not been able to have adventures lately. I have wondered about access without paying (outside of solstices).
Thanks Steve, and sorry to hear you've had a bad day. As long as you're reasonably mobile then you can get pretty close without paying. If arriving by car you can park on the Drove, but it's a very rough track with some massive potholes so take care! It's a bridleway so I assume it's also fine to arrive by bike too. Although I'm not sure what the exact access rights are on that final short pathway which leads off the Drove to get to that nearest viewing point of Stonehenge. You might have to dismount for that.
Hedley eat your heart out! I think the approach from Durrington Walls is the best way to get to Stonehenge, and it saves you money. That meal looked lovely and I can only imagine how nice it was in all that rain, carbs and umami and wine - perfection. I admire your dedication thank you for an enjoyable video.
Thanks Chris! This was the first time I had properly walked through the Stonehenge landscape (rather than just showing up by car) and I completely agree, that approach really added something to the experience.
There’s so many thickos saying ‘when I were a lad, you could climb on the stones, and it didn’t cost anything’. The site sees up to 1.5 million visitors a year. Over 10,000 people in a single day sometimes. How long do you think the stones would survive with that many people clambering on them? Also, yes 30 quid is a lot of money (that’s for two tickets, which he doesn’t make clear) But English Heritage has a lot of loss making sites. Some sites like Stonehenge, Dover Castle etc keep them afloat. It’s a necessary evil.
Yes I agree the site needs preserving and protecting, and clearly that costs money. As evidenced by the comments here though, many people find the current entrance fee excessive. I took the current price from English Heritage's website and it has actually gone up as of today it seems (new financial year?): www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/prices-and-opening-times/ When I looked earlier this week, £30 was the "on the day" price with donation for a single adult. At that time, (and I should have made it clear in the video), you could have paid the slightly lower price of £27.20 on the day if you declined the donation. As of today, £30 is the "on the day" price even if you do decline the donation, and with the donation it's £33. So as it turns out the figure cited in my video is now the cheapest possible ticket for a single adult if you just show up on the day. If you book in advance, and decline the donation, the cheapest possible ticket is now £25.40 for a single adult. I think you do make a good point though about the "profit" from Stonehenge helping to fund other less popular sites. I would have hoped other revenue sources like English Heritage's membership scheme help there, but perhaps that's not enough. I personally prefer the way Avebury is managed - there are elements of it where the National Trust can earn some revenue (the car park, the museum, the cafe, the gift shop, guided tours etc) but the main site is free. Obviously it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison because Avebury is a bit more spread out and attracts fewer visitors (although a not insignificant fraction - about 500,000 a year I believe)... I didn't set out in this video primarily to bash English Heritage's pricing policy, but more to appreciate the fact there is this free alternative: exploring the Open Access Land in the wider Stonehenge landscape. I am grateful that exists.
True British content. Sitting under rain and chopping garlic wearing a checkered suit. Subscribed.
Hahaha thank you! I fear us eccentrics are a dying breed but I do what I can!
if "withnail & I " where unleashed with a Gopro on Englands green and pleasant land. Subscribed.
Excellent tactical avoidance of the excessive entry fee there, Tweedy! And, of course, the other excellent thing was that fake dronery. Superb. Even flying through the gap between the stones in the fashion to which UA-camrs have become accustomed!
Mrs. WC21 (UK) Productions Ltd broke my spaghetti up the other day, when she caught me teasing it slowly into the water. So it's fine to do that. I really liked the look of your little camp there in the rain. There's something great about doing things like that on a weekday when a lot of people are at work.
And you even got some free chocolate! Brilliant video as ever.
Thank you Mr WC21! As mentioned "offline" I had flashbacks of that day in St. Albans when I was larking about doing the fake drone bits. You were there in spirit!
I think it's eminently sensible to break spaghetti in half, should the circumstances require it, and let's not forget pasta is supposed to be "peasant food" traditionally in Italy. As I understand it the Italian nobility would have eaten something more akin to a Sunday roast every day back in the middle ages. The ordinary people of Italy in that era would likely have had similarly pragmatic concerns around not using too big a pot to boil the pasta in because that means using more water and more fuel.
The free chocolate was the icing on the cake! They were a lovely family - the Mum even offered me her umbrella.
I vaguely recall hearing about a TV programme in Germany some years ago which had a regular segment featuring the eccentricities of the English, and our German cousins seemed quite fascinated by it. I hope that family will return to Germany and excitedly tell their friends of their encounter with a real life eccentric!
"He was wearing a three piece tweed suit in the pouring rain, completely soaked, and seemed to be talking to himself... He was somehow contained, the other side of a fence, like a zoo animal... There were no signs saying not to feed the English eccentrics so we gave him a bit of chocolate, and he seemed so pleased!"
@@tweedyoutdoors oh yes! When the fake drone became a javelin! I loved that shot of you flying your fake drone - I wonder if the Germans drove by at that moment?
Good news about the spaghetti. All these years I’ve been wasting time, when I could have just snapped it all up and lobbed it in!
I loved my trip to Stonehenge in 1964, when I was 10 years old. You could still walk up to it then. We had a lot better weather. Enjoyed your greetings to all the sheep as you found your backroad path to the henge. Funniest episode I've seen, and my favorite. Thank you for skipping all the discussion about how they got the big stones there.
Glad I found this cannle good work mate. Would use stir fry noodles to save cooking spaghetti though thanks
I always wondered why they didn't build Stonehenge next to a Harvesters, for some cheap warm grub. But cooking Spaghetti Bolognese in the woods was inspired.
I couldn't do what you do, when im out in cold wet weather I wear a warm down jacket and head to toe waterproofing; but you have such style, as many have said, so wonderfully English.
Subscribed to your channel a few weeks back after seeing your London pubs series. Didn't check for other content. Just got back from 2 days in Avebury and nearby, and searched YT for Avebury midsummer content, and lo, it turns out you've also got a playlist full of neolithic videos! Great job!
Thank you and very glad to hear it's your cup of tea too! The Neolithic is definitely my favourite era of history - so many unanswered questions!
My first visit to 'the stones' was with my Dad in his Morris 8.
All you did in those days was stop at the side of the road, two wheels on the grass if it wasn't too wet, and walk over to the henge.
That must have been in about 1948 or so.
Sounds delightful - a simpler time!
Good to see that you are cooking up a traditional dish from 3000 years ago.
I have quite a track record of incongruous meals in these ancient historic locations - there's no sense to it!
The professionals make their drone noises with a comb and a piece of tracing paper. I think. @HedleyThorne will know. Interesting perspective with Stonehenge “appearing” in that fashion.
Afternoon Ladeez ✅ ✅ ✅
Thirty quid, though. Shocker. Avebury really is a bargain. Q: which wine is good for sitting around in a wet wood? A: the one you have in your pack. Also: technically, I think that dish is a SpagBol. Well done, carry on.
Thanks Barry! I am quite impressed with my level of sheer amateurishness that I didn't even do the fake drone noises using the correct method!
Yes there were indeed lots of sheep to greet on this walk. I found that individual at 7:48 particularly photogenic.
@@tweedyoutdoors i'm sure there are UA-cams that cover the making of fake B-roll sound effects. If not, there's an opening for someone with the appropriate skillz. Not me, though. Clean out of tracing paper.
I too have set eye's upon the copy of the Stone henge Inn henge!!! :) it is quite good how they did it, the stones are somewhat larger, I've heard some folk say they are made from polystyrene :) But the real one is much better especially on a hot day when you will need a pint to quench your thirst after the hike:)
Haha 😂 hilarious, drone footage..🤣😂
It seemed like a pragmatic solution as I believe you're not allowed to fly a drone over Stonehenge itself. ...and it also helped with the problem that I don't own a drone!
@@tweedyoutdoors And it was very funny, love your sense of humor!
30 big ones to see stone henge…! I visited for free way back in 94. Nice meal Tweedy 🇬🇧 🇳🇿
Thanks Dave - yes I think it's excessive, especially when Avebury is free (other than the car park) and at Avebury you can get right up to the stones, whereas at Stonehenge you can't get closer than about 10 to 15 metres, if I recall correctly. Although there is still open access for a few hours around dawn at the solstices and equinoxes, which is good.
I do understand that the site needs to be protected - and that costs money - but there must be a better way.
@@tweedyoutdoors Yep they should really build another one, closer to London, for tourists mingle and climb over.
Amazing how the spaghetti actually looked full length in the pan. Stonehenge is such a rip off. The one by the pub looks far better.
Yes I understand the need to preserve, protect and manage the site - and no doubt all of that costs money - but the price really seems excessive and surely there must be a better way! I would love to see an independent survey of visitors to see how many of them really felt they got value for money. We had relatives visiting from overseas earlier this year, they wanted to see Stonehenge (mainly because they thought it was a "must see") but we managed to talk them out of it, other than a quick drive-by, and took them to Avebury instead, which I think is a much better overall experience.
Hi John, this was excellent really enjoyed watching.
I seem to have a problem posting comments at the moment and wrote quite a bit more which I've now deleted
This was a classic, please don't ever stop.
All the best
Thanks David!
I have occasionally seen people write things along the lines of "sorry for the long comment" which baffles me slightly - I think it's an honour / privilege that people feel inspired to write lengthy comments in response to a video I've made! Unless it's scathingly negative of course! 😂
I do sometimes fall behind on reading / replying to comments - particularly as I ridiculously have four channels!
Dogged determination paying off nicely with that spaghetti bolognaise
Thanks Hedley! It really was good, albeit a bit ridiculous when there was a warm, dry pub serving food only half an hour's walk away!
Very impressed with your cheeriness in the face of this endless bleak chilly and drenched winter/spring - a bit like narnia where it was always winter but never christmas :(
It has been hard work recently hasn't it? I've learned to love bad weather because I (very selfishly) like having the countryside all to myself, which is more easily achieved if everyone else wants to stay indoors! A tarp also makes a big difference - it can turn an inhospitable environment into a little home-from-home for a few hours.
All of that said I miss the sun too, and surely this bad weather can't last forever!
Nothing like bad weather, and being wet through, to enhance the enjoyment of a meal!
You should meet up with David Abram for a brew and a chinwag....
It has to be said, Tweedy's catering is far better than Mr WC21UKProductions fare...All he offered last vid were his nuts dipped in lime!
I once pulled over by the roadside, leaned over a fence and touched what I believe to be called the "heelstone". It was back in the nineties, apparently, the road is about half a mile away from there now.
"Some food!"
Cuts to a pensive looking sheep, obviously unaware of your dietary preferences...
EDIT: That Hedley bloke will be quaking at the sight of your drone skills...
Thanks AFT! Yes I believe the heelstone is that big stone in the foreground around 6:31. I recall that now defunct road too.
I also noticed that unfortunate cut from "Some food!" to the sheep when watching the video back before uploading it - I assure you it wasn't intentional! I found that sheep really charismatic and delightful and I had no intention of trying to eat it!
Hi Tweedy. “Bloody lovely” you say, and no doubt it was. Oh if only you ran an outdoor vegetarian restaurant 😋
Loved the Stonehenge drone footage ……. Inspired 😂 I also don’t know who in their right minds would pay £30 to view Stonehenge from the other side of the fence.
Thank you for another enjoyable, entertaining and informative video. Never change 👍😀
Thanks Andrew! Yes it's bizarre isn't it? The difference between what you can get for free versus what you get for paying the entrance fee is really quite negligible - a matter of metres. Even if you have actually paid you still can't get closer than about 10 metres to the stones, if I recall correctly.
I suppose in fairness I should have pointed out that "The Drove" is a pretty rough old track, full of massive potholes, so if you were arriving by car and planning not to pay, you are somewhat taking a risk with your vehicle! It's also a bit of a faff getting to/from the Drove from the A303 - I think you can only turn into the Drove if you're coming from the West on the A303, and similarly if exiting the Drove you're forced to head East.
All of that said I still find the idea of paying £30 to get just a few metres closer quite galling!
I have never been to Stonehenge. It seems a 'rip off' price.
BTW I Just received a nice complimentary bottle of
Bourgogne Hautes Cotes De Nuits La Montagne 2019
from Tom.
I've only paid to get in once, which I think was about 20 years ago now. I don't recall the exact entrance fee then but I think it was somewhere in the region of £12, and that still seemed exorbitant at that time.
Nice to hear Tom sent that complimentary bottle! I think I bought a bottle of that last summer, but alas I don't think I recorded any tasting notes for it. If I recall correctly it was on the subtle side, but quite pleasant.
@@tweedyoutdoors Tom said in his email to me: I opened a bottle over the weekend, and, as sometimes happens with wines, this has gained in colour, and is firmer than I expected.
"Mildly unpleasent" yes that was very fair to say.
Absolutely spiffing, Tweedy!
I think the contrast between the grimness of the conditions and the cheerfulness of your presentation sets a new record that may, possibly, never be broken!
Interestingly, I was close to your location there not even five weeks ago, when I did the other extreme: Paying (Ok, by way of my National Trust membership) but then not even bothering to go within sight of the stones - just browsing the museum shop for some books about neolithic Britain.
I had Stonehenge on my UA-cam-mind for a while but, for the life of me, couldn't see what angle to present that wasn't done a grillion times before.
You have just shown us all how it CAN be done!
Feeling peckish now...Cheers, Matt
Thanks Matt! Part of the inspiration for going to Stonehenge this time was that I had just read a recent paper by geologist Brian John, which argues against the theory that the bluestones were transported by humans from Waun Mawn in Wales, and instead just arrived naturally on Salisbury Plain as glacial erratics. I had originally thought I might talk through the two sides of that debate while I was there but somehow that fell by the wayside and we ended up with this somewhat more frivolous video!
So in the end I don't know whether I had much to say about Stonehenge here that was novel, but hopefully, by virtue of arriving by public transport and walking, I at least showed a bit more of the wider landscape than some other videos might have done.
It would of course have been much nicer in better weather though!
Pasta looked delicious and well done with the tarp🎉
Thanks L&J! I really enjoyed the food but maybe there was an element of "any port in a storm" there!
The magic of this channel is that it's all fantastic content, even when you say it isn't.
Would it be worth adding in your wine selections to the descriptions to future videos, who knows, a winery might at some point think about some channel sponsorship.
I loved that. You have a winning format.I still haven't stolen your map-on-phone technique, thank you for reminding me. As I get older I crave a dry place to sit down so I shall steal your tarp sequence as well.I very nearly went out in plimsolls, over-enthusiastically with thespring and I am glad I didn't, but it won't be long now.
Thank you Mr Fox! Tarps are a kind of magic to me, in inclement weather they can transform an inhospitable bit of the wilderness into a cosy den. It has taken me a surprisingly large amount of practice to get to the point of being able to set one up in the space of minutes, versus practically an hour, but that likely points to my brain's apparent difficulties with thinking in 3D. I was never a cub or scout as a child so I have a bit of a gap in my knowledge when it comes to knots and things, but I find a taut line hitch is pretty much the only one you need to know. Some tarps come with those guy lines with tensioning toggles attached which makes it even easier.
Tweedy thrives on adversity, great job with the spaghetti, try adding a splash of Worcestershire sauce to it next time gives it more depth of taste.
I wonder what the Henge builders had in their lunchboxes?
He won't have Worcestershire sauce beacuse of the anchovies. Needs to find Hendersons veggie equivalent.
@@MHawkins-qz1yr I recently managed to find Henderson's Relish in London!
I have used that in the past (or a vegetarian equivalent thereof) and agree it does a great job of adding depth to dishes like this!
I think in some of the excavations at Durrington Walls and Woodhenge large numbers of pig bones were found (which, if I recall correctly had evidence of having been roasted) so at least some of the time roast pork!
Another epic explore....love the mini me Stonehenge...shame about the rain but as ever that was not going to stop you..!! .The spag bol looked almost edible too...!!
Thank you! In a way I think I had a richer, fuller experience without paying the entrance fee - I doubt many people who do that also roam the wider landscape as I did here. The spal bol really was good, I promise!
The Cuckoo Stone -- sort of reminds (albeit smaller) of the statue-monuments on Easter Island ... What were our ancient ancestors really up to (?) ... 👌👍😎
And .... not too many things in life are better than spaghetti! 🍝🍝🍝
'ow Much ? !!! Sorry the price brought out the Yorkshireman in me. Your method of visiting seems eminently more sensible.
Shocking isn't it? Especially when you compare it to Avebury, where all you have to pay for is the car park (or nothing at all if you arrive by some other means)... and at Avebury you have no time limit and can get right up to the stones - even hug them if you so desire - whereas at Stonehenge you're always kept some distance away.
Great stuff! admire your upbeat spirit despite the rain. Loving your channel and have binge watched most of your videos. You should come check out the Malvern Hills at some point...direct trains from london. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I have family in South Wales / Herefordshire, not a million miles from the Malvern Hills, and that area has long held a fascination for me. A video of that neck of the woods is long overdue!
Did you say, 'Spaghetti Bollockgnaise?'😂😅
I might well have done but not intentionally! It's a weird business editing videos in which I hear myself speaking - it seems so much of time time there's a big deviation between what I intended to say and what it sounded like I actually said!
Wonderful video Mr. Tweedy :) Great and admirable to see your continued cheerfulness amid mildly unpleasant weather circumstances! Bloody lovely cooking indeed. The wine choice also looks tasty.
And lovely to find that route to the stones. I actually went amongst them during the 'summer' solstice almost twenty five years ago. I used inverted commas on the 'summer' because the weather was similar to what you experienced during your visit!
Fantastic drone shots at the beginning of your video. I wonder if they're the same 'stones'/set used in the Spinal Tap film where they used inches instead of feet to build them :)
Thanks Graham! I've never been to a solstice at Stonehenge, but feel I ought to do that one day, at least once. I'm always more drawn to Avebury instead, which seems a lot more free and unregulated... but there is no denying the fact Stonehenge is a very special monument.
I had the Stonehenge song from Spinal Tap in my head pretty much the whole day! That replica at the Stonehenge Inn evokes those stage props marvellously.
Great video as always. You seem to have missed a trick as today is National Tweed Day! Attended many free festivals there back in the day. Nowadays it seems to have lost it's charm!
Thanks Alistair, and I had no idea it was National Tweed Day!
Yes I think it's fair to say with the current way Stonehenge is managed that it isn't what it once was. I personally much prefer Avebury for the sense of freedom you get there - none of it is fenced off, and the only thing you have to pay for is the car park. Which I've only ever done once, as almost every time I've been I've arrived by bus or on foot.
brilliant, think that's the best route to see Stonehenge and the food looked good. shame the weather wasn't so nice
Thanks Cara! I had been to Stonehenge a few times before but always by car (I only paid to get in once!) and I didn't really walk around the wider landscape very much before this visit. I chose this route mainly based on where the buses went! ...but it did seem to work really well and made a lot of sense in terms of trying to understand how the landscape might have been used all the way back in the Neolithic.
is that fence high enough to stop people climbing over?
No, not really, but there are signs at regular intervals with some threatening language about trespassing etc. I do think the site needs to be protected, and that obviously costs money, but the current entrance fee seems excessive to me.
Spaghetti Bolognese in the Rain is a Smiths song isn’t it ?
I actually Googled that, because it sounded so plausible!
At first i thought that Stonehenge had shrunk due to all the rain. 🌧️
It's the version built to Spinal Tap specifications.
Top bloke..love his style!
Thank you!
£30 is taking the Pee.
It is excessive isn't it? Hopefully I have demonstrated here that you can get pretty close without paying that, and if the weather was a bit nicer than this it would make a really nice day out!
We think you should do a colab with Geowizard... short straight line mission? Ripstop UK issue DPM vs Tweed. Jelly babies and custard cream biscuits vs a pasta dish and a bottle of burgundy.
See who's got the great outdoors tamed ;)
It depends what the objective is - if it's the person who does it quickest or with least deviation from the route I am sure to lose. However if it's a question of who has the most fun along the way I think I might stand a fighting chance!
@@tweedyoutdoors Could be a study in the correlation between the straight line deviation and the weight of the bottle and it's contents?
To be honest, if I sat down midway to a nice bowl of Fettuccine, I'd probably just elect to have a little snooze in the hedge rather than trying to crawl through it.
You managed to keep so cheerful and enthusiastic even in the rain and cold. The spaghetti looked excellent! Please keep these videos going!
Thanks David! I just love being outdoors, pretty much whatever the weather and I think we're all a lot more resilient to discomfort like this than we at first think!
What a fantastic adventurous video, the next time you will visit, that footpath will cost £15.00 to enter. Maybe just a little tip regarding the shelter, a 3x3 DD Super light tarp has more coverage and really doesn't weigh or take up more space than what you have now, plus you can use it in a multitude of ways to camp etc. Loved the Drone footage 👍
Thanks Ysgolgerlan! Yes I was almost slightly hesitant about publicising the fact that you can get so close to Stonehenge for free, for fear that the authorities might decide to fix that glitch!
I have a DD superlight tarp, albeit the S size. You're right though - it really doesn't take up much more space or weight than the "micro tarp" I took along with me on this trip and it would have given me much better coverage!
I think the word 'free' will soon be obsolete!
Cheers Tweedy, just what I needed after a tough day, I've not been able to have adventures lately. I have wondered about access without paying (outside of solstices).
Thanks Steve, and sorry to hear you've had a bad day.
As long as you're reasonably mobile then you can get pretty close without paying. If arriving by car you can park on the Drove, but it's a very rough track with some massive potholes so take care! It's a bridleway so I assume it's also fine to arrive by bike too. Although I'm not sure what the exact access rights are on that final short pathway which leads off the Drove to get to that nearest viewing point of Stonehenge. You might have to dismount for that.
@@tweedyoutdoors I'd be on a bike, thanks for the extra info, much appreciated.
30 quid! I'd want a stone for that.
If you could carry it away I'm sure they'd let you
It is a bit excessive isn't it? Especially if you compare it to Avebury which is essentially free!
@@tweedyoutdoors Indeed. I took my kids once but made them gaze from afar.
Hedley eat your heart out! I think the approach from Durrington Walls is the best way to get to Stonehenge, and it saves you money. That meal looked lovely and I can only imagine how nice it was in all that rain, carbs and umami and wine - perfection. I admire your dedication thank you for an enjoyable video.
Thanks Chris! This was the first time I had properly walked through the Stonehenge landscape (rather than just showing up by car) and I completely agree, that approach really added something to the experience.
There’s so many thickos saying ‘when I were a lad, you could climb on the stones, and it didn’t cost anything’.
The site sees up to 1.5 million visitors a year. Over 10,000 people in a single day sometimes. How long do you think the stones would survive with that many people clambering on them?
Also, yes 30 quid is a lot of money (that’s for two tickets, which he doesn’t make clear) But English Heritage has a lot of loss making sites. Some sites like Stonehenge, Dover Castle etc keep them afloat. It’s a necessary evil.
Yes I agree the site needs preserving and protecting, and clearly that costs money. As evidenced by the comments here though, many people find the current entrance fee excessive.
I took the current price from English Heritage's website and it has actually gone up as of today it seems (new financial year?): www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/prices-and-opening-times/
When I looked earlier this week, £30 was the "on the day" price with donation for a single adult. At that time, (and I should have made it clear in the video), you could have paid the slightly lower price of £27.20 on the day if you declined the donation.
As of today, £30 is the "on the day" price even if you do decline the donation, and with the donation it's £33. So as it turns out the figure cited in my video is now the cheapest possible ticket for a single adult if you just show up on the day.
If you book in advance, and decline the donation, the cheapest possible ticket is now £25.40 for a single adult.
I think you do make a good point though about the "profit" from Stonehenge helping to fund other less popular sites. I would have hoped other revenue sources like English Heritage's membership scheme help there, but perhaps that's not enough.
I personally prefer the way Avebury is managed - there are elements of it where the National Trust can earn some revenue (the car park, the museum, the cafe, the gift shop, guided tours etc) but the main site is free. Obviously it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison because Avebury is a bit more spread out and attracts fewer visitors (although a not insignificant fraction - about 500,000 a year I believe)...
I didn't set out in this video primarily to bash English Heritage's pricing policy, but more to appreciate the fact there is this free alternative: exploring the Open Access Land in the wider Stonehenge landscape. I am grateful that exists.
I'm really enjoying your videos, by the way!