We decided to move in to the van before it was finished and before quitting our jobs to help us put aside some savings for travelling across Europe. This made saving money so much easier , not having to worry about paying rent and bills. Both our jobs were based near Salisbury so during the week we generally stayed around Wiltshire and Hampshire.
It turned out that there were loads of great places to stay around this area, one of which was the drove running alongside Stonehenge.
The rules about staying on drove-ways and track-ways like this seem quite blurred but from what we gather you can legally stay here in your vehicle, for how long though this seems to vary depending on who you ask. This particular drove seems to be up for debate a lot locally too with all the tourism Stonehenge attracts. We’ve seen vans parked up there for months at a time and we usually stayed for a couple of days.
We stayed on the drove for the first time during the autumn equinox, when people come from all around the world to witness the sunrise over the stones, marking the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator from north to south.
We loved it so much that the drove ended up being one of our main go-to spots to stay as it felt so chilled out being parked off the road surrounded by other van-dwellers , knowing there was no risk of us being disturbed or moved along (not that this has happened to us once yet in our nine months of living in the van!). There are also loads of great walks around Stonehenge taking you on a tour of the surrounding Bronze age monuments.
It was also really practical for us as it’s only a 20 minute drive back in to Salisbury so we could both make it back to town in time for work in the morning.
Another great thing about it is that you can connect to free WiFi from the drove!
We’d really recommend a visit to the drove for at least one of the equinoxes or solstices. You get a totally different experience to what you’d have parked up in the main car park, as it ends up just being one long street party with everyone sat outside their vans, some with their own sound systems others with drums and acoustic instruments that anyone is welcome to pick up and play. Everyone is welcoming and happy for you to join their group and have a look around their van to swap ideas and share experiences, it ends up being its own little community. Plus its all totally free and even when the equinox events aren’t happening you can still get a decent look at the stones without having to pay the fee:
3 thoughts on “The van-dwellers of Stonehenge”
Hey there, just along a short distance from our build site. 1-year+ Build schedule planned. Like you, we plan on touring, and wild camping features high on our list of places to stop. Will watch your progress and especially your overnight stops. Look for us on the SBMCC website if you are back on the Plain again. Philips & Barbara
Hi Philip & Barbara, Yes it’s definitely worth a stop off 🙂 Will be returning to the UK next year for our MOT so may well be back on the plain then! Good luck with the build! Simon & Dee
we go here four times a year for the equinox’ & solstices.
it’s a way of life … and your’e right, it’s it’sown little community.
Thankyou for approaching it with an open mind 🙂