Bikepacking to Stonehenge.

I woke up just as the light rose and the day was beginning, that’s how it works when you bivi out under the stars. The day before I had left from the Preseli Hills on my bike aiming for Stonehenge a few days later, I was following the journey of the bluestone rocks that make up part of the famous megalithic structure right from the source. Those people so mysterious to us who originally made some variation of this journey must also have started and ended their days with the naturally provided light.

This is a journey I had thought about quite a few times over the previous year or two, most often when working as a mountain bike guide around the hills of north Pembrokeshire. It seemed like a logical and interesting idea for a bike ride. To make it more interesting again, I wanted to time it so I could arrive at Stonehenge at a solstice or equinox when I knew there would be some intriguing celebrations around the stones. 

I missed doing this over the summer so thought that I must slot it in in the Autumn as a last adventure before the deep darkness, wet and cold of the winter set in. A luxury of choosing a time and being able to make the journey so quickly that those who moved the stones can’t have had, who knows what wild times and conditions they made the journey in or whether any one person made the whole journey end to end at all. Whatever happened there must have been many hands to complete the work, for me though I couldn’t find anyone else available to join so I peddled along on my own.

After saying good morning to the cows at the start of that second day I set off down hill and into parts of the country I knew less well. I rode through villages and towns, down many beautiful bridleways and plenty more that would have been best avoided. I bought the biggest piece of tiffin the world has ever seen in one nice bakery, the chocolatey, buttery, biscuity goodness powering me on for many miles. 

Later that second day I happened to be in the same part of the country as my dad and his mates who were out for a couple days on their motorbikes. We stopped for an hour or so in a cafe where I also had to fix a puncture before continuing on our journeys in opposite directions. I’m pretty sure they and their engines thought me and my adventure was a little mad. I think it myself sometimes when I do the various things that I do. Am I weird or are you? Maybe we all are?

After putting my head down that night hidden away in the woods not far out of a town, I slept well before setting off again in the morning. The forecast was perfect Autumn sun when I looked before leaving but that was certainly not the case by now. I didn’t hang around and worked to make some distance before the impending rain came through. It threatened for a while before I saw the first lightning in the distance. I was just entering Glocester as the sky dropped everything it had and screamed with all its might. Here I had to think quickly and tucked myself into the entranceway of an office block as rain fell like I’ve never seen rain fall before. It must have been a good 45 minutes and a month's worth of rain before I felt I could continue on again.

I dodged showers, though none anywhere near as ferocious for the rest of the day before stopping for the night in a little woodland somewhere between here and there. I strung a tarp up between the trees for an added layer of protection while also hoping nothing too fierce returned in the night. I reckoned I had one more day of pedalling ahead of me, ideal as this would bring me to the stones the night before the equinox.

The night was kind to me, as was the day it led into. I cruised along little lanes and pleasant bridleways, past a chalk horse cut into the hill and even managed to wash in the river in the warm afternoon sun.

Before I knew it Stonehenge was just around the corner, before I saw it I saw the hundreds already gathering along the adjacent byway ready for the equinox celebrations. I had reached my destination and wandered somewhat unexpectedly into a completely different world. This world was further exaggerated in the morning as the time of sunrise arrived and many people, groups and beliefs gathered under the stones, they took it in turns to say their thing, chant their chants and carry out their rituals. 

Here once again and much exaggerated I thought about what they were doing and what I do and pondered whether they were the weird ones or if it was me, coming away trying to open my mind and far less sure than when I went in.

Jacob.