BARACK Obama fulfilled a personal ambition of visiting Stonehenge today.

When making the unscheduled trip, the American President said: "How cool is this? ... knocked it off my bucket list."

Mr Obama made the surprise stop at Boscombe Down Military Base in the Marine One helicopter following the Nato talks held in Wales.

The American leader was given a guided tour by property curator Heather Sebire and he remarked: "It's spectacular, it's spectacular. It's a special place".

The staff at Stonehenge had been sworn to secrecy to remain tight-lipped about the visit and only a handful of tourists that had stayed behind from the gates being closed at 3.30pm.

It was after the first alert came when locals saw the Presidential plane Airforce 1 arrive at the Boscombe Down.

Other people in Amesbury also reported the Presidential limo and motocade go past their homes and businesses.

President Obama had been in the country for the NATO Summit, which was held in Newport yesterday and today.

The presidential plane Air Force One was due to take-off from Boscombe and take the President back home in the early evening.

Surprised tour guide Mrs Sebire remarked: “We only found out he was arriving late morning.

“Mr Obama was fascinated by the story of the stones, what we know about them and the mysteries that have yet to be solved.

“He asked lots of questions about how old the monument is, how long it took to build it, and what was its purpose.

“He described the atmosphere around the stones as ‘really special’ and his visit to Stonehenge as ‘a highlight of my tour’.

“He particularly loved seeing the colour and texture of the stones. It was a beautiful still evening and it was a privilege to show the US President around this unique monument which continues to inspire and intrigue people.”

The General Manager of Stonehenge, Kate Davies, also spoke of her pride to be able to welcome the President to Stonehenge.

She said: “We were honoured to welcome US President Barack Obama to Stonehenge.

“His office told us the President was very interested to see the iconic monument for himself. Every day people from all over the world make the trip to the ancient stones but this visit was a particularly special one."