Barack Obama stops off for visit to Stonehenge

Barack Obama swapped "banter" with three young Wiltshire boys during his sightseeing trip to Stonehenge, their mother has said.

Janice Raffle rushed to the famous monument with her husband and sons after hearing that the leader of the free world was paying a surprise visit.

The family, who live nearby, shook hands with the US president and chatted to him over a barbed wire fence as he toured the ancient site in Wiltshire yesterday.

Mr Obama had taken advantage of his attendance at the Nato summit in Wales to visit the historic site.

Her husband, James Raffle, said the chance encounter had been "incredible".

Mr Raffle told ITV News: "He was worried about the kids on the barbed wire fence. He was worried about Janice because she was overrun with boys."

Seeing Stonehenge had been on the president's "bucket list" of things to do and he stunned onlookers when he squeezed in the visit after the final day of the Nato summit in south Wales.

President Obama walked around the famous standing stones for about 20 minutes. "How cool is this !" he said. Asked if this was a place he had always wanted to visit, he answered, all smiles : "Knocked it off the bucket list!" "It's spectacular, it's spectacular. It's a special place" he told reporters, walking back from the site which is on the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.