Tuesday 27 May 2014

TRAVELLING TO STONEHENGE SUMMER SOLSTICE 2014

Stonehenge is approximately 2½ miles (4 kms) from the town of Amesbury. The nearest bus and railway stations are in Salisbury, which is 12 miles (19 kms) away from Stonehenge.
As the roads around Stonehenge will be very busy, it is recommended that you leave your car at home and travel to Stonehenge by public transport.  The local bus company, Salisbury Reds, will be running a special service from Salisbury railway station and Stand U in New Canal, to a drop-off point near Stonehenge.  The buses will also stop at any recognised bus stop along the line of the route, which is via Amesbury.

Stonehenge by Bus

A bus service will run from Salisbury via Amesbury to Stonehenge Solstice Car Park.
The Salisbury Reds bus service is wheelchair accessible and will start at 18.30 hours (6.30pm) on Friday 20th June and run regularly until 01.15 hours (1.15am) on Saturday 21st June.  A service taking people back to Salisbury will start at 04.00 hours (4.00am) and run frequently until 09.45 hours (9.45am).  The collection point for the return service is in the same location as the drop-off point.
The walk to Stonehenge from the bus drop-off/collection point is 1½ miles (approximately 2½ kms) from Stonehenge itself - about a 25-30 minute walk and is through the Solstice Car Park and across National Trust down-land.  
For bus service information:

Stonehenge by Train

Trains run regularly to Salisbury from London, Bristol, Bath and Southampton and the local bus company, Salisbury Reds, will be running a special service, from Salisbury railway and bus stations to Stonehenge Solstice Car Park.
The buses will also stop at any recognised bus stop along the line of the route, which is via Amesbury.
For train information:
South West Trains
South West Trains
Tel: 0845 6000 650
First Great Western
First Great Western
Tel: 0845 7000 125
National Rail Enquiries
National Rail Enquiries
Tel: 0845 7484 950

Stonehenge by Car

A high volume of traffic is anticipated in the Stonehenge area on the evening of Friday 20th June. The Summer Solstice parking facilities at Stonehenge are finite and we do encourage people to use public transport where possible.
Although traffic, as you approach Stonehenge, may be slow, please do not be tempted to abandon your vehicle and park it either on the A303 or other neighbouring roads and public rights of way. Cars parked illegally or causing an obstruction will be towed away.
Please note that a number of road closures will be in operation to ensure safe access for pedestrians to Stonehenge and to allow access in the event of an emergency. 
As you approach Stonehenge, signage will be in place to direct you to the Solstice Car Park. 
Parking Facilities
The Solstice car park is located close to Airman’s Corner Roundabout just off the A303, (adjacent to the A344/A360 junction) and will be clearly sign-posted.  People will be able to walk to Stonehenge along a designated route which is a little over ½ a mile (approximately 1 km) – a 15-20 min walk.  This route is through National Trust down-land, so please wear sensible footwear. 
In order to ensure that there is sufficient space available for everyone in the Solstice car park, please park sensibly and only where directed by a steward or police officer.  This will help us make full use of the car park. 
There will be a designated area within the Solstice car park for motorbikes and a limited space for bicycles.  Do not chain or padlock your motorbike or bicycle to any of the gates – the gates are for use by the emergency services and any motorbikes or bicycles causing an obstruction will be removed.
For information on disabled parking and access, please see the Disabled Accesssection. 
Please note that absolutely NO camping or fires/BBQs are permitted in the Solstice car park as these activities can create a major safety risk. The stewards and security teams will be taking positive action to prevent them happening.
If you do decide to travel by car to Stonehenge, please ensure you nominate someone who will take responsibility for driving home.  Drink driving is illegal and tiredness can kill.

Cyclists

It is not advisable to bring cycles to Stonehenge as they cannot be easily accommodated. If you do cycle, please bring your own locking device and park your cycle in the designated areas. Just ask a steward at the Solstice car park entrance or at Stonehenge for assistance.

Stonehenge Summer Solstice 2014

Timings for Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

  • SOLSTICE CAR PARK OPENS
    19.00 hours (7pm) Friday 20 June
  • ACCESS TO STONEHENGE
    19.00 hours (7pm) Friday 20 June
  • LAST ADMISSION TO SOLSTICE CAR PARK 
    06.00 hours (6am) Saturday 21 June
  • STONEHENGE CLOSES
    08.00 hours (8am) Saturday 21 June
  • SOLSTICE CAR PARK TO BE VACATED
    12.00 hours (12 Noon) Saturday 21 June  

Sunset and Sunrise

Sunset and sunrise occur at the following times:
  • Sunset on Friday 20 June 2014 is at 21.26 hrs (9.26pm)
  • Sunrise on Saturday 21 June 2014 is at 04.52 hrs (4.52am)
Stonehenge during sunrise at midsummer

SUMMER SOLSTICE AT STONEHENGE 2014
English Heritage is pleased to be providing Managed Open Access to Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice on 20-21 June 2014. Please help us to create a peaceful occasion by taking personal responsibility and following the Conditions of Entry and guidelines set out on these pages. The full Conditions of Entry can also be downloaded from the right hand side of this page.

We have a duty of care to ensure public safety and are responsible for protecting Stonehenge and its surrounding Monuments.If we are to ensure that future access is sustainable, it is essential that everyone observes and abides by these Conditions of Entry.
Celebrating the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge
Stonehenge is an ancient prehistoric site and has been a place of worship and celebration at the time of Summer Solstice since time immemorial.During Managed Open Access for Summer Solstice at Stonehenge, we support all individuals and groups conducting their own forms of ceremony and celebration providing that they are mutually respectful and tolerant of one another. It is a place seen by many as a sacred site - therefore please respect it and those attending.English Heritage continues to work closely with the many agencies and people from all sectors of the community and we would like to thank them for their help and support.Parking and entry to the Monument will be free, subject to the Conditions of Entry.  Please do not arrive at the Solstice car park or Stonehenge in advance of the opening times listed below.Please note: As Summer Solstice this year occurs on a Friday/Saturday, the roads around Stonehenge will be very busy. We strongly advise visitors to leave their cars at home and travel to Stonehenge using public transport. See Travel for further information.

Thursday 8 May 2014

Stonehenge Sunrise Tour - Solstice Celebrations 2014




Stonehenge:
The most famous prehistoric monument in the world, and now a world heritage site, Stonehenge stands alone in the vast empty tract of Salisbury plain. Its origins date back nearly 5,000 years and it has been home to pagan religion and spiritual worship, not to be mention public debate ever since. What was this vast collection of stones intended for? Was it observatory of the moon, a temple to the sun, or an elaborate cemetery? Who were the people who carried and carved these 40 ton rocks? Come and unlock the secrets for yourself and marvel at this remarkable and mysterious feat of ancient engineering and design, as we enjoy the wonderful celebrations that take place to mark the summer solstice.
The tour :
Join our Premium Tour that departs London at 1am on the 21st June 2013 and heads directly to Stonehenge arriving at roughly 3am. The annual celebration of the summer solstice will be well under way by then as the atmosphere builds towards the sunrise, and the climax of the event. Huge crowds gather and there will be plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere of this historic morning, walk amongst the stones, and observe the pagan rituals and ceremonies that take place at varying intervals throughout the evening. Please note there is a twenty to thirty minute walk involved in order to get from the coach park to the event.
Summer solstice:
The solstice itself is an astronomical event that occurs twice each year as the Sun reaches its highest or lowest excursion relative to the celestial equator, with the sun appearing to have reached its highest or lowest annual altitude in the sky above the horizon.
The word solstice is comes from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun, as seen from earth stands still in declination before reversing it’s direction. Thus after the summer solstice the sun does not appear as high in the sky and daylight reduces. The solstice is therefore seen as the midpoint of summer in many cultures and is cause for celebration.
Pagan celebrations:
Like other religious groups, Pagans are in awe of the strength of the sun and the divine powers that create life. For many pagans, they believe that the Goddess took over the earth from the horned God at the beginning of spring and she is now at the height of her power and fertility. The summer solstice marks the marriage of the God and Goddess and see their union as the force that creates the harvest's fruits. To celebrate many Pagans and non Pagans head to ancient religious sites including Avebury and Stonehenge, to conduct fascinating and colourful ceremonies throughout the night enjoying the last sunset and sunrise before the sun alters it’s direction once more.

Additional information:
Please note that as a responsible tour operator we have a duty of care towards the places we visit and in this case we ask you to be take great care when visiting the historic site. It is important that Stonehenge and its surrounding Monuments are preserved for future generations and we ask you not to touch the stones, and not to leave any litter at the site.
Visitors are requested to dispose of their rubbish carefully at the designated recycling and rubbish points located in the Solstice Car Park and at Stonehenge. Clear recycling bags will also be handed out on arrival.. Please do not drop litter - bag and bin your rubbish so the recycling team can gather them up. It is a very sensitive landscape and still used by local farmers so please respect their crops and livestock.
There are authorised catering facilities on the site and some personal food and drink is allowed to be brought onto the site. Please bring them in a small bag – large rucksacks are not permitted. Glass is not permitted and will be confiscated – many people walk barefoot and the livestock graze in the area throughout the year. A small amount of alcohol is permitted on the site amounting to no more than one bottle of wine, or 4 500ml cans of beer or cider. Please note consumption of alcohol on the coach is not permitted. Due to the large numbers of people who attend the vent, naked flames are strictly forbidden. Small ground sheets and blankets are allowed.
Please note that there will be a lot of walking on grass involved and we recommend bringing warm clothing, sensible footwear and a small umbrella if rain is forecast.

*Due to the nature of this special event, we cannot guarantee exact arrival or departure times from Stonehenge so all timings are approximate.

Stonehenge Sunset Tour - Solstice Celebrations 2014




Stonehenge:

The most famous prehistoric monument in the world, and now a world heritage site, Stonehenge stands alone in the vast empty tract of Salisbury plain. Its origins date back nearly 5,000 years and it has been home to pagan religion and spiritual worship, not to be mention public debate ever since. What was this vast collection of stones intended for? Was it observatory of the moon, a temple to the sun, or an elaborate cemetery? Who were the people who carried and carved these 40 ton rocks? Come and unlock the secrets for yourself and marvel at this remarkable and mysterious feat of ancient engineering and design, as we enjoy the wonderful celebrations that take place to mark the summer solstice.

The tour :

Join our Premium Tour that departs London at lunchtime and heads west towards the site, taking time to enjoy the ancient stones at Avebury, before heading to picturesque Lacock for an early evening supper, included in the price. From here we journey to Stonehenge itself arriving at roughly 7pm, as it begins it’s annual celebration of the summer solstice. Huge crowds gather and there will be plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere of this historic event, walk amongst the stones, and observe the pagan rituals and ceremonies that take place at varying intervals throughout the evening. Please note there are two twenty to thirty minute walks involved during the day in order to see the celebrations at Avebruy and Stonehenge.

Summer solstice:

The solstice itself is an astronomical event that occurs twice each year as the Sun reaches its highest or lowest excursion relative to the celestial equator, with the sun appearing to have reached its highest or lowest annual altitude in the sky above the horizon.
The word solstice is comes from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun, as seen from earth stands still in declination before reversing it’s direction. Thus after the summer solstice the sun does not appear as high in the sky and daylight reduces. The solstice is therefore seen as the midpoint of summer in many cultures and is cause for celebration.
Pagan celebrations:
Like other religious groups, Pagans are in awe of the strength of the sun and the divine powers that create life. For many pagans, they believe that the Goddess took over the earth from the horned God at the beginning of spring and she is now at the height of her power and fertility. The summer solstice marks the marriage of the God and Goddess and see their union as the force that creates the harvest's fruits. To celebrate many Pagans and non Pagans head to ancient religious sites including Avebury and Stonehenge, to conduct fascinating and colourful ceremonies throughout the night enjoying the last sunset and sunrise before the sun alters it’s direction once more.

Additional information:
Please note that as a responsible tour operator we have a duty of care towards the places we visit and in this case we ask you to be take great care when visiting the historic site. It is important that Stonehenge and its surrounding Monuments are preserved for future generations and we ask you not to touch the stones, and not to leave any litter at the site.
Visitors are requested to dispose of their rubbish carefully at the designated recycling and rubbish points located in the Solstice Car Park and at Stonehenge. Clear recycling bags will also be handed out on arrival.. Please do not drop litter - bag and bin your rubbish so the recycling team can gather them up. It is a very sensitive landscape and still used by local farmers so please respect their crops and livestock.
There are authorised catering facilities on the site and some personal food and drink is allowed to be brought onto the site. Please bring them in a small bag – large rucksacks are not permitted. Glass is not permitted and will be confiscated – many people walk barefoot and the livestock graze in the area throughout the year. A small amount of alcohol is permitted on the site amounting to no more than one bottle of wine, or 4 500ml cans of beer or cider. Please note consumption of alcohol on the coach is not permitted. Due to the large numbers of people who attend the vent, naked flames are strictly forbidden. Small ground sheets and blankets are allowed.
Please note that there will be a lot of walking on grass involved and we recommend bringing warm clothing, sensible footwear and a small umbrella if rain is forecast.
*Due to the nature of this special event, we cannot guarantee exact arrival or departure times from Stonehenge so all timings are approximate.