I groaned about getting up at 3:15am, but it was well worth heading out to Stonehenge for the summer solstice celebration this morning. It was my second time out for it, and it remains a pretty mellow party. I also have to chuckle about how with thousands of people there, we still manage to bump into neighbors in the middle of the stones. Some pics and vids:

You can hear the celebration from some distance before even arriving:

The usual entrance, a tunnel under the road, is closed. The road itself is closed, so you just walk through temporary turnstiles that are setup. Police are all around, and they’re turning a blind eye to practically anything that isn’t in their face:

One of my favorite parts are the temporary food stands setup near the entrance. There’s a burger stand:

Then right next to it the vegan food stand (which has bigger crowds):

Crowds are all around the stones, but just as my last trip, it’s fairly easy to get inside. Crowded, sometimes briefly scarily so, but nice to be there. And again, one of the few non-stoned, non-drunk people!

It was raining, but very light and even that stopped from time to time. The cloud cover was complete, so people knew they weren’t going to see the sun. But they were still happy to be there. For fun, balls kept going around:

More happy people (and no, that bright light is not the sun — it’s a temporary light that was setup):

This woman was from Columbia and couldn’t believe she was within the stones:

Eventually, sunrise happened. Again, we couldn’t see the sun (if we had, it would have come up through the stones to the left). But people were watching the time, so it was kind of like New Years, even with the occasional “Happy Solstice” being said:

Something new happened from the last time I was there. This thing on a stick appeared. I didn’t get it at first until I went back and saw this photo. It’s supposed to be the sun coming through where the real sun would have shined between the stones:

Now last time, there were some actual druids in the middle of all this craziness. I couldn’t tell if any were there or not, this time. Or if one was holding the sun thing. But here’s some video of it coming in:

Eventually, we headed out like many others. Here’s outside the stones as people started departing:

And here they are making their way up the field to the car park:

But if you followed my instructions, you’d head out down this road away from the crowds. That’s where all the locals parked:

Oh, and I did see some druids finally. At the exit, oddly enough:

Happy Solstice, everyone!

It’s the summer solstice tomorrow (Google’s even got a special logo), and I’m heading out to Stonehenge for probably my last time being in the area at this time of year. Below, some tips and advice for others thinking of heading out to this mini-Burning Man in Wiltshire.

Summer Solstice 2006 At Stonehenge Tips & Info is my older post with background, images, pictures and advice on what to expect. Read it first.

Next, understand that this time, the solstice is happening on the weekend. So a record turnout is expected, maybe up to 25,000 people.

It’s already raining now here, not hard, but not expected to go away. Here’s the official weather forecast for the area. It’s also going to be cloudy, so don’t expect to actually see the sun rise at 4:51am, when it is due to come up.

Still, even if you’re getting drenched, you’ll have fun. Dress as rainproof as possible, and remember it’s also cold up on the Salisbury Plain. Still, with 25,000 people around, there will be lots of windbreaks. Oh, that big umbrella you think will help? It won’t. Rainproof clothes are what you need.

If you’re driving, the Stonehenge car park opens at 7pm tonight (Friday). Keep in mind this isn’t the regular tiny one. This is one that’s about a half mile walk away. The map above has more detail (click on it for a bigger one). It will close at 6am.

Stonehenge itself will open at 8pm. So if you want that all night party, that’s the earliest you can get in.

Me, I’m heading there with the family and some friends around 3am or so. As I said in my older post, there was no problem last time getting there that “late” and even walking right up to the stones.

Here’s my other tip. If the traffic looks to bad, use my map for an alternative place to park and walk:

Select number 1 and zoom to it. That’s Stonehenge. You can then zoom out a bit and see some of the other things I’ve noted, such as where the toilets are and where parking is.

Find number 7. This is Larkhill, a little estate / tract of homes for military based here. If it is like last time I went, you’ll be able to drive into Larkhill and park anywhere around this point with no problem. You can then walk along the dirt road (number to Stonehenge.

Why? For one thing, there won’t be hundreds of cars all trying to leave from that point. There will be tens, if that. Now having said this, if everyone follows my tips, that might change. But chances are, I’m not going to have that big of an impact! Also, I should say I’ve never parked in the regular area myself. For all I know, getting out is easy and orderly.

Other things? “Small” amounts of alcohol are allowed. Phew. But not in glass! And that map above along with a few assorted other rules can be found from English Heritage here.

Can’t make it? Well, I’ll post pictures and video later!

If I’m sluggish this morning, it’s because my day started early — taking my
oldest son out for a sunrise ceremony at Stonehenge to mark the 100th
anniversary of the Scouting movement.
One hundred years ago today, Robert Baden-Powell held an experimental camp for
boys that led to Scouts being formed. The World Jamboree is now taking place a
few hours from us in Essex, but Scouts all over the world
are marking the
anniversary in various ways. For us, it meant a trip to Stonehenge.

Scouts from our local

Salisbury Plain District gathered at around 7:15 in the parking lot outside
Stonehenge:

As you can see, the sun was already up for our sunrise ceremony — but it was
still early!

We stormed the Stonehenge entrance:

Marched on the monument:

Where parents were diverted on to the grass in front of the stones. As the
grass was wet, I figured I’d stand on one of the fallen stones:

Yeah, I can hear some of you now — horrors! How can you stand on the
precious Stonehenge stones. Easy. I walked right on it. It’s a big rock. It’s
been there for 6,000 years. During the solstice, the entire place is opened up
to thousands, and they pretty much give up on trying to police the stones (see
my Stonehenge category for past
posts about the solstice and visiting Stonehenge). Standing on that stone (it
has a name — I can’t remember it right now — was no big deal).

Well, it was to the Stonehenge security guard. He moved me and several others
off it. Small children not part of the Scouts later tried to walk on it, causing
parents to shoo them off. Meanwhile, the Scouts themselves couldn’t go inside
the circle because the ground was too damp to bear their weight. Heh. English
Heritage is notorious for being way to overprotective of the stones. I think
they’d have survived.

No matter — the Scouts came around:

Got assembled:

Then after a countdown to 8am, a kudu horn was sounded as Baden-Powell did
all those years before. You can hear it in the video below, which is about all
you can hear of the ceremony!

We got a Scout salute at the end:

Then it was marching back time:

One of them is mine. If you know my taste for Californian footwear, look
close for the Old Skools to spot him:

He’s a Cub now, but two years ago, I went with him when he was a Beaver to
historic
Brownsea Island, where that
first camp was held. Here’s the group at
the camp marker:

Here’s a closer look at the marker. Sorry about those two Beavers in the way!

By the way, I was a Cub Scout very briefly — a Webelos Cub Scout, for about
half of fourth grade. I tried to find a nice page at the
Boy Scouts Of America site to explain the
various type of scout levels like
this one from the UK
association (being the first association, they’re simply called The Scouts
Association). Sadly, no such simply guide was easily found.

All in all, a nice morning — ended by a trip to
Reeves The Baker. My son went
for a pasty for breakfast. Mmm — good choice!

On Monday, big decision. Should I take the day off and go out to the World
Jamboree with him? Maybe — how cool to see some of the 20th gathering. Plus, a
semi-Orange County connection. Jamboree Blvd, which runs down to Newport? Named
after the Boy Scouts Of America’s third jamboree held where Fashion Island now
sits, back in
1953. There’s even a historical marker at Fashion Island commemorating it. A
little more low-key than the one on Brownsea Island. Less a stone monument and
more a small brass plaque.

I wrote earlier about ways to visit Stonehenge (and a good place to eat afterward, as well). One of those ways is the ultimate, once-per-year opportunity to go during the summer solstice. That opportunity happens next week.

Stonehenge is being opened again to the public during the solstice (they make a decision about this each year). New information about Summer Solstice 2006 plans are posted here on the English Heritage web site. You can start parking at 8pm next Tuesday, June 20.

No, you won’t be parking in the usual little lot across from the stones. English Heritage doesn’t spell it out (you have to dig into the terms of entry below), but you’ll be parking in fields about a half mile from the stones. You’ll then walk in. And you’ll know where to go, because a billion police (OK, maybe just hundreds) will be directing you.

At 10pm, people are allowed to enter the stones. I’ve never been there when this happens, so I have no idea if there’s a rush or anything like that. I can tell you there will be thousands of people, and the atmosphere is very party like.

Read the terms of entry! They are here, in a PDF file. They are a lot more than terms. They’re useful preparation notes, as well. Some important things to consider:

• You can’t stand on, climb on or lean on the stones. Technically. See my video below, and plenty of people do. Any of them potentially could be taken away by police, so keep that in mind. Generally, this is ignored.
• Small bags and small blankets are OK. Sleeping bags and big bags are not. Think carefully about what you bring, because you’ll either have a long walk back to your car or you’ll have to trust in leaving your stuff outside the fences.
• No glass bottles — so put that alcohol into something plastic. Alcohol IS allowed in small amounts (and pretty much everyone’s drinking). Drugs are not, but plenty of people do smoke pot discretely that I saw last time. Every year, there are a few token arrests for possession. So it could be you, if you’re tempted (and there are random searches). Chances are, it won’t be.

Keep in mind that despite it being summer, it will be cold, often windy and quite likely to rain on the Salisbury Plain. Wear layers, wear something waterproof and skip the jeans. They get cold and damp. Also bring a small flashlight — that’s the “battery operated torch” the terms are talking about, for you non-British English English speakers. Torch = flashlight, not a burning stick. It’s dark, and you’ll find that useful when walking.

Trying to get there? It’s an easy 1 1/2 hour train trip from London by train to Salisbury, with regular trains every hour or so. A special bus service is running from the train station to Stonehenge to get you there, which is pretty cool. The terms have more details on this.

The terms note there’s water, but given the number of people, I’d bring your own. You might also bring some food to snack on. There will be a few catering vans. The vegetarian/vegan ones are swamped. Meat eaters will find shorter lines.

For those that gotta go, there’s porta-potties/porta-loos. You know what those are like, so try to go before you come.

OK, that’s the official rundown from the terms. Here are some more tips. First, I’ve got a map you should look at. One of the best things about Windows Live Local is how anyone can make a mashup or annotated map with no programming. So I went nuts.

Select number 1 and zoom to it. That’s Stonehenge. You can then zoom out a bit and see some of the other things I’ve noted, such as where the toilets are and where parking is.

Find number 7. This is Larkhill, a little estate / tract of homes for military based here. If it is like last time I went, you’ll be able to drive into Larkhill and park anywhere around this point with no problem. You can then walk along the dirt road (number to Stonehenge.

Why? For one thing, there won’t be hundreds of cars all trying to leave from that point. There will be tens, if that. Now having said this, if everyone follows my tips, that might change. But chances are, I’m not going to have that big of an impact! Also, I should say I’ve never parked in the regular area myself. For all I know, getting out is easy and orderly.

How about arrival times? Last time, we got there around an hour before sunrise, 3:30am or so. We had no problem getting right up to the outer stones, then moving into the first of the inner circle eventually as the crowd moved.

Somewhere deep within the circle will be some Druids celebrating. If you want to see that, be prepared to wiggle your way in, if you aren’t early. Last time I went, I was content to sit back and just enjoy the crowd.

Exactly which order of Druids, I don’t know. Here’s one that’s local to the area. The most specific info I can find about Druids and the 2006 solstice is here. There’s a long recent history of Druids fighting for access to the stones. Here’s an account, Wikipedia has info, here’s the BBC on English Heritage banning access again out of paranoia and here’s CNN on the reopening of public access to thousands in 2000. There’s a sad account here of only two Druids being in robes in 2004. That same person also provides a Druid history.

As for the solstice itself, here’s a guide from NASA.

Finally, a side note. As English Heritage will tell you, (and also see here) Stonehenge was given to the nation by its last private owner, Sir Cecil Chubb, in 1918. He was born in nearby Shrewton, in the house where we used to live for eight years.

POSTSCRIPT: See Tips For Summer Solstice @ Stonehenge 2008 for updated info.

Saturday is Reeve’s day for us here in Wiltshire. That is, our weekly visit to Reeve The Baker. While I sorely miss not being able to swing by a Taco Bell for a seven layer burrito, finding Reeve’s was an unexpected treasure when we moved here eight years ago. If you’re heading by to see Stonehenge (don’t forget to see my Stonehenge tour tips), my favorite Reeve’s is only about a mile away. Make the short detour. You won’t be sorry.

About two years ago, Salisbury decided it needed to have its own specialty food dish, giving birth to the “Salisbury Sausage.” It doesn’t appear to have caught on, as far as I can see. Good. That’s because if Salisbury wanted to get behind any particular local food dish, it should have been the Wiltshire Pasty (say it pahh-sty, not pay-sty as my mind always wants to) that Reeve’s makes.

If you’re struggling among the many great things Reeve’s sells, go for the Wiltshire Pasty. It’s a great blend of potatoes and meat and carrots all baked within a bread crust. Served warm, it also stays warm if you take it to go for a picnic elsewhere. Hands-down, it’s the best thing Reeve’s has, in my view.

Other favorites. They make great sandwiches. You’ll find a number of prepackaged sandwiches made fresh, and those are all fine if you want to grab and go. Got a few minutes to spare? Many of the Reeve’s (Amesbury, Warmister, Devizes) will make up a custom sandwich, if you want. I’m a turkey, bacon, lettuce and tomato fan, myself.

Remember North Americans — unless you say no, you’re likely to end up with butter as your dressing. Mayo’s an option, if you want an alternative. I usually get mine dry and add some French’s mustard at home. If you like American-style mustard like French’s, don’t ask for mustard at Reeve’s. They either won’t have it or you’ll end up with British mustard, a completely different creature.

The pizza slices are nice, especially the pepperoni and most especially when they’ve come out of the oven. My youngest son likes sausage rolls, which I find kind of bland. But if you find yourself in Salisbury and want a safe alternative to the Happy Meal, sausage rolls are the way to go. I’ve yet to see a small child not like them.

There are a variety of other baked meat products, so go nuts if you see something that looks good. It almost certainly will be.

How about dessert? Heaven. The kids like the gingerbread men, so that’s a nice, safe choice. These are usually available in the glass display cases. I love the carrot cake, though the double-chocolate cake is wonderful, too. Big sugar rush from that! Cakes are often in plastic containers in refrigerated cases. My wife goes for the Belgian buns and custard slices.

Donuts? Yep, I love donuts. And Reeve’s used to have great chocolate ones. I’m not talking Tim Horton or Dunkin Donuts quality, but definitely above average. Then they changed to cappuccino flavored ones and lost me, as I don’t like the taste of coffee. I wish they’d bring back good old plain chocolate. The rainbow ring donuts are a hit with my kids, and the ordinary glazed — when availalbe — are a nice alternative. There’s also a number of filled ones, a bit too heavy for me, but others might like.

If available, try the glazed cinnamon rolls. These are more flat than thick, and they won’t knock your socks off compared to the type of cinnamon rolls you might get in a place like Bend, Oregon. But they’re still pretty tasty.

What else? What else! The lemon cake, if available. The cranberry apple cake, if available. American chocolate brownies or chocolate brownie cake, if you’ve got serious munchies. Hot-cross buns, definitely, when offered. Buy several packs. By the way, I keep saying “if available” because they run out of some things quickly and other things are seasonal, not offered year-round.

Ordinary sultana scones are also another favorite. Eat them fast, because they only stay soft for about a day. They’re a bit heavier than an American-style biscuit — but they taste great with some butter, or butter and strawberry jam is even better.

Reeve’s also sells a variety of breads — and if you need a loaf but want it sliced, just ask. It only takes a second for them to do.

Reeve’s has several stores as listed on its web site. Amesbury is the closest to us, and my favorite. Around lunchtime, don’t be afraid of the line that comes out the door a bit. It moves pretty fast. I like Amesbury because the staff’s nice and friendly and they have the best selection of any of the Reeve’s.

Two caveats to the above. First, I struggle with always wanting to get everything when I go in. So I end up having a big, giant order. And this being Britain, the staff won’t be saying to you “what else would you like” in a chirpy manner, as might happen in an American store where you learn perky suggestive selling from birth. Instead, you’ll likely hear “anything else” or “will that be all” with a tone that might make you feel like you should stop. Don’t be put off. The staff really is friendly and will get all you want. That leads to the second caveat. As the day progresses, Reeve’s starts to run out of things. Show up around 11:45am to 1:00pm for the best selection.

In Salisbury, there’s a big shop on Butcher Row, right next to the visitors center. There’s a big queue to actually eat in the shop, plus there will likely be two different lines to order food at either end of the store. My advice is to eye up both lines and use the shortest one — that’s usually the one coming in from the market square. Next, get your food and drinks as take away and walk over to Salisbury Cathedral. The warm food will stay warm for the 10 minute walk, and the view and setting is much better than eating in the grotty market square.

I’m not overly fond of the Warminster store — selection tends to be less than the others. Devizes, on the other hand, is great. Not quite as plentiful as with Amesbury, but you’ll find plenty to choose from. Then you can take you meal and walk along the canal. It’s about 20 minutes to Caen Hill Locks by foot, one of my favorite places in Wiltshire, so the warm food will have cooled a bit. But you can stop earlier at any grassy place along the locks, on the way. Here’s a route map.

That’s it. In any of these towns, you’ll see places appealing to tourists, from fish & chips shops to McDonald’s. Reeve’s is where locals go — and you’ll do right by doing the same.

The first time I saw Stonehenge, I figured it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Now I live five miles from it and see it on a regular basis, out the window of my car whenever I drive into town. I’ve also taken plenty of visitors to see the stones, plus watched others arrive for viewings. I’ll go through some of the options below, mainly to highlight the best one — private access, if you can make the time.

Visit During Regular Opening Hours

Most people go to Stonehenge during its regular opening hours, which you’ll find here. Do this, and you’ll walk along with maybe hundreds of other people about 100 to 500 feet around the outside of the stones. There’s a small rope to keep you back. Here’s a pretty typical example of what your viewing experience will be like:

Mystical! Exhilarating! Well, better than nothing, I suppose.

As a side note, you’ll be given a little audio wand to listen to as you walk. I always joke that it’s like seeing people from Star Trek who can never look at things directly. They always look with their tricorders instead.

At Stonehenge, it’s like that. People listen to these incredibly boring audio wands, trying to get them to work at the right points and always giving up about 1/3rd the way around. My advice? Read a nice book about Stonehenge before you arrive and skip the wands.

Visit After Regular Opening Hours

Missed the regular opening hours, because perhaps you’re driving by on the way to somewhere else? Sure, you can see Stonehenge, if it’s still light. Drive off the main road (the A303) onto the road that goes past Stonehenge (the A360) and go past the stones, toward Shrewton/Devizes. Just past the stones, you’ll see a small dirt road that goes to the left and right of the highway. Park on either side, doesn’t matter which. Then walk the very short distance back along the path in front of the chain link fence. You’ll get a glimpse, but that’s better than nothing. However, if it’s dark, don’t bother. You’ll see nothing. The stones are not lit. It will be pitch black, and shining a flashlight out toward them won’t help.

Private Access

This is the way to go, if you can swing it. Stonehenge is available for private bookings in the mornings and evenings. Do this, and you’ll have the stones along with maybe 20 other people. In reality, I’ve never found myself sharing them with more than 10 people, and usually it’s just the people in my actual party there.

Private access — “Stone Circle Access” — is explained more here. The hours and times are all listed. Pick the ones you want the most, then CALL (that’s right, use the phone) to see if the times you want are free. The number is here, but if you’re calling from the US, here’s the exact way to dial: 011-44-1722-34-38-34. The office is only open from 9:15am to 1pm UK time, so use something like the World Clock Meeting Planner I describe here to find the right time to call from your end. If you’re in the UK, the number is (01722) 34-38-34.

Bookings are sometimes hard to get, so try to make them well ahead of when you plan to go. However, I’ve had plenty of luck getting bookings at the last minute. I just arranged one last week for a trip I’ll be doing with a friend in two weeks — so three weeks out, I could still get space.

When you call, give your preferred dates, and you’ll be told if those will work. If not, ask for what good alternatives are available.

After you’re given a time, you need to send a form. GET THE TIME FIRST, THEN SEND THE FORM. It’s totally fine to do this. You’ll find the form via this page. Once you’ve got it, fill it in, then post, fax or email it back. There’s an email address on the form — and you might be able to use this rather than call to arrange times as described above. But I’d still call. That’s the fastest way.

The form has a few scary sounding parts. They want you to list all the cameras you’ll be bringing, whether you’ll be doing commercial stuff, publicizing your visit and all that. Use common sense and keep things to a minimum. If you’re going to blog your trip and there’s AdSense on your blog, I wouldn’t consider that a commercial thing to worry about. Just say no, that’s my advice.

Why’s private access the best? I’ll let some pictures answer that question:

You’re in the stones, basically. You walk around them, can sit on them, touch them, commune with them, if that’s your style. Sure, you can do the same at Avebury any time. Tim Bray just posted some nice examples of this not too long ago here. And yes, I highly recommend Avebury if you want something better than the standard Stonehenge experience. But it doesn’t compare with private access to Stonehenge, not at all.

Indeed, Stonehenge is pretty boring with regular access. Honestly, it’s a bunch of rocks that you’ll walk around for 30 to 45 minutes and probably not look back on. But private access is a great experience. It’s also the experience people used to get up until the 1970s or so, until the stones were roped off to protect them.

The Solstice

A rival to private access is going to Stonehenge during the summer solstice. I’ve never been to Burning Man, but it sounds somewhat akin to the solstice. About four years ago, they started allowing celebrations at Stonehenge during this time again. You and 5,000 or so other people will be wandering around. Yes, you can get into the stones during this (and the Druids are somewhere deep in the middle). See Photos & Video From 2008 Stonehenge Summer Solstice for some pictures and video of what that’s like.

You won’t be able to drive near the stones to park. Instead, you’ll have to park in some fields set aside and walk a half-mile or so. Bring something warm. It’s cold on the Salisbury Plain. Bring an umbrella in case of rain, but a good raincoat would be better. If it rains, with so many people, that umbrella won’t help much.

Postscript: After your visit, you might be hungry. If so, then I’ve got food recommendations for you. See my Visiting Stonehenge? Eat At Reeve The Baker! post.