Is Stonehenge closed on 6/22?

[stiej]

We have a Stonehenge tour and then on to London bus trip booked through International Friends for 6/22 when we get back on our 14 day baltic. One of the people on our meet and greet thread said that Stonehenge would be closed for the summer solstice. I sent International Friends an email, but havent heard back yet. Does anyone on here know???

[kkgds]

Stiej, I showed the quote from International Friends for the trip we will take on the 22nd, which was Stonehenge, Windsor, Salisbury. Here is the quote from Inter Friends if you are planning only to tour Stonehenge. Honest, I wasn't making this up. http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/white/londontk/southampton-london-cruise-bus-via-stonehenge.html

 

"Please note that on 22nd June 2013, Stonehenge is closed to visitors due to the summer Solstice. We are unable to offer entry to Stonehenge on that day and will replace it with a visit to Salisbury where you can see the Cathedral with the tallest spire in Britain and the infamous Magna Carta (entry to Salisbury Cathedral not included and can be paid on the day as an option)."

[stiej]

i see it on their page now. It wasnt there when we booked a few months ago :( I wonder if they were going to let us know at some point? I am still waiting to hear back from them. That was the whole point - to go to stonehenge. Boo

[kkgds]

Agree - and I also sent them a message when I first heard that Stonehenge could be closed and never heard back. We will still most likely take the 3 stop trip back. Our flight to San Francisco leaves the 23rd, so we are in no rush to get back, and this gives us a chance to see more things.

 

Looking forward to meeting you.

[nellydean]

i see it on their page now. It wasnt there when we booked a few months ago :( I wonder if they were going to let us know at some point? I am still waiting to hear back from them. That was the whole point - to go to stonehenge. Boo

 

The Summer Solstice happens every year at the same time, so if they took your money from you without telling you it was going to be closed during your visit, then that was deception - but are you sure the message wasn't up then? If you have anything printed that proves you right, then you have a case to ask for your money back, otherwise it looks like you will have to put up with it.

 

It would be very naughty of them to have taken the money and only afterwards announced the closure on those days, sbut you might have difficult proving it without a printout. However, I would still contact them and put some pressure on them (if you want a refund/discount).

 

You can find out all you need to know about Stonehenge from the official website:

 

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/

[stiej]

This is on my eticket:

Southampton London Cruise Bus via Stonehenge - 1 day (View)Upgrade Requests – prices are per personta

Please enter the number of people who require each specific upgrade

: Stonehenge Adult - 2 person(s)

Stonehenge child - 2 person(s)

-

 

So we paid for stonehenge entrance :/

And the date is specifically on there:

Date: 22 Jun 2013

 

And this was my email correspondence with them:

We are interested in booking the Southampton - Stonehenge - London cruise bus upon our return on the celebrity eclipse on June 22, 2013. We are 2 adults and 2 children (12 and 9).

 

We are staying through the 24 so we were going to go to stonehenge and then to london for the rest of the time. If we arent going to stonehenge, i just want a refund and we will just go on into London.

[stiej]

We booked this tour back in January and at no point did they mention that it would be closed.

[John Bull]

Summer Solstice is 21st June, generally Stonehenge is closed or disrupted for regular visitors for crowd/security reasons. The place is full of druids & left-over hippies & festival-goers.

 

I'm surprised it's totally closed on 22nd, and I suspect Int. Friends were too. Bear in mind that although they're experienced tour operators this is only their second summer of running this cruise-bus service.

Tour operators generally avoid running tours to Stonehenge around the Solstice because there's the potential for disruption, but of course your sail-date is your sail-date.

There's no details of closure on the web, only a vague suggestion that times may be disrupted, and it may be that I.F. are covering themselves just in case it's closed or problematic. Indeed, English Heritage may not decide until the day, depending on any clean-up needs, barrier removals etc.

 

There was a notorious confrontation between police & hippies, known as the battle of the beanfield, about 30 years ago following years of grief with hippies trying to take over the place for the Solstice. The actions of the police were seriously over-the-top due to the determination of the police chief. That was thirty years ago & all has been quiet since, but there's still a degree of unease when the Solstice comes round.

 

For whatever reason, that pile of stones has a fascination, and IMHO the sight isn't worth the hype. OK, OK, I've got no soul.:rolleyes:

But Salisbury is an obvious alternate & well worth a visit, even though it's not so iconic.

 

JB :)

[SteveH2508]

Avebury has a better stone circle IMHO and you can walk amongst them - and it has a pub next to them! :D

[rogerstone]

This is what the English Heritage site says:

 

 

Opening times from 20-22 June may be subject to change due to Summer Solstice. Please call 0870 333 1181 before your visit.

[stiej]

They wrote back today. They had apparently sent me an email last Thurs that got booted into my junk mail inbox regarding the change. They didnt offer me a refund though? Only a refund on the stonehenge entrance. Should I insist on the refund or do you think our family would enjoy the Salisbury tour?

[sddsddean]

Personally, I would rather go to Salisbury than Stonehenge. Went to Stonehenge once on a school trip when I was 10...its a bunch of stones! At 50+ I have never had a desire to return. Salisbury cathedral has the highest spire in the UK, an original Magna Carta (and if you don't know what that is, shame on you!) and the worlds oldest mechanical clock. The town is quite pretty too, though it is a bit 'touristy'.

 

Simon

[stiej]

Now now - i know Im American, but I know the Magna Carta :) I think that might be interesting for my middle school son. He is very into history.

[Gettingwarmer]

The best bit of Stonehenge is the view on the A303 westwards as you come over the hill. Seeing it from a distance is better than up close. See if you can get a drive past. The times I've seen it on my way to Devon, always looks fantastic.

[nellydean]

The best bit of Stonehenge is the view on the A303 westwards as you come over the hill. Seeing it from a distance is better than up close. See if you can get a drive past. The times I've seen it on my way to Devon, always looks fantastic.

 

Nah, the best view is from inside the stone circle, as the sun comes up on the summer solstice - magical :)

 

I was lucky enough to be able to do that in 1979, as I was covering it for a local paper, along with my then boyfriend - now my husband of nearly 32 years :)

 

But I agree with a previous poster about the Avebury Stone Circle, equally as impressive, and with a pub nearby (the Red Lion I think).

[mtpoktz]

I was wondering the same thing, so I contacted them directly and this is the answer I got (basically what's on their website):

 

Stonehenge Opening times from 20-22 June may be subject to change due to Summer Solstice. I would advise to call 0870 333 1181 before your visit to double check the opening times

 

It's not suggestive that it is closed, but still not completely clear. Does anyone know if Stonehenge has actually closed for tours in the past around the time of the summer solstice? We'll be travelling by taxi service from London to Southampton and wanted to visit on the way :)

[KirkNC]

Personally, I would rather go to Salisbury than Stonehenge. Went to Stonehenge once on a school trip when I was 10...its a bunch of stones! At 50+ I have never had a desire to return. Salisbury cathedral has the highest spire in the UK, an original Magna Carta (and if you don't know what that is, shame on you!) and the worlds oldest mechanical clock. The town is quite pretty too, though it is a bit 'touristy'.

 

Simon

 

I agree, obviously everyone has their own tastes but there really is not much to Stonehenge, just some rocks in a field. Certainly interesting but not a lot to look at. We very much enjoyed the cathedral. By the way there are actually four original Magna Carta's. The one in Salisbury is beautiful, I have no idea how anyone could write like that.

[Cotswold Eagle]

I agree, obviously everyone has their own tastes but there really is not much to Stonehenge, just some rocks in a field. Certainly interesting but not a lot to look at. We very much enjoyed the cathedral. By the way there are actually four original Magna Carta's. The one in Salisbury is beautiful, I have no idea how anyone could write like that.

 

There are four surviving copies of the original Runnymede Charter of 1215 (which became known as Magna Carta) - the Salisbury one is the best preserved.

 

There were several more Charters throughout the 13th Century (the Runnymede one became invalid shortly after it was signed, the next one was a 1216 Charter) and they are all technically Magna Cartas - there are a variety of surviving copies. It is the 1297 Charter, signed by Edward, which is still in force - most of it has been repealed, but three of the articles remain on the statute book to this day: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/Edw1cc1929/25/9/contents

[Turtles06]

They wrote back today. They had apparently sent me an email last Thurs that got booted into my junk mail inbox regarding the change. They didnt offer me a refund though? Only a refund on the stonehenge entrance. Should I insist on the refund or do you think our family would enjoy the Salisbury tour?

 

I would go to Salisbury in a heartbeat, it's a magnificent cathedral, gorgeous to see, tons of history, and, as noted, there's the added bonus of getting to stand in front of the Magna Carta. (And I'm a bit with John Bull here, Stonehenge is marginally interesting. I'd much rather see a medieval cathedral.)

 

When we visited Salisbury last spring, the docent who was explaining the story of their original of the Magna Carta was so wonderfully old we thought she had been around for the signing. I could have listened to her all day.

 

Here's a view of the interior of the cathedral, to whet your appetite.

 

 

(photo by turtles06)