South-West England Stone Henge: Access question

Sam B

Sam B

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Sam
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Hi all,

I'm fresh-out-the-box new to photography and recently bought myself a D5300. Today I went out with a few friends - one of whom is a very keen and talented photographer - to Rollright Stone Circle for a bit of a nosey and to take a few pictures; my pictures are pretty dull but I managed to learn a little about 'aperture priority' from him today so I'm pretty pleased... baby steps and all that. Anyway, seeing the stones how they were got me thinking about a trip to Stone Henge. From what I understand, the stones are only open to the public on the Equinoxes but I was wondering how close one can get to them in order to take a decent picture (please bear in mind I only have the kit 18-55mm anyway)? I would like to try and get a nice sunrise so ideally need to be on the west side of the stones looking east... is that side accessible? Also, is the location approachable in the middle of the night (set up for sunrise) or is it all 'closed until XXam time' car parks and stuff around there?

Cheers, Sam
 
Hi Sam, glad to see another new photographer on here.

All you need to know about visiting the stones on the EH website.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/

Trying to photograph the stones in normal public opened hours is a bit of a task as you circle the stones at a distance and there is always someone in the way of any kind of wide shot.

I did get this a couple of years ago, I suppose you just need to be a bit creative / inventive


HTH

David
 
Sunrise would be difficult as access is from 9.00am.
Your best bet would be one of the other more accessible circles.
 
kendo1 said:
Sunrise would be difficult as access is from 9.00am.
Your best bet would be one of the other more accessible circles.
Click to expand...

Hi,

I figured there would be an opening time for the touristy stuff but as they're great big stone slabs, I thought they'd be so much part of the landscape that hiding them from photographers would be an impossible task... I'm guessing the cordon is a good distance away from the stones then?

I fancied a few of Stone Henge as its silhouette is so iconic... it seems my only chance of a clear shot is on a Solstice then having first Photoshopped out a couple of thousand Druids?

Cheers, Sam
 
Willid1 said:
Hi Sam, glad to see another new photographer on here.

All you need to know about visiting the stones on the EH website.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/

Trying to photograph the stones in normal public opened hours is a bit of a task as you circle the stones at a distance and there is always someone in the way of any kind of wide shot.

I did get this a couple of years ago, I suppose you just need to be a bit creative / inventive


HTH

David
Click to expand...

Hi,

Many thanks for the link and great picture - I'm starting to realise that my plans for a lovely SH shot just isn't going to happen... seems far too touristy. I was prepared to go down at some silly time in the morning but that seems pointless if you can't get anywhere near it until opening time.

Cheers, Sam
 
Not sure if this helps Sam but this was taken from the visitor centre side [north as I recall] through the fence using a disposable camera, but gives you an idea of distance, although how much access you can get to from the west side I am not sure.

Disposable Camera by Yvonne White LBIPP - WhiteGoldImages, on Flickr
 
There is fence around it to keep it safe.
Time travel is your best option. I visited it a few times in the late 70's and early 80's. There were no restrictions. You could walk up to the stones, climb on them, at any time of the day.
I'd suggest researching similar sites.
 
kendo1 said:
Sunrise would be difficult as access is from 9.00am.
Your best bet would be one of the other more accessible circles.
Click to expand...
Haven't checked the latest rules, but you used to be able to pay for access outside usual opening hours.
 
Yv said:
also, searching flickr shows a LOT more sunset photos than sunrise, so I would guess its easier to get access outside the fence on the east side than the west... possibly.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Many thanks for the above advice. I'll give the centre a call next week to see when they're at their quietest and to see what they suggest. It's a bit of a drive for me so I'll have to have to think of a few 'Plan Bs' for the trip there/back if it turns out to be too much of tourist nest.

Cheers, Sam
 
Have now checked and there is a form to download for access to the circle itself. Access is outside opening hours so can be dawn or sunset and is £30 per person and lasts for one hour.
 
kendo1 said:
There is fence around it to keep it safe.
Time travel is your best option. I visited it a few times in the late 70's and early 80's. There were no restrictions. You could walk up to the stones, climb on them, at any time of the day.
I'd suggest researching similar sites.
Click to expand...

Ok... so do these 'safety fences' prevent or obscure one's view from the public's domain? - The stones look pretty big so surely they can be seen from the road? - I mean, are we talking about rows of great big galvanised steel security fences, dog-runs and razorwire or an aesthetically-pleasing low picket kind of thing? Or is Stone Henge naturally hidden by the landscape such as in a dip between hills? I've never been there so I have no idea...
 
Bythesea said:
Have now checked and there is a form to download for access to the circle itself. Access is outside opening hours so can be dawn or sunset and is £30 per person and lasts for one hour.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for this, it seems like it would be worth the £30 if it means I can get a few decent pictures

Cheers, Sam
 
Sam B said:
Ok... so do these 'safety fences' prevent or obscure one's view from the public's domain? - The stones look pretty big so surely they can be seen from the road? - I mean, are we talking about rows of great big galvanised steel security fences, dog-runs and razorwire or an aesthetically-pleasing low picket kind of thing? Or is Stone Henge naturally hidden by the landscape such as in a dip between hills? I've never been there so I have no idea...
Click to expand...
Last time I drove passed it you couldn't see it for wooden fences? if I recall correctly. I think it was to stop people taking pics without paying the entrance extortionate fee.
Come to Scotland, they're free up here and almost as impressive. Travel costs are more than the £30 though :)
There are a few in Cumbria: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlerigg_stone_circle
 
kendo1 said:
Last time I drove passed it you couldn't see it for wooden fences? if I recall correctly. I think it was to stop people taking pics without paying the entrance extortionate fee.
Come to Scotland, they're free up here and almost as impressive. Travel costs are more than the £30 though :)
There are a few in Cumbria: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlerigg_stone_circle
Click to expand...

Ah I see, so they've made sure it's a 'pay per view' thing then? I think it's shocking how a 5000 year old piece of human history old can be 'owned', or at least managed in such a way.
 
last time I was there was last August and you could easily get pics from the road. hard part is being able to stop your car on the very busy main route to the south west. have a look at some of the shots on my Flickr. the cordon is not that far from the stones. I got to go right up to them a couple of years ago when they used the stones for a fire garden which was really cool. you could try Avebury stones they are free, touchable and just as impressive imo.
 
Sam B said:
Ah I see, so they've made sure it's a 'pay per view' thing then? I think it's shocking how a 5000 year old piece of human history old can be 'owned', or at least managed in such a way.
Click to expand...
They would prefer the word 'protected' as at each solstice the stones get covered in graffiti, climbed over and other damaging things. If everyone respected the 5,000 year old treasure it wouldn't be necessary!

Try Avebury stone circle also here in Wiltshire. Open all year round, free and accessible.
 
this was taken last August with my kit lens :)

stones by moominmama, on Flickr
 
I should say, that was my impression of the site. Maybe it was the direction we were travelling in?
 
I live 30 mins away so I go there or past there quite often :)
 
Unfortunately the pressure of visitors has resulted in Stonehenge being much less easily accessible than it was some years ago, when you could just wander among in any time for free.

If you are interested in prehistoric sites there are others equally (if not more) impressive where access is easier and free; for example, West Kennet Long Barrow, Avebury (there is a charge for the Museum and Manor, but the stones are free) and, a bit further away, Maiden Castle.

Dave
 
Rich_Ellis said:
They would prefer the word 'protected' as at each solstice the stones get covered in graffiti, climbed over and other damaging things. If everyone respected the 5,000 year old treasure it wouldn't be necessary!

Try Avebury stone circle also here in Wiltshire. Open all year round, free and accessible.
Click to expand...

Hi

Well they're charging a family of five £40 to look at the Stones so I'm sure they would prefer to term 'protected' - With the 1 million visitors a year that must be a tidy sum those rocks are bringing in!
Personally, I think that if the site requires maintenance (and that isn't maintaining the miles of fencing that appears to be scarring the landscape) then it should be funded on donations (not ticket prices), charity, Crown and/or National Lottery money. There are no doubt some local families who are being priced-out of things on their doorstep.

Anyway, Avebury sounds nice although I thought it hd a road going through the middle of it?

Cheers, Sam
 
Sam B said:
Hi

Well they're charging a family of five £40 to look at the Stones so I'm sure they would prefer to term 'protected' - With the 1 million visitors a year that must be a tidy sum those rocks are bringing in!
Personally, I think that if the site requires maintenance (and that isn't maintaining the miles of fencing that appears to be scarring the landscape) then it should be funded on donations (not ticket prices), charity, Crown and/or National Lottery money. There are no doubt some local families who are being priced-out of things on their doorstep.

Anyway, Avebury sounds nice although I thought it hd a road going through the middle of it?

Cheers, Sam
Click to expand...
If £40 puts off the yobs that damage the stones themselves then fine by me as they can be enjoyed by the million a year visitors then. Maintainence is one thing, hacking chunks off the stones is another and therefore I consider it protection.

As the stones are run by English Heritage I suggest you Google where their funding emanates from. You might discover that your ideas are better than you think...
 
Rich_Ellis said:
If £40 puts off the yobs that damage the stones themselves then fine by me as they can be enjoyed by the million a year visitors then. Maintainence is one thing, hacking chunks off the stones is another and therefore I consider it protection.

As the stones are run by English Heritage I suggest you Google where their funding emanates from. You might discover that your ideas are better than you think...
Click to expand...

Well you stated that this vandalism occurs on the solstice celebrations (when it's free) - So how does charging two adults and their three children £40 for seeing the stones (not even getting near enough to touch them) put off yobs damaging them?
 
Sam B said:
Well you stated that this vandalism occurs on the solstice celebrations (when it's free) - So how does charging two adults and their three children £40 for seeing the stones (not even getting near enough to touch them) put off yobs damaging them?
Click to expand...
I would think that is fairly obvious - once you're in there is no fence to stop you just a very low rope iirc
 
Rich_Ellis said:
I would think that is fairly obvious - once you're in there is no fence to stop you just a very low rope iirc
Click to expand...

I think maybe you need to re-read what I put...

If you're saying all this vandalism occurs during the unrestricted and free access at the solstices, how does charging a family of 5 £40 just to SEE the stones at any other times throughout the year 'put off yobs'?
 
Sam B said:
I think maybe you need to re-read what I put...

If you're saying all this vandalism occurs during the unrestricted and free access at the solstices, how does charging a family of 5 £40 just to SEE the stones at any other times throughout the year 'put off yobs'?
Click to expand...

No, honestly, I read that thanks. I'm amazed you're asking that's all.

Simple really, leave stones free and unrestricted at all times and watch them slowly ruined willfully and accidentally or charge a fee and restrict access and preserve them for generations?
 
Rich_Ellis said:
No, honestly, I read that thanks. I'm amazed you're asking that's all.

Simple really, leave stones free and unrestricted at all times and watch them slowly ruined willfully and accidentally or charge a fee and restrict access and preserve them for generations?
Click to expand...

Ok, I'll say it again...

You said the stones are 'vandalised' during the FREE and UNRESTRICTED access at the solstices. What I'm asking is - if this is indeed the case - how does charging a family of five £40 to view the Stones from a distance on any other given day of the year "...put off the yobs damaging it"? - If this damage occurs during the solstices in front of all those security guards, police officers and Druids, then how does charging £40 to a family on another day make any odds?... Could the same not be achieved with a little roped-off area and a lesser fee? Or a donation? - If you can't physically touch the stones then I can't see it makes any odd whether you're charging buttons or gold Krugerrrand... other than making more money.

Let's hope those from future generations we're preserving the stones for come from financially-sound families then as I feel this part of our history is being kept from certain people.
 
And I'll say it for the last time for you.....

Obviously the free and unrestricted access means that the stones get damaged. You can't 'protect' them at other times for free so a charge needs to be made to enter the site. The view is unrestricted once you're in and you are requested to keep off the grass and the stones in the immediate vicinity. As this seems to stop them being damaged I guess it stands to reason the yobs are kept at bay. The price and the restriction of the numbers I expect.

Charging £14.50 and therefore being able to 'protect' them seems to be the answer. I have no idea as to how much it costs to protect the stones themselves and I am sure the popularity of them means they can charge a premium in order to help protect other less popular sites.

However, £14.50 doesn't seem too extortionate to see such a wondrous site. 30 fags? 4 pints? Not too bad.

So, to make clear my point....
Give free unrestricted access and the stones get damaged - badly (must be yobs cos decent people would never do such a thing)
Charge an entrance fee and being asked to keep away from touching them and they don't get damaged (yobs aren't present)
See the link here? Don't see the argument really.

The amount charged is a different argument, you say too much I say seems ok but that argument could keep going for ever.
 
Rich_Ellis said:
And I'll say it for the last time for you.....

Obviously the free and unrestricted access means that the stones get damaged. You can't 'protect' them at other times for free so a charge needs to be made to enter the site. The view is unrestricted once you're in and you are requested to keep off the grass and the stones in the immediate vicinity. As this seems to stop them being damaged I guess it stands to reason the yobs are kept at bay. The price and the restriction of the numbers I expect.

Charging £14.50 and therefore being able to 'protect' them seems to be the answer. I have no idea as to how much it costs to protect the stones themselves and I am sure the popularity of them means they can charge a premium in order to help protect other less popular sites.

However, £14.50 doesn't seem too extortionate to see such a wondrous site. 30 fags? 4 pints? Not too bad.

So, to make clear my point....
Give free unrestricted access and the stones get damaged - badly (must be yobs cos decent people would never do such a thing)
Charge an entrance fee and being asked to keep away from touching them and they don't get damaged (yobs aren't present)
See the link here? Don't see the argument really.

The amount charged is a different argument, you say too much I say seems ok but that argument could keep going for ever.
Click to expand...

Ok, again...

Firstly, I've not challenged the 'look with your eyes, not your hands' side of things, only the fee - you've seemed to have added that part to justify your pro ticket price stance. I've asked you to explain how charging a family £40 to SEE the stones "puts yobs off damaging them" during the solstices... HOW??? If there is a no-touch policy, what difference does the entrance fee price make? - By your logic a £40 family ticket should have the same yob-repelling effect as a £20 family ticket, a donation or a bucket of unicorn horns... it doesn't matter if it's still a 'no touch' policy... yobs will still have access to the Stones at the solstices anyway!
As for your comments about beer and cigarettes, I don't see the point of the comparison? - A child cannot buy beer or 'fags' but they're being charged £8.70. I would imagine most of us here on this site are reasonably well-off in order to be spending money on expensive cameras and lenses, but I know there are families out there who would struggle to find £40. Or are these yob families? So what happens here then... do poor people not get to see the Stones and miss out?

Stone Henge is owned by the state - there is no reason why 'protection' shouldn't be arranged and paid for like anything else state-owned. Personally I think a 5000 year old part of human history should be free for all to see - it can still be protected, it can still be maintained and you can still have your little rope around them; but by having a £40 ticket price - regardless of whether we think it's a deal or not - WILL be too much for some families and kids will be missing out. That isn't right in my book.
 
View attachment 34320

Go on the 21st of June! It's free! Along with 30,000 other people with full access to stones
 
If you join the national trust you can get in for free, even though the stones are English heritage.
Personally I don't think its worth anything like £40 for a family.
When I was there last year they were advertising an early morning landscape photography course, so there's an opportunity for you. I can't remember the cost, but being Stonehenge it probably won't be cheap.
 
Mike C said:
If you join the national trust you can get in for free, even though the stones are English heritage.
Personally I don't think its worth anything like £40 for a family.
When I was there last year they were advertising an early morning landscape photography course, so there's an opportunity for you. I can't remember the cost, but being Stonehenge it probably won't be cheap.
Click to expand...

I was Googling earlier and read quite a few trip reviews saying the same thing... seems a bit overpriced. Someone mentioned about the £30 early morning hour earlier which I'd be quite keen to have... apparently you can stay there 'free' when the regular tourists arrive and your hour has expired.
 
Sam B said:
Hi,

Awesome picture... is that on the 18-55mm kit lens?
Click to expand...

yep :) thanks for the compliment

there's been some debate above about vandalism and I have to say, looking at the way things were last August, I cannot see anything stopping someone from just climbing over the fence at night - if they really wanted to - no doubt there are security guards, but the fence wasn't very high.

this one is the heel stone with the old road behind it (the brown bit) - can you even believe that the road was so close? And you can see the fence that was in place



heelstone by moominmama, on Flickr
 
Stonehenge has an incredible aura about it, it's well worth paying for special access out of hours. I've had this opportunity several times and come away with something different on each occasion.


Heritage

If you can't make such arrangements for whatever reason, it's still an interesting place to visit. Even though access to the stones will be restricted and you'll be pegged behind a rope fence, photographically you'll want a couple of hours minimum to get the most from your visit- either to get a clear shot without tourists or to really slow things down with long exposures or a series of abstracts. Bear in mind you're likely to be there through the least flattering period of light so pre-visualise what weather conditions you want to shoot in and wait until you find a matching forecast.

It's well manned 24/7/365, though, so not worth trying a fence jump. There's a half-decent, uninterrupted view from the roadside; A303 is no place to try and stop, really, but just opposite the stones there's an old farm track which you can pull into (should be bottom-centre on this map link). Dodge the trucks and cross the road for this.


Stonehenge: the next chapter
 
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