Stonehenge is a World Heritage Site, a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is seen by many as a sacred place. To provide open access to those attending Winter Solstice, we ask that you adhere to our conditions of entry:

• Respect others celebrating Winter Solstice. For many people attending, Stonehenge is a sacred place.
• Do not touch or climb on the stones. Stonehenge is a World Heritage Site and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Touching the stones will damage their surface and the rare lichens that grow on them.
• No drugs or alcohol are permitted in any area of Stonehenge.
• Take your rubbish home with you or bag and bin it at a designated point on site.
• Do not desecrate Stonehenge and the surrounding land. Please use the toilets provided.
• Do not bring any prohibited items (see ‘Prohibited Items’ section below)

Stonehenge will open from 5:15am, which includes access to the car park and the monument field where the stone circle is located.

The sunrise will take place at approximately 8:04am.

Visitors must vacate the monument field by 10:00am and the car park by 11:00am.

Due to road closures and heavy traffic, we strongly advise using public transport or park & ride services to attend Winter Solstice. Cars and other vehicles that have not pre-booked parking will be turned away.

Please follow us on X and Threads for the latest traffic, parking and event updates from Stonehenge. We’ll be sharing live information on the morning of 21^st December.

By bus

Salisbury Reds will be operating special bus services to transport visitors to Stonehenge from Salisbury Rail Station and Salisbury City Centre (New Canal) via Amesbury. Please visit the Salisbury Reds website for timetables.

There is plenty of parking in Salisbury. Some all-day parking options include:

• Central Car Park Long Stay, Mill Stream Approach, Salisbury, SP1 3SL – £1.90 on Sundays
• Culver Street Shoppers Car Park, Salisbury, SP1 2BQ – £1.90 on Sundays

For a full list of car parks and more information, please visit the Wiltshire Council website.

By Train

The nearest train station is Salisbury, which is 12 miles or 9km away. There are regular train services from London, Bristol, Bath, and Southampton.

By taxi

Taxis are available at Salisbury train station. The drop-off and pick-up point is in the Stonehenge Coach car park. Please consider booking ahead as demand for taxis will be high.

By foot

Stonehenge is a 2½ mile or 4 km walk from nearby Amesbury. Sensible footwear and a torch are advisable.

By bicycle

Please bring a strong lock and only park your bike in the designated areas in the car park.  Ask a steward at the car park entrance for assistance. Please do not chain your bike to any of the gates – these are for use by the emergency services and any bikes causing an obstruction will be removed.

By car

Anyone travelling by car must pre-book parking, otherwise they will be turned away. This costs £15 for cars, vans and motorhomes. Please follow the road closure instructions detailed below and follow signs to the Stonehenge car park. Anyone who hasn’t arrived by 7:30am risks losing their pre-booked parking space.

Traffic will be heavy and slow-moving in the area around the event, and you could be queuing for up to two hours. 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.

By motorbike

Anyone travelling by car must pre-book parking, otherwise they will be turned away. This costs £5 per motorbike. Please follow the road closure instructions detailed below and follow signs to the Stonehenge car park. Anyone who hasn’t arrived by 7:30am risks losing their pre-booked parking space.

Please do not chain your motorbike to any of the gates – the gates are for use by the emergency services and any motorbikes causing an obstruction will be removed.

There will be no access to Stonehenge northbound on the A303 from the Longbarrow Roundabout or eastbound on the A360 from Shrewton.

All traffic will be diverted as follows:

• East along the A303 to the Countess roundabout;
• North along the A345 Countess Road;
• West along The Packway;
• South on the B3086;
• Finally, into the Stonehenge Coach Park where cars will then be directed to a parking spot.

Walking from the Stonehenge Visitor Centre to the Stone Circle will take 25–30 minutes (approximately 1 ½ miles or 2km). This is across land (owned by the National Trust) which is uneven. Sensible footwear and a torch are advisable.

A shuttle bus will also operate from the Stonehenge Visitor Centre to the Stone Circle at regular intervals, with priority boarding given to those with accessibility needs.

We aim to make Winter Solstice as accessible as possible for disabled visitors. If you have a question that is not covered in the information below, please contact English Heritage Customer Services on 0370 333 1181 or email customers@english-heritage.org.uk

Travelling to Stonehenge

Salisbury Reds buses travelling from Salisbury station via Amesbury are, where possible, wheelchair accessible. For further information, please contact the Salisbury Reds Bus Company on 01202 338 420 or www.salisburyreds.co.uk

Accessible parking for blue-badge holders is available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Please ensure your blue badge is clearly displayed.

If you are being dropped off, this can be done at the Coach Park. You can then catch the step-free shuttle bus from the entrance to the coach park to near the stone circle. These will run at regular intervals.

Our accessible parking is on hardstanding ground. The path from the shuttle bus drop-off to the stone circle is mainly grass with some hardstanding pathways.

Mobility Aids

Disability aids are permitted at the Monument Field, except for shooting sticks. English Heritage regrets it cannot provide wheelchairs.

Chairs* are permitted for visitors who need them. Please make sure the chair is designed for outdoor use and place it on an area of level ground, at least two metres away from any of the standing or fallen stones. Please ensure that chair legs are not driven into the ground.

*English Heritage accepts no responsibility for any chairs brought on to site and accepts no liability for any harm and/or injury the use of the chairs may cause to their owners and/or others at the event. English Heritage shall not be responsible for any loss of or damage to the chairs. English Heritage shall have the right to remove any unsuitable chairs brought to site for the event. English Heritage accepts no responsibility for any chairs left at the site and shall have the right to discard any chairs left following the conclusion of the event.

Toilets

Accessible toilets are available in the Monument Field. There are standard accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility at the Visitor Centre. Please remember to bring your RADAR key or ask at the Visitor Centre.

Registered assistance animals

Registered assistance animals are welcome. There is water available in the monument field near the entrance.

Sensory Information

Solstice celebrations can be very busy, and many areas will be very dark.

Assistance at Solstice

There will be several uniformed stewards around all areas of the site who will be happy to help you at any point.

We recommend bringing:

• Sensible shoes. The car park and area around Stonehenge are fields and uneven underfoot.
• Warm, waterproof clothing. Please note that large umbrellas are not permitted at Solstice.
• A torch. We recommend bringing a small torch for walking to the stone circle from the car parks and bus drop off points.
• Small ground sheet and/or blanket. We do not permit sleeping bags, duvets or tents. Please ensure any chairs are designed for outdoor use and placed at least 2 metres away from standing or fallen stones, with the legs not driven into the ground.

There are a number of prohibited items at Winter Solstice. Please read the next section.

• Large bags. Only small bags (approx. 30cm x 25cm x 15cm) will be permitted, in accordance with the current terrorism threat level. Security searches may be conducted, with illegal items confiscated and entry refused.

• Alcohol. This will be confiscated, and you may be asked to leave.

• Drugs. Illegal drugs are prohibited; the police will take action against offenders.

• Drones. Drones and remote-controlled flying devices are not permitted at Stonehenge or the surrounding areas.

• Glass. This is to protect livestock and wildlife that graze in the area, plus visitors who walk barefoot during Solstice.

• Bladed or sharply pointed items. These will be confiscated upon entry.

• Sleeping bags, duvets, or tents. Camping is not permitted and sleeping on the ground is a trip hazard which can interfere with the work of our stewards and emergency services.

• Naked flames. No open flames, enclosed or unenclosed, are permitted. This includes fires, barbecues, flaming torches, candles, night-lights, Chinese lanterns and fireworks. We also do not permit any smouldering items, such as smudge sticks or burning incense, or cigarettes and vapes in the stone circle.

• Pets. Except for assistance dogs, no pets or other animals may be brought to Stonehenge to protect wildlife. Animal faeces also present a health risk to children to people walking barefoot.

• Amplified music. Acoustic instruments are permitted.

In case of any questions, to report anything concerning, or to seek medical attention, do not hesitate to approach one of the security or stewarding team on duty.

The Wiltshire Police and the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust will be in attendance to ensure the smooth running of Winter Solstice.

In the unlikely event of an incident that requires the evacuation of Stonehenge or the car park, we would ask that members of the public respond quickly to instructions given by stewarding staff, the Police or other Emergency Service personnel.

English Heritage does everything it can to make your Solstice visit a safe and enjoyable experience.  However, English Heritage accepts no liability for any injury to persons or loss of, or damage to, property arising in any way whatsoever whilst at Stonehenge or the car park, and entry is at people's own risk.  Although stewards and security are present at both Stonehenge and the car park, please note that any people entering these areas do so at their own risk.

We will be live streaming the Winter Solstice sunrise for free on our digital channels. To watch the stream, visit the official Stonehenge or English Heritage Facebook pages, or the English Heritage YouTube channel.

Please beware of fake Facebook pages, events and groups that might have been set up and never give scammers your credit card details.

This event will be recorded and photographed for promotional and press purposes. By attending you acknowledge and accept that there is the potential you may appear in the planned livestream and press coverage.

For all media enquiries, please contact press@english-heritage.org.uk.