Stonehenge Inner Circle - best way to know when time slots open up

Check this out:
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/plan-your-visit/stone-circle-access-visits/stone-circle-access-form/

Thanks Cynthia, but (as I paraphrased above), that page says:
"Before you fill out the form, please have a look at the Stone Circle Access timetable, so that your requested times match our scheduled available time slots"

It sounds like it's saying to not send in a request until the date appears on their schedule. Am I missing something?

If April is available in late October, then I would assume May would be available in late November. We did early morning in early July a few years ago - only one other couple and the guard joined us. You don't need to go through a third-party operator.

Ok, I guess I just have to keep checking the websites.

We're also trying to decide between English Heritage tickets (with our own transportation) or a tour; showing up without a tour is definitely appealing in some ways.

We’re waiting for April ourselves. They’ve changed the wording because it used to just say October, not “late October”. It’s hard to be patient! You’re not alone. :)

Since you are still in the planning stages, I'd recommend the Pat Shelley tour company which is Salisbury and Stonehenge Tours.

I have NOT done a Stonehenge tour with him but I've understood he is quite the expert. I did do a Salisbury walking tour with him a couple of years ago and he was excellent. My B&B hosts went on and on about his qualifications and were surprised he was doing the Tourist Center walking tour as he's usually booked on his tours. He apparently was filling in for someone else as a favor.

I have done a couple of Mad Max tours and do like them altho I have not done the Inner Circle one. I did a general day tour a few years ago to Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock and Castle Combe which was good. For Stonehenge we got the audio guide and just followed that for our allotted time there.

Julie, that must've been discouraging to see the date change to "late October". Yes, it's hard to be patient!

Thanks for the recommendation, Pam; if we decide to go with a tour, will check out Pat Shelley's site http://www.stonehenge-tours.com/

If you haven't already thought of it, be aware that public transport won't get you there early enough for the Inner Circle morning time slots. Unless you sign up for a tour that includes transportation, you'll need to have a rental car and your most convenient logistical move is to stay overnight in the area -- Salisbury or thereabouts. We drove from Newbury, which wasn't bad, but we "rehearsed" the route the day before so we'd know what to expect in the predawn darkness. We were glad we did, because one of the roundabouts lacked a sign indicating where we needed to go.

If you do it on your own, you take your chances on whether you'll have silence and solitude or be overrun by a tour group. We had the latter. They were university students from I'm not sure what country, visiting the UK to study English. Their professor spoke to the group during most of our allotted time at the stones. Her commentary wasn't annoying, but it basically repeated what we'd already learned the previous day using the audio guide that's included in the entry fee when you come during regular hours.

In case anyone else is watching this thread - looks like more 2019 dates were posted on the English Heritage site today! I sent my request, hoping I get one of the dates/times I requested 🙂

I recently booked through Premium Tours for June 10. Their 2019 dates were added Oct 30. They offer sunrise and sunset inner circle tours that include a stop in Lacock (The George Inn, English pub built in 1361 for breakfast on your own) and Bath (including entry to the Roman Bath and Pump Room). Our morning tour picks up at 5:15am. I called twice (1-800-931-0141) while waiting for the 2019 dates to be released and the ladies were very helpful. They can answer all your questions about how the tour is conducted. I was told that our bus would be divided into two groups of about 15 and each group would have about a half hour of inner circle access.

Are you renting a car just to get between London and Bath? This might be a convenient way to get to Bath and stay on. I told them I will decide on the day if I will stay in Bath longer and take the train back to London on my own. Hope this information is helpful!

https://www.premiumtours.co.uk/tours/stonehenge-private-viewing-tour-at-sunrise
https://www.premiumtours.co.uk/tours/stonehenge-private-viewing-tour-at-sunset

Back in the day (1972) I was able to walk by myself to the inner circle at Stonehenge. I went at dawn, and I was the only one there.

dremr58, that sounds lovely, and worth the price; many of the tours on premiumtours.co.uk look interesting to me but we were planning to visit Stonehenge while staying in Bath so a tour from London wouldn't work.

I'd expected we'd take a Stonehenge tour departing from Bath but Mad Max (http://madmaxtours.co.uk) and Pat Shelley's group (http://www.stonehenge-tours.com) don't seem to be booking those in May 2019 yet; Lion Tours is booking May dates for the Stonehenge Adventurer tour from Bath but that one is 9+ hours which didn't appeal to my husband. So, we just purchased May sunset inner circle tickets from English Heritage and will craft our own visit - we'll see how this goes ;-)

Bob, that was definitely back in the day - looks like that was before it was a UNESCO World Heritage site! Must've been a very special visit.

epltd, thanks for the advice on transportation - planning to rent a car for a day or so but finding our way back to Bath after sunset does sound a little daunting; a rehearsal drive might be a good idea. We'd like to spend a little time at the visitor center that day, and figure we could sit in the car between when the center closes and the bus leaves for the circle. Lots of planning still to do!

FWIW, I just e-mailed Pat Shelley to ask about some dates in June. I just got this reply from him:
"I'm afraid the inner circle is closed from the 16th June to 30th June inclusive except for the night of the 20/21st when it's open for free for the summer solstice."

It has been a while since the original post, but the dates are now posted for 2019.

I have a different question: if you book early access, do you need to also get tickets for normal admission later in the day? Or does the 47 pounds you pay for the Inner Circle admission give you access later in the day when Stonehenge is open to the public?
Has anyone done the Inner Circle visit? Do you think it was worth it?

Inner Circle access ticket can be used to access the site/visitor center later in day once they open to the public without additional cost.