General Travel Information | Accommodation | Crop Circle Information | Maps
Visiting The Crop Circles | Important Practicalities | Flying over the Crop Cirlces
Over the years we have helped many visitors to the UK to see the circles. Here are some helpful notes.
Organised Tours:
Many people like to visit the circles as part of an organised tour group. Please see our links page for information on regular crop circle tours to the UK.
General Timing:
The English crop circle season starts, tentatively, in May though occasionally a formation has been known to arrive as early as April. In these months the formations are few. The major events happen in late July and early August. By far the best time to visit is last weekend in July/first weekend in August.
It has been our experience that visitors do not give themselves enough time. We would suggest that you should allow at least one week in the area. If you also wish to visit, say, London, at least three extra days should be allowed.
Transport:
Obvious as it may seem, we must remind you that the crop circles appear in fields in the countryside. There is little public transport and you will need a car to visit the circles and move around generally. There are vehicles for hire at airports on arrival in England or, more economically, from Devizes.
Arriving from Heathrow airport: From the airport get onto the M4 motorway westbound towards Cardiff, Wales. Exit at Junction 15 towards Marlborough. Marlborough is within the crop circle area and is about 20 miles from Devizes.
Arriving from Gatwick: From the airport take the M20 motorway northbound towards London. You will shortly hit the M25 London Orbital which you should take westbound towards Heathrow airport. The M25 will (near Heathrow) connect with the M4. Continue as described above from Heathrow.
Car Rental from Devizes: These are not the only car rental operations in Devizes, but visitors have been using them for years without complaint.
Fussell Wadman: tel: 01380 731970, www.peugeut.co.uk/fussell_wasdman
Wildmans of Devizes: tel: 01380 7216658, www.wildmans4x4.co.uk
The Towns of Marlborough or Devizes make good accommodation bases with easy access to general facilities. However there are many picturesque villages in and around the Pewsey Vale and many have have pretty bed and breakfast accommodations or self-catering cottages for hire. There are also several particularly scenic campsites in the area for those who like to camp. Detailed accommodation information can be obtained through one of the many Tourist Information Centres around the area. Some will be able to provide you with an accommodation booklet for their areas. Please book your accommodation early, Wiltshire is a popular tourist destination during the summer.
Devizes Visitor Centre
Cromwell House, Market Place,
Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1JG
Tel: + 44 (0) 1380 729408
Multimap link
Marlborough Tourist Information Centre
Marlborough library, High Street,
Marlborough, SN8 1HD
Tel: +44 (0) 1672 512663
Multimap link
Avebury Tourist Information Centre
Avebury Chapel Centre, Green Street,
Avebury, Wiltshire, SN8 1RE
Tel: +44 (0) 1380 734669
Multimap link
email tourist information centres
The Visit Kennet website also has lots of good information:
www.visitkennet.co.uk
If you have internet access at your accommodation base you can log onto the internet to look up the latest circles.
If you don't have internet access The Henge Shop at Avebury has a crop circle map with pins to indicate the latest discoveries. The Henge Shop is located in Avebury village - inside the stone circle! Please don't ring the shop for information - they are exceedingly busy in the summer months - please visit the shop in person. They also sell the latest aerial photographs of the crop circles by Steve Alexander and a selection of crop circle books.
Avebury Henge Shop
High Street, Avebury
Marlborough,Wiltshire, SN8 1RF
An AA (Automobile Association) or RAC (Royal Automobile Club) UK road map are both very good general road maps for navigating in the UK. Ordinance Survey Landranger or Explorer maps are excellent for navigating small countryside roads searching for crop circles. These maps are available online or from the links below. The AA and RAC maps should be available at airports, petrol stations and bookshops. The Ordinance Survey maps are available from all good book shops or tourist information centres in the UK - or the Henge shop, Avebury (see above).
AA Road map: Buy map from Amazon.co.uk
RAC Road map: Buy map from Amazon.co.uk
OS Landranger Map Sheet 173 Swindon & Devizes: Marlborough & Trowbridge.
OS Explorer - Active Map Sheet 157 Marlborough & Savernake Forest: Avebury & Devizes.
Caution: Many shops, businesses and petrol stations have limited opening hours in the UK. Most shops close at 5.30pm each day (sometimes earlier), many do not open on Sundays at all.
Please take time to consider the following when visiting the crop circles:
- Do not enter a field without permission from the farmer. Some farmers allow visitors, some do not. Those that do tend to place an honesty box either at the entrance to the field, or in the circle itself. Please contribute, the customary donation is £2.00 - £3.00 per person. This helps build and maintain understanding between the crop circle world and the farming community, by helping the farmer recover his costs for damaged crop. If you are asked to leave a formation by a member of the farming staff do so, quickly and politely.
- Never, ever, smoke cigarettes (or anything else!) in a crop field. They constitute a very dangerous fire hazard.
- Never leave any litter or objects of any kind inside the circles, they may cause a hazard to farming machinery during harvest, or crop spraying, and could be potential danger to wildlife.
- Do not trample down any standing crop when making you way into the fields or around the circles. Always follow the tractor lines, even if this means walking out of the field and in again if you pick the wrong route into the circle! Further damage to crop by visitors irritates the farmers enormously.
- If you park your car nearby, do not park in farm or field entrances where you may cause a nuisance to farmers. And never leave anything on display in your car that might attract the attention of thieves. Lock everything away securely, better still, take only what you need to carry with you in person.
Physical Fitness: Getting into the crop circles can often involve a lengthly and sustained walk, often on uneven ground - up hill and down dale! So, please consider this carefully if you are not in tip-top heath.
Equipment you will need to bring: You will need a good pair of walking shoes. You may also need to prepared for the British weather! A light waterproof jacket would be useful in case of rain, conversely, if the weather is set hot and fair bring a sun hat and sun lotion, there is no shade in the middle of a crop field! An umbrella for rain protection, or used as a sun shade might be handy.
Camera Equipment: Cameras and video-cameras are a great way to record your crop circle experiences. However, remember you will have to carry your equipment. Bear in mind that you should be able to carry whatever you bring comfortably - don't overload! You never know, you may capture some light phenomena on film whilst out in the circles!
Other Practicalities: It might seem obvious, but there are no public toilets out in the middle of the English countryside, so please plan accordingly. Get to know where the nearest public toilets are, or failing that find the nearest pub!
Complete your visit to the crop circles by taking a flight over the fields. Crop circles were meant to be seen from the air and the experience is magical.
Whilst there are a several helicopter companies based around Wiltshire and Hampshire, we recommend Fast Helicopters, based at Thruxton Airfield, Andover - about a 30 minute drive from Marlborough and Devizes. Fast Helicopters have flown us for almost ten years and have extensive experience flying the crop circles. They will be able to advise you on which circles to see and help you plan your flight. Please mention us when you book!
Specialising in flights over the crop circles
fasthelicopters.com
Important Notes: Helicopter is by far the best way to fly over the circles. It's quick and comfortable, and great if you want to try your hand at a little aerial photography. Most helicopter companies are licensed and insured to take fare paying passengers on pleasure flights. However, it's worth checking this if you are not sure. Group together with friends and take up a larger aircraft to make the trip more cost effective.
If you plan to use your photography commercially, i.e. sell your photos, you will need to make sure that your pilot has a full commercial license to carry out aerial work.
Many micro-light centres will offer you a cheaper alternative for flying. However, make sure they are licensed and insured to carry fare paying passengers for a pleasure flight. Many are not.
