AVEBURY CHAT - Solstice 2008

Subject: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Sun May 11, 2008 1:55 pm

Avebury solstice visitors urged to leave vehicles at home
By Gazette Reporter

If you're planning to celebrate the summer solstice at Avebury on the night of June 20/21 - please use public transport rather than bringing your car.

As in previous years, there will be no public parking anywhere in the village except on the limited National Trust parking area which serves the site. Motorists who arrive after it is full will unfortunately have no choice but to turn back. Vehicles parked on the roadside may be towed away.

There will be no access at all to the car park on solstice night for high-sided vehicles, including camper vans, caravans and motor homes. To comply with an Enforcement Notice, the National Trust has installed a height barrier.

Once the parking area is full, there will be nowhere else to park in Avebury or the immediate surrounding areas of Beckhampton, West Kennet and Winterbourne Monkton. There is no roadside parking, and anyone parking illegally is likely to receive a fixed penalty notice and/or have their vehicle towed away. Because of the Enforcement Notice there will be no provision for camper vans, caravans and other high-sided vehicles. Visitors are asked to look at alternative ways of coming to Avebury, such as the regular bus services from Swindon and Devizes.

The National Trust, which owns and manages Avebury, works in partnership with Wiltshire Police, Kennet District Council, Avebury Parish Council, English Heritage and Avebury Sacred Sites Forum to plan for these events

Guest

i fooking hate the national trust.
last year the fookers wouldnt let me park my little van in the car park, but wouldnt give me any explanation as to why.
it ended up with the traffic backing up along the road and trapping me in the entrance of the carpark and i couldnt reverse back out again, the bast.r.s wouldnt even allow me the room to turn around. the police eventually came and helped move me on. totally ruined my first ever day in wiltshire.
Evil or Very Mad

i wish bad things upon them all Evil or Very Mad

Joined : 05 Apr 2008 Posts : 74

Last year some fat NT bloke told me in no uncertain terms that me, my van and kids could not park in the
nt carpark, because i was driving a van.

Maybe i just look like a nutter with too many kids,
but he really pissed me off. I threatened to drive over him so he started to call the police Laughing

In the end i parked outside the henge shop, just as i always do.

****** jobsworths....

Andy >>>>>---------------<>

Subject: Re: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Sun May 11, 2008 9:16 pm

You will get towed away this year Andy.
There is parking at the Sanctuary and at Knoll Down.
I don't know why they insist on closing the Silbury car park.
The solstice problem has got worst in recent years with the NT not knowing how to handle it and the villagers suffering.
The different druid groups that hate each other means that solstice can go on for as long as 2 weeks with different groups doing their thing at different times.
Its all a bl00dy mess!
PeteG

Guest

I wsa in my nice clean little combo van with my business name plastered allover it with only me in the van.
these guys are supposed to be about access, borlox these pathetic little people are given a little power for the day and lose it, i bet they count down the days till their next hitler trip........rant............rant......... Evil or Very Mad

ps, i HATE the national trust. Twisted Evil

Subject: Re: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Sun May 11, 2008 9:24 pm

Megadread,
there is a saying that half the Avebury villagers hate the NT and the other half REALLY REALLY HATE the NT
lol!

PeteG

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 324 Location : Wiltshire

Pete, thanks for throwing some light on why the NT have become so Draconian about this - I did wonder.

The bus service mentioned is the 49 with the last one leaving Devizes at 8.00pm and Swindon at 7.05pm. The bus going towards Devizes first stops in Avebury at 6.44am in the morning but in the other direction not until 7.29am. They then run every hour though the timetable for Sunday (which is the 22nd) is far more restricted.

Not really very convenient for anyone who wants to observe the sunrise and then go home.

http://www.stagecoachbus.com/swindon/timetables.php

Subject: Re: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Sun May 11, 2008 9:34 pm

Back in 2003 I came up with a plan with the help of Baronet Onslow who then lived at Winterbourne Bassett house.
He had a spare field and was prepared to offer it for camping and car parking.
He planned to run two horse and carts to ferry people backward and forward to Avebury.
We took this to the NT as a solution.
Their reaction was to send the Police around who told Onslow that they had heard he was planning on setting up an illegal travellers site and read him the riot act.
They frightened him so much he abandonded the idea.
Well done NT!
PeteG

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 324 Location : Wiltshire

That actually sounds like such a good idea - and fun too.

Guest

seriously pete i really hate these b'stards they told me (the police) "we dont want you or your van anywhere in the village and if you are seen you'll be arrested".
i did nothing wrong at all, i have no convictions, the guy on the entrance was just being a comlplete nob. i even asked the police to explain why i couldnt park there and was just told the above.
now im a grown man but i admit i just drove to the west kennet longbarrow layby and cried, all my plans wrecked. i then walked up to the barrow to think what i was going to do, if it wasnt for the amazingly kind traveller i met there i would have driven home immediately with a pure hatred of the place.

Crying or Very sad

DID I MENTION I HATE THE NATIONAL TRUST

Subject: Re: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Sun May 11, 2008 9:44 pm

The NT estate manager Robert Mimmack initiated a plan in 2002.
"Make it hard for solstice goer's and they will give up eventualy"
He has retired now but it seems the NT are still sticking to the plan.
If it nearly worked on you imagine how many people it has worked on?

The infighting doesn't help anyone. Are there 2 groups that still talk to each other?
There is always trouble somewhere and the villagers are fobbed off with "Theres always one bad apple" but it seems Avebury attracts a whole bushel of 'em!
PeteG

Subject: Re: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Sun May 11, 2008 9:50 pm

Guest

The national trust may have good intentions for all i know, i dont really bother with them, i go where ever i want but always endevour to procure access by
the right means, i once had a shotgun levelled at me during a visit to a site where i tried for months to gain legitimate access but couldnt, the one day i risk it the buggers home and out hunting rabbits, he after reassurance showed me round the site, my point is its a two way conversation.
you cant talk to underpayed, underintelligent, monkeyspankers doing their will not the will of the nt. Evil or Very Mad

DID I MENTION I HATE THE NATIONAL TRUST. !

Subject: Re: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Sun May 11, 2008 10:08 pm

Guest

sorry for the rant but i have a slight dislike of the NT Very Happy

maybe i just got the wrong guy on the wrong day, regardless ITS THE NT'S JOB TO PROVIDE ACCESS if the people they employ are not doing thier job properly its the fault of th NT

Joined : 05 Apr 2008 Posts : 74

Loads of places seem to have height barriers now.
It really restricts where i can take my kids, unless i want to have a very long walk. One of my little boys is disabled, he has a condition
called spinal muscular atropy (SMA). He cant walk
or lift anything heavy, he has to use a powered wheelchair.

The national trust dont seem to give a **** about him having access either. Try explaining that to some knob at the gate. They really couldn't give a toss!

Andy >>>>>-------------<>

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 324 Location : Wiltshire

Subject: Re: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Mon May 12, 2008 12:29 pm

The NT have far more important things to spend its money on than making Avebury wheelchair friendly or sorting out a camp site,
like this
NT Latest stupid plan

PeteG

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 733 Location : Surrey

From English Heritage..

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/EAHL_tagged.pdf

Access legislation and standards
Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005
This section gives an introduction to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the scope of which is extended by the 2005 Act. Further detail about the DDA and associated Codes of Practice is provided in the supporting information section.
The DDA makes it unlawful for the providers of goods, facilities and services (and certain other bodies) to discriminate against anyone on the grounds of his or her disability. It affects all owners of historic gardens and landscapes that are open to the public, as ‘service providers’, often also as employers and sometimes as education providers. It applies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The DDA requires that reasonable adjustments should be made where a service provider has a practice, policy or procedure or there is a physical feature that makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of the service.What is deemed reasonable will be tested in the courts but the Disability Rights Commission’s Code of Practice (2002), gives helpful guidance.
Where appropriate, Scheduled Monument, or Listed Building Consent and planning approval must be obtained in advance of improving access by physical changes. However, this does not provide a blanket excuse for avoiding access improvements, especially those that can be achieved by means that avoid major physical alteration. It is usually possible to reconcile conservation and access interests.
Defining disability
Improving access for disabled people is often assumed to mean providing for wheelchair users, but it is estimated that only five per cent of disabled people are permanent wheelchair users.Their needs are important but must be considered together with other types of disability.
The DDA defines disability as ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on [a person’s] ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. In addition to wheelchair users and ambulant disabled people, this definition includes those with poor manual co-ordination or little strength; those with sensory impairments, including impaired sight and hearing; and people with impaired memory, concentration or understanding.The DDA 2005 extends this definition to include people with progressive conditions such as multiple sclerosis, HIV or cancer.
Disability spans all age groups, backgrounds and circumstances. It is estimated that one in five people in the UK has a disability (ODPM 2003).This does not include all those people who at any one time experience what may be temporary
10

The National Trust...

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-visits-essential_info/w-visits-essential_info-disabilities.htm

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 733 Location : Surrey

Subject: Re: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Mon May 12, 2008 1:00 pm

the words 'Ar$e' and 'Elbow' spring to mind...
Basketball

PeteG

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 733 Location : Surrey

Guest

i maintain quite a few gardens and pride myself on having a mental map of each one, its basic stuff for any gardener that cares.

to get back to my rant, why cant the NT just provide the necessary parking as at stonehenge they soon clear the place after the alloted time.
im not asking for the world, just easy parking and access.
If people didnt follow fair rules arrest them, but they should at least 'throw us a bone'.
last year i had to walk from where i parked at the sanctuary to the nt car park just to use the toilet, many of the travellers there didnt bother and just went wherever.

Subject: Re: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Mon May 12, 2008 6:52 pm

see my previous post above
PeteG

Guest

NT employee test

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 324 Location : Wiltshire

Didn't do the quiz but had a good old chuckle, thanks Megadread. I'm sure there's an arm-pit in there too.

Guest

I hate being a hater, its just not my way but for these people i make an exception, they just lack commonsense. the peak national park officers and wardens i have met are all great guys, its not hard to be nice or just plain fair.

Subject: Re: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Mon May 12, 2008 10:14 pm

Same on Dartmoor.
Wonderfull helpfull people.
At Avebury it's just ignorant Jobsworths'.
I could tell you dozens of stories of the NT nastiness like when the estate manager threw a bucket of water over a handfasting group preparing a feast inside the circle....
PeteG

Guest

unbelievable pete ! they really are b*******

DID I MENTION.............. lol!

Subject: Re: Solstice 2008 - New NT Rules Mon May 12, 2008 11:24 pm

99 percent of the NT give the rest a bad name....

PeteG