AROUND 25,000 people are expected to descend on Stonehenge today for tomorrow’s summer solstice.

The sun is expected to set at around 9.25pm tonight and rise at 4.54am tomorrow morning to begin the longest day of the year.

English Heritage, the organisation that cares for the ancient Neolithic monument, is once again looking forward to welcoming people to Stonehenge to celebrate midsummer at the site near Salisbury.

It is asking that each and every visitor respects the stones by not sitting, standing or climbing on them, and thinks green when planning their travel to the ancient site.

Stonehenge is a unique monument built on the alignment of the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset.

On the longest day of the year, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone – the ancient entrance to the Stone Circle from the ceremonial avenue – and rays of sun are channelled into the centre of the monument.

It is thought that solstices – both summer and winter - have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years.

During the summer solstice people are allowed up close to and inside the stone circle, and the charity asks that during this special time, people are mindful that Stonehenge is a vulnerable site despite being made up of huge stones and earthworks.

Each stone has been carefully worked and placed in position; some have prehistoric carvings on them - many of which cannot be seen by the naked eye. Rare lichens also grow on the surfaces of the stones, and these can be very easily damaged.

The charity also hopes that people planning to celebrate solstice at Stonehenge will consider the environment when planning their travel, and car share or travel by public transport wherever possible.

Jennifer Davies, Head of Historic Properties for Stonehenge, said: “Celebrating summer solstice at Stonehenge is a fantastic occasion for friends and families to come together to mark the longest day of the year in a very special place.

“As its guardians, it is our job to look after Stonehenge and everyone who visits. We ask people to please respect the stones, remember that alcohol is not permitted and help us keep solstice special, so that people will be able to celebrate midsummer here for many years to come.

“This year, we hope that even more people will choose to either share lifts or use public transport, and help reduce the number of cars and the amount of CO2 emissions in the World Heritage Site.

“Parking is very limited and charges apply. For those who’d prefer to experience solstice from the comfort of home, English Heritage will be live streaming Friday morning’s sunrise on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.”

English Heritage has been working closely with Wiltshire Police, as they do each year, to ensure that everyone who comes to Stonehenge over summer solstice feels safe.

Only small bags (30cm x 25cm x15cm) will be allowed into the Monument Field and searches will be conducted throughout the night. People are advised to check the website (English-Heritage.org.uk/Solstice), read the Conditions of Entry and only bring essential items with them.

Meanwhile, Highways England is advising motorists to plan their journeys along the A303 ahead of the annual event.

With limited parking on site, English Heritage is once again urging visitors to use public transport or car share.

Two grass car parks will be accessible from the A303 from 7pm on 20 June until 6am on Friday, and once full, visitors will not be allowed onto the site. The car parks will be vacated by 12 noon.

Bus transport will be available from Salisbury train station and pedestrians are also advised to use the designated, temporary pedestrian crossing on the A303 at Stonehenge Cottages

Highways England’s A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down project team is conducting ground investigation surveys along the proposed route past Stonehenge and this work will be respectfully halted for the summer solstice.

The programme of work, involving borehole and trial pit investigations to inform the scheme’s later procurement process, will be paused today, in advance of the solstice event, and will restart on Monday, June 24 and conclude later in the summer.

During the Solstice event, Highways England will assist the flow of traffic both before and after the event. A 40mph speed limit will be in place on the A303 between the Countess roundabout and Longbarrow roundabout, with the lay-bys closed in between, and the dual carriageway will be reduced to a single lane between Countess Roundabout and Stonehenge Cottages.

Gareth Price, Highways England emergency planning officer for the South West, said: “We are anticipating traffic volumes to increase around the event, and our aim is to keep the Highways England network running while keeping road users safe and informed.

“The traffic management will be in place for safety and to keep disruption to a minimum, and we advise all road users to check our traffic and travel information channels, plan their journeys and allow plenty of time.

“A temporary pedestrian crossing will also be installed near Stonehenge Cottages for the safety of visitors walking from Stonehenge Road, Amesbury, and we advise all pedestrians to use this to access the site.”

Drivers can obtain up-to-the-minute travel information on Twitter, by phoning the Highways England Information Line on 0300 123 5000 or by accessing the website: www.trafficengland.com