Crop Circles 2014: Crop Circle Access Pass – Criticisms remain

As you may or may not know, last years attempt at regulating the access to crop circles via the ill-fated Crop Circle Access Pass (CCAP) was an absolute disaster. Criticisms ranged from the extortionate price of the passes to the fact that most farmers were happy for Paul Jacobs to stand by the gate to get a couple of quid to enter the field. To re-address this the CCAP dropped its prices, however, things still aren’t wearing too well with the crop circle enthusiasts. The fact that passes are already on sale, and only one formation has currently (ahem) appeared in Wiltshire, point to the ludicrous nature of the scheme. Also, the website claims that the formations that have appeared (all well outside Wiltshire) are inaccessible, which isn’t strictly true.

At some point, one hopes, that the penny will drop for Ms Klinkenburgh and the CCAP team that crop circles (by their alleged paranormal nature) are fleeting things that don’t really fit well into a commercialised business package. The fact remains that many circle makers have taken their craft outside of Wiltshire deliberately, to make a point to the researchers and money-makers who on one hand constantly berate those who make crop circles yet require their artistic handiwork to make their money. Whether this informal boycott remains once the tour season kicks-in will remain to be seen. If I had a conference or tour in the current climate (especially if a tour of the circles was part of the package) I would be very worried if the circles will appear this year. Of course, last year, money was alleged to have changed hands in return for some circles to appear just at the right time (and boy were they second-rate). So for the crop circle money makers, to quote Rob Irving, it must be “squeaky bum time”.

Paul Jacbos will be running a similar access scheme to last year, which not only is more affordable in real terms, but is more in the spirit of the crop circles. More details can be found here