Thousands watch sunrise at Stonehenge for Summer Solstice
Today (21 June) is the longest day of the year
An estimated 8,000 people gathered around the English Heritage site at Stonehenge for Summer Solstice, marking the longest day of the year.
Over a lively but friendly atmosphere, with drumbeats and song regularly breaking out, the sun rose around 4:49am this morning, with the morning mist lifting to make way to bright blue skies in the early hours.
Initially hidden by a cloud, the sun gradually rose high enough to produce a stunning glow over the famous stones.
The break of a new day was greeted by cheers and the beating of many drums.
English Heritage look after the site and we spoke to their Head of Historic Properties for Stonehenge, Scott Ashman, who described the Solstice as ‘brilliant’: “An incredible sunset, into an incredible sunrise, with quite a misty atmospheric environment.
He added: “You can hear people singing in the background, that is the spirit of Solstice.”
We also spoke to Heather Sebire, Senior Property Curator for Stonehenge at English Heritage, who said the stones are built to reflect the solar alignment on the summer and winter solstice.
“During the Summer Solstice, the sun rises on the North-Eastern horizon and shines right through to the centre of the stones, onto the Alter stone.”
For the Winter Solstice in mid-winter, where the sun sets in the South-west, Heather suggested that the people who built Stonehenge recognised that moment as the turning of shorter days into longer ones.
Why do people attend?
We were able to get amongst the thousands around the stones and ask simply, why they chose to go.
A pair of women, who drove from Scotland to be there, said: “We’ve always felt it’s a magical place and we’ve always want to come here to Stonehenge. It brings all walks of life together and it’s a beautiful thing to see everyone as equal at that moment.”
One man said he came for the “vibe” adding “it’s real cool!”, while another told us he was there to perform the Morning Ritual as part of the Druid Order of Stonehenge.
We spoke to a man and woman who had flown from Sunderland because it was the lady’s birthday and she’d always wanted to visit the site.
Plenty of first timers – including Wiltshire Police Chief Constable!
There were many first timers we spoke to, asking them for their impressions of the stones.
The earlier mentioned pair from Scotland described the formation as “like a movie set”, adding that it was remarkable that they were still standing after thousands of years.
Several people described them as magical, with the lady from Sunderland saying it was very emotional to see them in person.
This author was among those attending for the first time, as was Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Catherine Roper.
We caught up with her to find out about her experience: “It’s been absolutely incredible! It’s another moment where I pinch myself that I’m so lucky to be here.”
Chief Constable Roper described the event as peaceful, with very little reported in the way of arrests.
The phrase ‘pinch myself’ is one that is an accurate assessment of visiting Stonehenge for the first time, and perhaps even beyond that.
Happy Solstice everyone!