Stonehenge Summer Solstice

Want to stand in the presence of a broken circle of stone that nods to our neolithic past? Stonehenge, otherwise known as a collection of intriguing rock formations sitting in the English countryside, is a popular place to witness the Northern Hemisphere’s Summer Solstice. A masterpiece of engineering, Stonehenge is shrouded in mystery and spiritual questions. Building Stonehenge clearly took huge effort from many hundreds of people, when considering how the large structures were erected using only basic tools and technologies (the nearest quarry is a good 40 kilometres away).

Visiting the archaeologically significant site at sunrise for the summer solstice feels a lot like an early morning carnival. Alternate theories for the stones’ existence on the Sainsbury Plains are in abundance, so expect heated debates, intensely conflicting assumptions and enough pseudo-science banter to last another year. This is partly due to the crowd. Fellow revellers may include but are not limited to spiritual loose canons, hippies, Druids, mystery seekers, alien apocalypse fan boys, pilgrims, self-professed philosophers, archeology students and families ticking off their bucket list. Hear drums beating, the echoing of spontaneous chants and bring warm clothes and wet weather gear in case of rain. In recent years dodgy weather has been a defining feature.
Once the sun appears, the group energy shifts gear from antsy anticipation to a more calming, positive vibe and by 11am, the crowds disappear once more.

PRE-EVENT WATCH: A Day at Stonehenge and English Heritage