WINTER
SOLSTICE
AT
STONEHENGE 21st December 8.09 AM
English Heritage will once
again allow people access to Stonehenge for the
celebration of the Winter
Solstice, the first day of the winter season. Sunrise is at
8.09am on Saturday 21
December and visitors will be able to access the monument
as soon as it is light
enough to do so safely.
Entrance is free and will be available
from roughly 7.30am until
9am, when the site will close - before re-opening as per
usual to paying visitors
at 9.30am.
The exact time of the
Solstice this year, when the Earth’s axial tilt is farthest away
from the sun, is at
17.11pm on 21 December, however it is generally accepted that
the celebration takes
place at dawn and therefore access is
permitted at Stonehenge
earlier that morning.
Over the last few years,
the popularity of Winter Solstice has grown considerably,
with many families and
young people joining the druid and pagan community in the
celebrations. Three years
ago, 2,000 people attended Winter Solstice and in 2012
more than 5,000 people
attended.
Kate Davies, Stonehenge General
Manager said: “We are delighted to offer people a
warm welcome to Stonehenge
this Winter Solstice but as facilities are limited, we are
not able to accommodate
any more people than last year. We don't have the luxury
of using nearby fields in
winter for parking and encourage people to make use of the
special bus service
running from Salisbury.
We are working very closely with the local authorities and
agencies plus the druid and pagan community to ensure that access to Stonehenge
will once again be a success.”
