Stonehenge Winter Solstice Sunrise

Payment is in advance for this tour. Once you have booked your place on Meet Up, Steve will be in touch about paying the walk fee to secure your place.

Would you like to watch the sunrise at Stonehenge on the shortest day of the year, but you're not really sure how to go about organising it? Let local walk leader and enthusiastic prehistorian Steve Mynard be your guide. Steve has been visiting Stonehenge for solstice sunrises for over thirty years.

We will park and meet up at Larkhill on the edge of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. From there Steve will lead us to the stones where we can join in the midwinter celebrations. There will be people dancing and drumming and druids doing their ceremonies. The sunrise is at 8:09 a.m.

There is nothing quite like a sunrise at Stonehenge and the midwinter solstice is now recognised by archaeologists and prehistorians as one of the biggest festivals of the ancient calendar. The people of Early Britain were herding pigs all the way from Scotland for their midwinter feasts at nearby Durrington walls.

The winter solstice is not as busy as the summer solstice, but expect to be part of a 5000 strong celebration.

Once the sun is up we will head to the Stonehenge Visitor Centre for breakfast (not included). If you wish to view the exhibitions at the Stonehenge Visitor centre you will need to pay a separate entrance fee.

Steve will then lead a walk back to the cars taking in some of the highlights of the Neolithic landscape including the Stonehenge Cursus, The Avenue and Bronze Age round barrow groups.

Around 11:00 a.m. we will say our goodbyes and head back to the realities of everyday life after another magical trip into our distant past.

A Walk in the Past is a friendly group where regulars and newcomers are always welcome. Our aim is to combine a good walk with pleasant company in historic landscapes.

As is our custom a historical travelogue style article based on Steve's research notes will be emailed out to participants after this event.