solstice

"There's a passing on of knowledge for over 1,500 years spanning the whole Bronze Age, between our Stone Age ancestors who built Stonehenge and our Druid ancestors who wrote down folklore that we now take from Ireland, Scotland and Wales," says Stonehenge Druid Frank Somers. "And that means that folklore has earlier origins going right back."

Forget Stonehenge - the Autumn/Winter megalithic collection is in, and it's green. Loughcrew, in County Meath, Ireland, is one of the country's most important heritage sites, and twice yearly crowds flock from far afield to see its most famous feature, when the equinox sun shines directly on the Cairn T chamber's beautiful backstone.

While there weren't 36,500 people in attendance, or the grandiose policing policies that go with Stonehenge on the solstices, visitors to the megalithic complex on Sunday morning were treated to an intimate and touching experience.

As these photos and video from Newgrange.com show, those who donned their fleeces at dawn were treated to a wonderful sunrise.

Despite my fears I might not make it to Stonehenge in time for the Solstice, I did it! Being one of the 36,500 people accessing the Stones on the night from Saturday to Sunday was surely an experience I won't easily forget, and near to utterly amazing ******* awesome.

The Wiltshire police has announced there will be a large police presence at Stonehenge for this year's Summer Solstice. Because the celebrations fall over the weekend and fine weather is predicted, bigger crowds than usual are expected and Wiltshire police have said they will clamp down heavily on antisocial behaviour. The police operation will involve an unmanned drone and horses. Also drugs sniffer dogs will be launched at Stonehenge tomorrow as huge crowds descend on the ancient site for the summer solstice.

Thanks to being fenced off by English Heritage to much druidic chagrin, Stonehenge is now largely the preserve of sedate tourist visits. Yet four times a year - during both equinoxes and solstices - the great stones are opened to the public in order to celebrate the ties between Britain's most famous prehistoric monument and the heavens.