summer solstice

m.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/summer-solstice/?lang=en
This might help.
stonehengetours.com/html/summer-solstice-tour.htm
Or this.

thanks, might be too late to book up for this year but I will try for next year.

I managed to wake in time to see the sunrise from my garden, I walked barefoot in the grass, would have done it naked but there are gaps in my hedge.
Would live to hear from anyone who has managed to go to stonehenge or avebury/any stone circles for the solstice in the past and hear about your experiences. it fascinates me about how our ancestors lived and worshiped.
Hoping to go to Stonehenge next year.

I went Silverfish but it was in the eighties , we slept in the car . Difficult to put into words , I found it a wonderful experience, do go next year , I promise you the silence as the sun rose made me feel I was alone there even though surrounded by people , not creepy, or eerie, just deep personal emotions , sorry cannot describe it but all these years on the memory is still very strong

I went in 1965, with an older, hippy American cousin. No barriers, no entrance fees - nothing but the stones. We sat with blankets around our shoulders smoking roll-ups watching the sun rise. Then we were picked up by the police and told to clear-off! I don't remember any awesome experience, just the adventure of it all, and the battered old car. Good memories.

Is it the Solstice today?

Yes, it was, petallus. It's all downhill from now on in ;)
Legend has it that now the Holly King takes over from the Oak King for the second half of the year....if you're into pagan ways of thinking.

I'm nowhere near Stonehenge, but time was, many years ago now, that DD2 and I celebrated Beltane (31st April/1st May) by getting up VERY early, taking a cauldron, candles, incense and other special bits and pieces and driving up to a place we loved near Ide Hill in Kent. We'd have our own little ceremony, burn a bit of incense, say a few words, send healing vibes to those we loved and watch the dawn. I'd then drive DD2 home again in time for breakfast (but she'd be fast asleep again by the time we got home).
Goodness knows what unsuspecting passers-by thought as they saw us....not that there were many that early in the morning!
I'm too lazy and tired these days to do anything like that now, but it wouldn't take much to persuade me.....

There is nothing religious or spiritual about the summer solstice for me.
It's just a time that is subject to the usual laws of nature–distance from sun, tile of Earth's axis, etc. I had a lovely day shooting arrows in a Scottish forest

Stonehenge is a wonderful credit to man's ingenuity in the face of great difficulties (the heaviness of large stones and cranes not having been invented yet).

tilt

My daughter was born on the 21st June. I had been in hospital for several weeks and when they walked me up to the labour ward I delivered her on the corridor floor, caught in my husband's briefcase. Not a day to forget in a hurry AND a set of accounts was ruined!

What a good job your husband's briefcase was positioned so...conveniently, DebnCreme!

Debn!! Good Grief!

finnocchio what was in the roll-ups?

Well I suppose the inside of a briefcase a cleaner place to deposit a baby than a hospital floor. Makes sense I guess.

Yes, but DebnCreme did say 'caught', not 'placed'...

I don't know the proper name J - we called it 'shag' baccie. It wasn't dodgy stuff.

Debn - Blimey!

we called it pot in those days.

I've just tried to persuade DH to light the bonfire as it's getting a bit on the big side and DD has this funny thing she likes to wave about when she's casting spells but he has quite rightly pointed out that the wind is in the wrong direction and we might set fire to the hedge!

I just find it sad that we are now on the shortest day, seems to me that Summer has just begun !!

Hi Nonu Actually, it's the longest day!

Are you back home now?

I didn't go to bed last night, because I like to observe the sun rising and setting, every day in a slightly different place. Last night the sun set at 22.32, dusk didn't end until 23.44. As it was a clear night it never really got dark, twilight started at 3 .16 with a slight glow in the distance towards Skye. The sun just started to show itself at 4.28 lighting up the sea very quickly. It was a beautiful night

Nonu! You've got it back to front - welcome back!

LONA sweetie I am indeed, I have mixed feelings as you can guess, I am glad to be back and see them all.

"BUT" I want to be Stateside ,still not so nice to see how the garden has gone totally to pot so that will occupy me for some time, getting it sorted
.
Family coming down next weekend so I am pretty pleased to see them all ,we will have a good time .

x