Thousands brave the heat to watch summer solstice sunrise
Thousands watch sunrise over Stonehenge during summer solstice heat
- Thousands of people gathered at Stonehenge in Wiltshire on Saturday to celebrate the summer solstice, marking the year’s longest day.
- Attendees experienced warm temperatures, with Salisbury and Greater London reaching 18C by 5am, and some areas like Yeovilton and Crosby recording nearly 20C overnight.
- The solstice event is one of the rare occasions visitors are allowed close to the stones at the World Heritage site, which is aligned with the midsummer sunrise.
- English Heritage curator Jennifer Wexler highlighted that people have been marking the solstice at Stonehenge for thousands of years, observing the sun rising behind the Heel Stone.
- An amber heat-health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency, remains in effect for all regions in England until Monday morning, following a heatwave that began on Friday.