Thousands attend Summer solstice sunrise at Stonehenge

About 25,000 people have celebrated the summer solstice at Stonehenge.

The event is one of the few occasions people can walk next to the stones at the ancient site near Salisbury in Wiltshire.

It comes on what could be the UK’s hottest day of the year so far with temperatures predicted to peak at 34C.

Stonehenge’s operations manager Julia Richardson told the BBC it had been a peaceful event with an “amazing atmosphere”.

She added it was a “perfect combination” of the warm weather and solstice falling on a weekend that brought the crowds out.

Jennifer Wexler, Stonehenge’s curator of history, said the sunrise had been “amazing”.

“It’s a really wonderful way to come and mark this seasonal moment in time,” she added.

Wiltshire Police said this year’s celebration at Stonehenge was “a safe and successful occasion”.

“There were some traffic issues due to vehicles being abandoned which meant we had to close some roads around the site for the protection of pedestrians on the A303 and A360,” it said.

“Once the car park at Stonehenge was full motorists chose to park along the main roads, which caused further safety concerns and traffic management issues.

“We appreciate the patience of those effected by the delays.”

The solstice attracted people from as far away as Hong Kong and America, along with thousands from the UK.

Abigail Ng, 28, has lived in the UK for more than a decade and said she felt she had to visit Stonehenge before moving back home to Hong Kong.

She said she was drawn to Stonehenge after hearing about the atmosphere and pagan festivals and traditions.

“I had to come here before I left,” she said. “So I grabbed my best friend who lives up in Edinburgh and dragged her here this morning.”

And, one family from Atlanta, Georgia, celebrated an 18th birthday at Stonehenge.

They said when she was born they would take her to Stonehenge for the landmark birthday.

“The weather has been absolutely amazing, the people have been amazing,” said mum Kerri Hobson-Pape said.

She said it is “really special” to be there for the solstice.

Elsewhere, a crowd gathered on Glastonbury Tor to watch the sunrise ahead of the music festival next week.