Stonehenge: When to visit the prehistoric heritage to experience Summer Solstice 2020

Summer Solstice is a beautiful charismatic nature’s impression that occurs only once every year. It is when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky and is the longest day of the year. Stonehenge is an ancient prehistoric world heritage site that has been a place of worship and celebration at the time of Summer Solstice for thousands of years. The site located in Wiltshire, England, consists of a ring of standing stones, each around 13 feet (4.0 m) high, seven feet (2.1 m) wide, and weighing around 25 tons. As Summer Solstice occurs once a year, here are all the details about when to visit Stonehenge to experience summer solstice.

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Visit Stonehenge to experience Summer Solstice

When to visit Stonehenge

As Stonehenge is located in the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs sometime between June 20 to June 22. In the upcoming decade of 2020, it is calculated that it will occur on June 21, 2020. In 2019, thousands of people will gather at Stonehenge to watch the sunrise on the summer solstice, a ritual that has been followed for thousands of years. It’s also one of the rare occasions that visitors are allowed to enter the prehistoric stone circle.

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Other attractions

One of the highlights is the walk to Stonehenge. While you walk towards the event after parking your vehicles at midnight, it gives you a day vibe even at 3 am. The sky looks brighter with a beautiful cobalt blue colour, staining the lower horizon. Though the summer solstice may be a big tourist attraction for the monument, it may not be the only show in town. At the winter solstice, the rocks are also hinged for ideal viewing, the sun falls behind the Trilothon, the two vertical stones with a horizontal one lying atop. The Trilothon’s direction towards the sun is at the midwinter sunset. Scientists agree that the monument is more directly facing the view during the winter sunset than at the summer’s sunrise.

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Image credits: Stonehenge Tours