Avebury and Stonehenge at the Winter Solstice
29th December 2010
In December 2010, my partner and I were lucky enough to join a group with access to Stonehenge, which for most visitors can only be viewed from a distance. It was an incredibly moving and exciting experience to stand amongst the huge stones, all the more so because it was only a few days before the solstice and the ground was covered in deep snow! It was still slightly dark when we arrived at 8am, which made for some dramatic results with flash photography. And I managed - mostly - to avoid getting other people in the photographs, although that wasn't always easy.
The previous day, we visited my other favourite prehistoric Wiltshire site, at Avebury to the north. This gargantuan stone circle was almost deserted in the snow, and full of quiet atmosphere. Very different from our previous visit, in Autumn 2007.
Because of the unusual weather conditions, I felt that the pictures I took at these sites deserved a gallery of their own. Hope you enjoy the pictures, and that they inspire you to get there yourself sometime soon!
NB: Please note that although the 'order a print' icon is underneath each image, prints are not available of the photos taken at the centre of Stonehenge. This is due to English Heritage's restrictions on the commercial use of photos. Thankfully this does not apply to photos taken from a distance, or to those of Avebury or Woodhenge!
The previous day, we visited my other favourite prehistoric Wiltshire site, at Avebury to the north. This gargantuan stone circle was almost deserted in the snow, and full of quiet atmosphere. Very different from our previous visit, in Autumn 2007.
Because of the unusual weather conditions, I felt that the pictures I took at these sites deserved a gallery of their own. Hope you enjoy the pictures, and that they inspire you to get there yourself sometime soon!
NB: Please note that although the 'order a print' icon is underneath each image, prints are not available of the photos taken at the centre of Stonehenge. This is due to English Heritage's restrictions on the commercial use of photos. Thankfully this does not apply to photos taken from a distance, or to those of Avebury or Woodhenge!
