The circle of friends forms in the teeth of a storm at dawn

On December 20th, 2018, around 100 people gathered within the inner circle of stones at Avebury in Wiltshire at dawn. The weather was cold, wet and very windy – and the sun was all but covered by a wall of mist, low cloud and greyness, but despite it all the shortest day of the year was marked in a joyous and uplifting way with poetry, flasks of coffee and song. A very British Solstice – genteel, friendly and fun. If a little soggy.