Stone me! Here comes the sun
In Cambridge, the morning after the night before
Thousands crowded around stonehenge to watch the sunrise for the summer solstice yesterday. an army of food and drinks vans and marquees supported 6,000 druids, pagans and revellers celebrating the longest day of the year, which began with a 4.49am sunrise.
It was the first time people had gathered at the ancient monument in Wiltshire for the day since 2019 due to the pandemic.
They were also joined by more than 170,000 watching the moment online from around the world. nichola Tasker, English heritage’s director of stonehenge, said: ‘It’s a great opportunity for friends and families to come together to mark the longest day of the year, as people have done for thousands of years.
‘ There was a warm, friendly atmosphere throughout and everybody enjoyed a beautiful sunset at dawn.’ There were similar conditions for the start of the May
Ball season in Cambridge. Trinity College celebrated the end of exams with fireworks, food and live acts on Monday night.
Revellers in black tie and ball gowns, paying up to £450 for a standard double ticket, also had to wait three years for the parties due to social distancing.
The balls have taken place every year since 1866, apart from 1910 when Edward VII died, during the Second World War, and throughout the pandemic.
The weather will keep improving until tomorrow, when temperatures are set to peak at 30C (86F) in the East Midlands and South
‘A warm, friendly atmosphere’
Yorkshire and 28C (82.4F) in the South. But with Glastonbury Festival taking place this weekend, conditions are inevitably due to deteriorate across the country.
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: ‘Friday is when things will change, with a westerly influence bringing colder air and rain.’
Festivalgoers arriving in Glastonbury tomorrow will bask in 24C (75.2F) heat but by Saturday, when Sir Paul McCartney headlines on the Pyramid Stage, it will dip to 17C (62.6F).