This year the town of Amesbury is to celebrate Winter solstice with a lantern parade – “the first for centuries” – from Stonehenge along the route of the Avenue and back to the town.

“Art students at Avon Valley College have teamed up with Amesbury based A&R Metalcraft to produce a lantern to lead the procession. The lantern, which will be carried by a Solstice Fairy, will be kept burning through the night before being retured to Stonehenge at sunrise on the mid winter solstice.”

Sounds like a great event and participation by a Solstice Fairy is particularly appropriate since Pembrokeshire local lore says that fairies are often seen in the Preselis – and if that is right it would be inconceivable that some of them hadn’t hitched a ride on the bluestones to Wiltshire. Also, this could well be why several archaeologists that have formulated theories about Stonehenge have been suspected of being away with the fairies.

Gwyn ap Nudd,  King of the Fairies, issued a statement in support of the event:

“I’m pleased this is happening. Stonehenge is ours, we were here from the start and it’s about time people recognised the fact”