Features

Mark Graham, who works as a Wildlife Officer for Charnwood, travelled by foot to Stonehenge with two friends, Brian and David.

Mark made it to Stonehenge in time for sunrise just before 05:00 on Sunday 21 June, the morning of the Summer Solstice.

Solstice means a standing still of the sun. It is the longest day of the year and the time when the sun is at its maximum elevation.

For Druids it has particular spiritual significance. Although Mark has been there before, joining thousands of other people, this will be the first time he has made it a pilgrimage.

Follow Mark's journey daily by listening to the audio below, plus check out his gallery of the walk...

Mark Graham

Listen: Summer Solstice

It was a long walk but he made it in time for sunrise at around 4.50am on Summer Solstice.

Mark spoke to BBC Leicester's John Florance from Stonehenge on Sunday 21 June...

Unfortunately, and not unusually, Mark didn't actually get to see the sunrise as it was too cloudy.

However there was no missing when it came, around 30,000 people provided "appropriate hollowing and whooping"!

Mark thinks it's great that Summer Solstice is now celebrated as a cultural event by many, as just 30 years ago it was hardly known.

The big crowds mean that any religious ceremonies, particularly ones reflective in nature, are generally left until later in the day when most people have dispersed.

"I think it's appropriate. The sun after all is the great light of the sky without which we'd all be in a bit of a mess.

"To have that energy there at that moment that goes 'yes we welcome you', 30,000 of us go wow. I think that's pretty terrific really."

Once getting to Stonehenge Mark didn't plan on staying around for long - he planned to get back to Charnwood for a local celebration on Beacon Hill.

Mark feels that his journey along The Ridgeway has given him a chance to connect with history and the landscape:

"I like to see that the pilgrimage I made was perhaps a pilgrimage others made 5500 years ago."

A Painted Lady

Listen: Friday 19 June

At midday on Friday Mark still hadn't quite reached Avebury. Instead he was on an Iron Age hill fort after being "waylaid by a second breakfast at a farmhouse café".

BBC Leicester's Monica Winfield spoke to Mark, who is now less than two days away from his final destination...

From where he was standing Mark could look back and see in the distance the point that they started the journey along The Ridgeway - about 85 miles away.

The wild flower meadows the group had been passing have given them a chance to see a large variety of "incredible" butterflies - including Painted Ladies, Woodland Browns, Peacocks and Red Admirals.

Weather forecasts suggest that the weekend should be bright, so now Mark just has to concentrate on actually getting himself to Stonehenge on time:

"It would be great wouldn't it to arrive just as the sun came up - quite an entrance!

"As long as I'm there before sunrise that's all that matters really. It would be a shame to walk all this way and miss it!"

Listen to John Florance on BBC Radio Leicester on Sunday 21 June between 06:00-09:00 to find out if Mark makes it!

White Horse Hill

Listen: Thursday 18 June

On Thursday Mark was about 75 miles along the route to Stonehenge, about 15 miles away from the stone circles at Avebury.

BBC Leicester's Monica Winfield found out how Mark was getting on...

In the morning they were up near the Uffington White Horse, but at at the time of speaking were about to cross over the M4 - not as peaceful as usual!

The huge horse image is carved out of chalk and can only be fully appreciated from a distance, "It makes you wonder how on earth they managed to create it.

"They must have had somebody down over the other end of the valley with a big sheet or something, waving it, 'right a bit, left a bit'."

The three travellers are now right in the middle of the ritual landscape which will include Avebury and Stonehenge.

Mark believes walking to the site along The Ridgeway like many pilgrims have done over thousands of years, will make this year's Summer Solstice so much more significant to him.

Mark Graham

Listen: Wednesday 17 June

On Tuesday night the trio had a bit of a badger watch, but despite hiding behind a tree for a few hours they unfortunately didn't spot one!

BBC Leicester's Martin Ballard spoke to Mark on the fifth day of his walk...

At this point the group were about an hours walk away from the Uffington White Horse.

The weather had been much colder and windier than previous days, but the rain had held off.

Mark said his blisters were feeling a bit better now after he was reduced to hobbling with a stick a couple of days ago.

"The whole idea of pilgrimage is to take time out from your normal life just to have space to reflect and to listen to the voice of the gods, and to connect with the landscape.

"This is a very different landscape to the landscape of Leicestershire - it's chalk and therefore you get fantastic orchids and wildflowers growing along the way."

Listen: Tuesday 16 June

On Monday night the landlord of a pub had kindly allowed the group to put their tent up in his garden - a handy position for a pint of beer!

Mark had just come out of the Thames valley when BBC Leicester's Monica Winfield spoke to him...

Today Mark had been eating wild strawberries and enjoying the sights of the natural world:

"The river almost had a mystic feel about it with all the rushes and reeds along the edge - very beautiful."

Unfortunately they didn't escape the bad weather entirely and got a bit wet last night, but it's important they press on:

"We're doing about 15 or 16 miles a day at the moment - which is no mean feat, carrying two stones of provisions with us.

"We won't pass any more villages now until we get to Avebury, so we're carrying four days worth of food and lots of water, so it's quite a challenge."

With 175 years between the three of them they're just hoping they all stay in one piece!

Red Kite

Listen: Monday 15 June

So far Mark and friends have travelled about 35 miles since starting out on Saturday.

BBC Leicester's Monica Winfield spoke to Mark about the sights so far...

There's  been plenty of opportunity for Mark to spot wild flowers and animals - including red kites:

"It's beautiful, really quiet - you're away from civilisation."

Carrying all of his camping equipment on his back has started to cause a few blisters, but he was coping with the discomfort.

Mark estimates they'll need to do about 12-15 miles a day to get there on time, as long as they keep the pace up!

His past experiences of the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge means he expects an eclectic mix of people - from little old ladies to men dressed inexplicably in armour!

Keep checking back here to follow Mark's journey to Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice!