Places

Wiltshire has always enjoyed a good solstice celebration and the Winter Solstice is no exception.

Inside the lit horse

In Alton Barnes, over the last few years, the marking of the year's shortest day and longest night has gone far from unnoticed by locals.

In fact the tradition of 'ringing out the old' and welcoming the return of the sun can be seen from as far away as Woodborough and one year even had the 'Wiggly Bus' stopped in the road so passengers could get a good view of this rare sight..

But a good view of what?  Well, the lighting up of the white horse chalk figure which overlooks the famous crop circle fields of Alton Barnes.

It's an old tradition that used to see every white horse in Wiltshire lit by candles but now only the white horse at Alton Barnes is candle lit to see in the new sun.

Candles are placed at sunset

Every year, since 2001, up to 50 people have set off from Knap Hill car park and made the climb up to the white horse.  Armed with hundreds of jam jars and night lights, the candles have been arranged around the outline of the horse ready for lighting just as the sun sets and the daylight starts to fade.

For organiser Melanie Gambrill the effect is dramatic:

"Once the horse is fully alight... many of the people who've lit the horse head down to the bottom of the hill to see the spectacle in all its glory.

"It is a magical sight - the horse twinkling against the dark sky, as if it's just about to take flight!"