THOUSANDS gathered in Stonehenge and Avebury today for the precious Winter Solstice to witness the sunrise on the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.

The winter solstice marks the point when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun.

A baying crowd flocked to the Avebury stone circle, eagerly awaiting the sunrise at 8.09am, sharing a hot drink, joining in with prayers, chanting, banging drums, ringing bells and rejoicing in the occasion.

Those who camped out were not disappointed as they were greeted with a spectacular pink sky before the sunrise before the sun eventually shone through after the clouds passed by.

Many had travelled from far and wide, none more so than Christian Harrison who had come especially from Salt Lake City for this event.

"I came over for this and it was completely worth it. It was a beautiful and really wonderful morning," said Mr Harrison, who came to the summer solstice of 2015.

"It is nice to just stop for a while, take your time and appreciate the beautiful world that we live in as it is very special."

Pagans from the local community gathered at the Neolithic monuments and said a few words about the importance of the solstice and nature.

Keeper of the stones and archdruid Terry Dobney said to the crowd: "It is good to see so many of you here today to witness this special occasion but I assume you could not get into Stonehenge.

"Nature gives us this beauty for free and we should rejoice and treasure that fact. Thank you all for coming and happy solstice."

Chief drummers Peter Knight and Sue Wallace from Calne arrived for the sunrise at 7.30am and said it was one of the best skies they had seen in many years.

"It really is a spectacular sight and one that I am very thankful for. I prefer the vibes and atmosphere you get in Avebury over Stonehenge. It is less of a scrum and more relaxed," said Mr Knight.

"We come here regularly and it does not disappoint. It is just a fabulous morning," she said.

Sophia James, from Devizes, added: "It was an amazing sky, really beautiful and the atmosphere is lovely and laid back. I do think that the National Trust should have opened their car park though as a lot of people walked down the main road in the dark to get here which is dangerous."

At Stonehenge some offered prayers to gods, while others sounded trumpets, drums and other musical instruments.

Visitors were seen rejoicing and embracing each other and kissing the stones, as the sun rose over Stonehenge at 8.13am.

Kate Davies from English Heritage, which looks after the prehistoric monument, said: "We were delighted to welcome approximately 5,000 people to Stonehenge to celebrate winter solstice this morning.

"It was a very enjoyable and peaceful celebration and the ancient stone circle was filled with the sound of drumming and chanting."

Although the entire day is typically considered to be the solstice, the precise moment it occurs is when the sun is directly over the line marking the latitude stretching across the southern hemisphere: the Tropic of Capricorn.

This year it is believed to have happened at 10.44am, according to science website earthsky.org

However, according to English Heritage the site was cleared by 10am to open for the general public, so people were not able to worship at the specific solstice time.