Stonehenge Ancients Day Pilgrimage

We've all heard of Stonehenge – some may have seen it from their car, or even visited it, perhaps further still at solstice sunrise, when it is most highly active. But have you ever walked its prehistoric landscape to experience the great stone circle in its full glory? If doing so is on your wish list, then this is a pilgrimage for you.

Join Guy Hayward to begin at Woodhenge, an enigmatic Neolithic timber circle. Some believe it was aligned with the moon, or was a place of ancestral and ceremonial offerings.

From Woodhenge, we walk towards Durrington Walls, a colossal henge enclosure more than 500 metres across. We will continue onward to the high spine of King Barrow Ridge, a striking line of Bronze Age burial mounds laid out like vertebrae along the chalk escarpment. These mounds, built between 2000 and 1600 BCE, contained elite individuals—perhaps tribal leaders or priest-kings—and were positioned facing east, toward the rising sun. We then take a turn onto The Avenue, a serpentine ceremonial route designed to connect the River Avon to Stonehenge itself, and is the best way to arrive.

Stonehenge itself is constructed in multiple stages from roughly 3000 to 1600 BCE, its architecture reveals astronomical precision. We won't be able to go and touch the stones due to changing rules (apart from the Heel Stone), but we will get close enough for you to be satisfied you have been there. These stones were arranged to frame the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset. This was not just a burial site or temple but a cosmic engine, a place of seasonal attunement and ancestral invocation. The bluestones—dragged over 150 miles from the Preseli Hills of Wales—tell of a people for whom no toil was too much for true connection.

From this circle, we will continue on to the Cursus Barrows, a series of burial mounds that seem to flank and revere the neighbouring Stonehenge Cursus—a vast linear earthwork stretching over two kilometres. We walk its full length to the final, quieter destination: the Cuckoo Stone. We will touch this and other stones along our way.

Our pilgrimage will be conversation between you and land, and land and cosmos, walking and singing an ancient song of alignment through the actions of our bodies.

For a more detailed written description look here.
‍

FAQ’s

Travel arrangements? Bus: Salisbury Reds services 8 & X5; Stagecoach Swindon 5 (Sun only). Train: Salisbury, 9 miles by taxi. Car park at Woodhenge or Amesbury Central (a walk from there).

Who can come? Anyone over 18 (or under 18 with parental guidance, bearing in mind the walking distance).

Is this religious? All and no-faiths are equally welcome. We operate a “Bring Your Own Beliefs” policy. We ask that all participating pilgrims tolerate one another, whatever their beliefs.

Can I come if I can't afford it? We offer a number of free or subsidised places to those in need, on a case-by-case basis, please contact info@britishpilgrimage.org.

If I'm a school teacher, can I come for free? Yes, we offer free places to teachers, particularly if they are interested in introducing pilgrimage to their students.

Will I be asked to share my feelings with the group? We like to keep things light and breezy, so there will be no group emotional sharing moments. If you want to share your feelings in personal conversation when walking with others that is up to you, but certainly not compulsory.

Are there fitness limitations? Pilgrimage is moderately intense. If you struggle to walk all day, this type of pilgrimage may be an unsuitable activity for you right now. We will walk slowly, and start early, and 7 miles is a manageable distance for the majority of people, although it is not nothing. Unfortunately this pilgrimage is not suited for mobility-impaired people or those requiring wheelchair access.

Can I bring my dog? Sadly not - we can’t accommodate dogs on our guided pilgrimages. However, if you have a registered assistance dog, they are welcome.

What does my money go towards? The British Pilgrimage Trust is a charity, and profits raised from this limited space event will enable our team to make it possible for everyone, of all means, to make pilgrimage themselves. We will also distribute some of the ticket price to local organisations from whom we have benefitted along the path. For more details about our charitable activities, please check here.

We hope to see you on the path.
If you would like to make a donation in addition to, or in place of, a ticket, click here.
To hear about our other guided pilgrimage events in the future, please sign up to our e-newsletter.