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Advice re: visiting Bath on weekend of Summer Solstice

Our original trip plans included four nights in London, two nights in Bath, and three nights in the Cotswolds. In Bath, I had planned to spend one day devoted to exploring Bath and the second day set aside for a "behind the ropes" tour of the inner circle of Stonehenge and visit to Avebury. One small problem....the days fall on the Summer Solstice which I can assume is a really busy time to visit. While we love history, we aren't big on crowds and have no interest in the possible mystic experience of being at the stones on solstice. Additionally, it appears from some of the Stonehenge Tour sites that there are no special access tours available during this time of year so that experience would not be available to us due to the timing of our visit.

Questions: Wthe town of Bath be especially crowded on the weekend of the solstice? (6/21 & 6/22) Would it be less crowded on the following Monday 6/23, and Tuesday 6/24?
Would it be better to head to the Cottswolds first and then end our trip in Bath? Should we skip the Bath/Salisbury area entirely? We wanted a restful few days before we returned home as this is the last leg of a 3 week trip to France and England. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by
1829 posts

Not been there during that period but I suspect that there would be no problem, Bath is 38 miles distance from Stonehenge. The Summer Solstice is no biggie for most people and the sort of people who attend the ceremonies (ie Druids and their New Age colleagues) would be unlikely to stay or sightsee in Bath during their visit. If there was to be an impact on nearby cities Salisbury, which is 10 miles away, is more likely to be affected. I stand to be corrected.

Posted by
12315 posts

I would expect Bath to be fine.

If you want to see Stonehenge, and you're not interested in crowds of druid/pagan wannabes - which I personally think would be priceless people watching - I'd plan the next weekend. The behind the ropes tours will be out because they let the reenactors(?) take over on the solstice.