River Avon, June Summer Solstice
A pilgrimage is more than an event. It’s a collective act of remembrance and relationship. To walk is be part of a movement, connect with each other, the river and the landscape we share.
Our 2026 Summer Solstice Pilgrimage was incredibly special, with over 200 people attending in total, and a core group of 50 people consistently walking for two days. We covered over 30 miles, with various performances, poems, songs and stories fuelling the journey.
Our journey took us from Pill, where our Avon meets the Severn, through Bristol, learning stories of our shared history and culture along the way. We swam, sauna-ed and feasted together at camp in Conham River Park where we stayed up singing round the fire to see in the longest day of the year.
Day 2 took us 16 miles further, retracing ancestral steps and remembering how to belong in community , alongside water, to Bath, where we closed the day by the sacred springs, welcomed by songs and seasonal snacks from our Bath guardians.
Gallery of Photos from our 2026 Pilgrimage
Here are some pilgrim reflections:
“I have a good feeling about the contrast between the quiet flow of the day and that magical coalescence of talent and energy and wonder as we shared the solstice. The pilgrimage flowed like a river.”
“Nattering about all the good things with many bright folk. Dragons and eels and funky processions.”
“I have cried three times today with tears of hope and joy about our time together.”
Meg and Hamish continued walking towards the source, scouting the route for next year’s two day pilgrimage, until storms and heatwaves forced them to stop. It has never felt like a more pertinent time to be part of a movement like We Are Avon.
Mrs Meg Avon’s first pilgrimage, the week before her wedding to the river:
Next year, and every year, we will begin where we left off and walk for two days towards the source, improving access and building a relationship with our river that is mostly inaccessible to us.
Occassionally we will be forced to tresspass to keep following the river, if you don’t feel comfortable doing this, this may not be the walk for you.
There will always be the option to continue walking after the set two days if you feel moved to – once you start it is sometimes hard to stop..
