The Glastonbury to Stonehenge Pilgrimage 4-Day Trek 2022

When can I go?

8 September - 11 September 2022	On Sale
Duration	4 days

8 September - 11 September 2022

On Sale

Duration

4 days

What does it cost?

The Glastonbury to Stonehenge Pilgrimage 4-Day Trek 2022

For a limited time only, we're introducing £1 registration fees for all Dream Challenges in 2022 and 2023 and up to 15% off your tour costs for early 2023 challenges!*

Due to the glowing success of our first Glastonbury to Stonehenge Pilgrimage, we’re excited to bring back our epic 4-day trek in 2022!

This 90km challenge takes in a stunning variety of spiritual sites, gives us enthralling insight into the original pilgrimage and treats us to spectacular panoramas of rolling countryside, iron-age hillforts and ancient architecture.

Tune into your spiritual side on this enlightening pilgrimage from the Pagan town of Glastonbury to the sun-loving Stonehenge.

We’ll wind along part of the ancient Celtic Way, which dates back thousands of years and reflects the routes of the Neolithic peoples as they carried sacred blue stones from the Preseli Mountains in Wales to the Salisbury Plains.

Following a trail so old it is no longer marked by a path, we’ll encounter Christian, Pagan and pre-historic sites, all swimming in myths and mystery. We’ll trek on footpaths, tracks and some quiet country roads, over a mix of fantastic terrains that give us the best of the southern countryside.

Starting in Glastonbury Town Centre, we'll climb the iconic Glastonbury Tor. Watch your feet here, as the hill apparently hides a cave to the Celtic fairy kingdom of Annwyn, home to the lord of the underworld!

We'll become ever more enlightened, as we hike through the thriving Roman town of Shepton Mallet, home to Brothers’ Ciders and Mulberry and on to the narrow, medieval streets of Bruton.

Then, we'll get the chance to follow the Celtic path through the famous Longleat Forest and much more of the ancient Salisbury Plains, before visiting one of its very best-preserved Roman villages, Knook Castle.

The greatly acclaimed archaeologist and broadcaster, Mark Corney, who has contributed several times to the Channel 4 series “Time Team”, will meet us at two key points along the way. Having worked with the Royal Commission for Historic Monuments of England as the former Senior Landscape Investigator, he knows his stuff. He’ll reveal the secrets of the ancient Knook Castle hill-fort and the World Heritage Site, Stonehenge.

We'll end our eye-opening challenge with a tour of Stonehenge. From here, our coach will take us back to Glastonbury.

* Terms & Conditions apply. View here .

The £1 registration fee offer applies to all challenges departing from 1st September 2022 to 31st December 2023.
When you pay £1 to book a challenge departing in 2022, the remaining registration fee will be added to your balance that is due by 12 weeks before departure. For example, if the advertised registration fee is £349 and challenge cost is £1,950, you will pay £1 today and £348 + £1,950 at 12 weeks before departure.
When you pay £1 to book a challenge departing in 2023, the remaining registration fee must be paid by 30th September 2022 to have your place confirmed. For example, if the registration fee is £349, you will pay £1 today and £348 by 30th September 2022.
The £1 down payment and remaining registration fee paid is non-refundable as per the normal booking conditions.
Your place will be cancelled if payments aren't made by the deadlines.
The £1 registration fee offer is only valid until 6pm on the 15th August 2022.
When booking a challenge departing between 1st January and 31st March 2023, you will receive £320 discount from your challenge balance due 12 weeks before departure. For example, if your challenge has a registration fee of £349 and a challenge cost of £1,950, you would pay £1 today, £348 by 30th September 2022, and £1,630 by 12 weeks before departure.
The £320 discount on early 2023 challenges offer is only valid for bookings made by 30th September 2022.

Your itinerary

Day 1
Glastonbury – Bruton | approx. 28km

Our knights first assemble at St Dunstan’s car park at 7.30am, but if you’re driving, please get in touch with us to request parking details. We are arranging four-day parking at another car park for participants, included in your challenge costs.

Our coach then takes us to meet all our non-drivers at St Dunstan's car park, next to the magnificent Glastonbury Abbey.

Breakfast isn’t provided today, so please fuel up before you arrive or bring it with you to enjoy before we commence our trek.

After our exciting challenge briefing, we set off to climb the legendary Glastonbury Tor, a magnet for Christians and Pagans alike. Reaching the striking ruins of St Michael’s church at the top (approx. 158m/518ft), we’re rewarded with an unbeatable view over the town.

Although inland, Glastonbury is widely associated with the Isle of Avalon, an island of spirits, where King Arthur ventured after his last battle. He and Guinevere were apparently buried in the Abbey grounds.

Descending from the Tor, we leave Glastonbury, trekking through lush, rolling fields and along country lanes to Shepton Mallet. Once an important stop on the Roman road, Fosse Way, it’s also the home of the fashion house, Mulberry and the cider maker, Brothers.

After a well-deserved lunch break, we push on along the ancient Celtic Path to the small medieval town of Bruton.

Located in a valley on the beautiful River Brue, Bruton hosts historic chapels and houses, along with modern arts and crafts shops. Here, we find our coach and transfer to our hotel for our first group dinner and a good night’s rest.

Day 2
Bruton – Warminster | approx. 24km

Waking at our hotel, we board our coach back to Bruton and resume our journey along the original pilgrimage trail.

Winding our way out of the town, we embark on the hilliest stretch of our trek. The ancient path leads us along undulating footpaths, tracks and some minor roads across all sorts of terrains.

The hike might be tough, but it gives us the best experience of the Somerset countryside we could ask for, before we reach the border to Wiltshire. Lying on the county border, we find our lunch stop at the small town of Horningsham.

Back on our feet, we trek through the rolling hills, valleys and ancient woodland of Longleat, famous for its Estate and safari park.

We leave the forest for a last stretch to our accommodation in Warminster on the edge of the famous Salisbury Plain, where we settle down for dinner.

Day 3
Warminster – Berwick St James | approx. 24km

After two long days of hiking, we’ve earned ourselves a slightly later start this morning. We fuel up with a big breakfast and then continue our trek straight from our hotel.

This stretch of the ancient pilgrimage heads North East, before winding through small countryside communities to our lunch stop in Heytesbury.

Although hilly, our steepest climbs are behind us and we continue through fields and forests to the historic chalk plateau, Salisbury Plain.

We spend the rest of the afternoon crossing the plain along the edge of the Imber Range. Keep your eyes peeled, as if we’re lucky, we may see some of the military tanks and planes on a training exercise.

Pressing on, we reach the fascinating Iron Age hillfort of Knook Castle. This landmark not only gives us exquisite panoramas over the plain, but also hosts one of the best-preserved Roman villages in the area.

Today, we are joined by expert archaeologist, Mark Corney, who will open our eyes to the lives of the original settlers and the ancient archaeology here.

Heads full of historical insight, we trek on to the small village of Chitterne and then continue south on the Celtic Way until we reach our coach near the river-side village of Berwick St James and transfer to our hotel.

Day 4
Berwick St James – Stonehenge – Amesbury | approx. 14km

Rise and shine to our last day trekking. You’ll be pleased to know that we’ve saved our shortest day until last.

Boarding our coach after breakfast, we return to Berwick St James and continue hiking through the folds of Salisbury Plain.

We take in the vast grasslands and more of the surrounding hillforts, before a final small climb leads us to our epic ending point: Stonehenge.

Here, Mark Corney treats us to a guided tour of the world-famous blue rocks, some carried from Wales so long ago. As one of the leading archaeologists at Stonehenge, there really is nothing worth knowing that Mark cannot tell us.

After lunch at Stonehenge, we board our coach back to Glastonbury and arrive in the early evening. Here, we part ways and you make your own way home, no doubt excited to book your next Dream Challenge.

Book my place

What is included?

Your registration fee (£149) and challenge costs (£650) include:

Four days/three nights parking - please get in touch for details.
All coach transfers with luggage transportation and toilet facilities aboard.
Accommodation on a twin-sharing basis*.
Meals throughout the challenge, except for breakfast on Day 1.
Stonehenge entrance fee.
Coach transfer from Amesbury back to Glastonbury at the end of our challenge.
Full event management and support - the Dream Team are on hand from the moment you sign up for the challenge to provide any help you may need and answer any questions.
A team of outdoor remote first-aid trained challenge guides with a comprehensive remote first aid kit.
Carefully mapped out route, following the original Celtic Way as closely as possible.
Expert archaeological and historic guidance along the way from Channel 4 Time Team's Mark Corney.
Celebration lunch at the end of our challenge.
Glastonbury to Stonehenge Pilgrimage 4-Day Trek 2022 medal and t-shirt.

*Accommodation is included on a twin-sharing basis. However, if you would rather have a room to yourself, please get in touch with us at least 8 weeks before the challenge and we can arrange this for you for an additional price.

Can I pay a single supplement for my own room?

Certainly. Our hotel accommodation is included in your challenge cost on a twin-sharing basis.

However if you would prefer to have a room to yourself and pay for a single supplement, we'll be happy to arrange this for you at an additional cost.

If you would like a single supplement, please get in touch by emailing us at events@dream-challenges.com or call us on 01590 646410 at least 8 weeks before the challenge (Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm).

What other costs will I pay?

In addition to paying your registration fee (£149) and either paying your challenge costs (£650) or fundraising the minimum sponsorship target (£1,300), you'll need to budget for your:

Personal travel insurance.
Personal expenses and gratuities.
Transport to and from our start/finish point in Glastonbury.
Breakfast is not provided on Day 1, so you'll need to bring that with you or eat beforehand.
Our accommodation is included on a twin-sharing basis, but you may choose to pay for a single supplement. Please email us at events@dream-challenges.com 8 weeks before the challenge for details and we can arrange this for you at an additional price.

Do I need special equipment?

Please bring your own water bottle (at least 2L) and you must wear comfortable hiking boots with adequate support for your ankles.

All meals are provided, but you may want to bring your own breakfast to enjoy before we start our trek on Day 1 and any snacks you want to nibble on along the way.

How fit do I have to be?

This pilgrimage is no walk in the park, but certainly suitable for ramblers and anyone looking for a challenge this summer.

We'll conquer approx. 90km in four days, so we recommend that you're used to walking long-distance when you enter the challenge and can keep up to the pace of 5km (3 miles) per hour, nine hours per day.

I'm worried about signing up on my own...

Please don't be! The majority of people will sign up on their own and our Dream Challenges are renowned for the amazing camaraderie and lifelong friendships made as our groups take on these incredible feats together.

Once you've signed up for the challenge, we'll send you a link to a private Facebook group for everyone registered for the The Glastonbury to Stonehenge Pilgrimage 4-Day Trek 2022.

Please feel free to use this space to swap questions, advice and updates with your fellow trekkers on your training and fundraising.

You may also want to reach out to the fellow participants in this group to see if there's anyone in your local area you can meet up to train and fundraise with.

Can we join as a team?

Absolutely. We encourage solo trekkers and teams alike to join us for the pilgrimage.

Our Dream Challenges are renowned for their camaraderie, so it's a fantastic opportunity to strengthen bonds between teammates and/or make new friends there.

Join us with your friends and family or take it on as a corporate challenge and show your commitment to corporate social responsibility while having the time of your life. You could even take this opportunity to raise funds for your charity of the year.

Do you have to carry your own equipment?

Our private coach will follow us all the way and we'll have access to the vehicle at every rest stop, so you can keep all your luggage in there.

We recommend carrying a small day bag with you as we walk, to keep your water bottle (ideally at least two litres) and phone/camera, along with any other personal items you want to hand.

How do I get there?

For those of you driving to the event, we are arranging 4-days parking for participants, included in your challenge costs. Please get in touch for the car park details.

From there, our coach will drive us to our challenge starting point at St Dunstan's car park in Glastonbury, next to the abbey entrance.

If you're not driving, you are welcome to meet us at St Dunstan's, which has fantastic transport connections.

By Car
From the M5 - Take Junction 23 and follow signs to Glastonbury.

From the M4 - Either follow M4 until the M5 exit and follow above directions, or take M4 Junction 18 (A46) and follow signs to Bath, then take the A367 towards Shepton Mallet, then the A361 to Glastonbury.

From the M3 - Take M3 to Junction 8 (A303), head along until you reach either the B3151 (signs to Glastonbury and Street), A37 (signs to Shepton Mallet, picking up signs to Glastonbury) or A371 (signs to Shepton Mallet, picking up signs to Glastonbury) and follow signs.

By Train
The nearest train station to Glastonbury is Castle Cary (on the London Paddington to Plymouth line). Transport to Glastonbury is only by taxi from here.

Alternatives are to travel to Bristol Temple Meads, Bath or Taunton. Onward travel can be via public service bus.

For accurate train times and information, please visit the First Great Western website.

By Bus
First Group provides services to Glastonbury - the 376 from Bristol and the 29 from Taunton - please visit their website to view their timetables and associated information.

Where can I park?

For those of you driving to the event, we are arranging 4-days parking for participants, included in your challenge costs. Please get in touch for the car park details.

From there, our coach will drive us to our challenge starting point at St Dunstan's car park in Glastonbury, next to the abbey entrance.

Where can I stay the night before the challenge?

If you want to stay in Glastonbury the night before and/or after the challenge, there are loads of accommodation options ranging in price. See the top ten rated hotels on Trip Advisor here.

We advise that you look into what precautions they have in place to protect you from coronavirus before booking. This handy guide from Healthline will help inform your choice of accommodation.

How do I get back to Glastonbury from Amesbury?

We'll transfer back to Glastonbury in our private coach at the end of the challenge after our celebration dinner in Amesbury (included in your challenge cost).

You are, of course, also welcome to say goodbye to the group at Amesbury and make your own way home from there.

Where will we sleep overnight?

We will stay in comfortable hotels on a twin sharing basis* throughout the challenge.

Our accommodation will be required to pass COVID-19 hygiene and cleanliness checks as part of our health and safety protocols.

*Our accommodation is included on a twin-sharing basis, but you can pay a single supplement of £250 for your own room

Is there a minimum/maximum age limit?

You need to be 18 years old or over to take part in The Glastonbury to Stonehenge Pilgrimage. There's no maximum age limit. One of the amazing things about this challenge is that it brings adults of all ages and from all walks of life together for one amazing event.

16 and 17-year olds may participate if given permission by the event organisers. Please get in touch with us to discuss this. Simply email events@dream-challenges.com and we'll be happy to help.

The Glastonbury to Stonehenge Pilgrimage 4-Day Trek 2022

When can I go?

What does it cost?