Avebury road closures and parking restrictions for Summer Solstice

Travel plans for the Summer Solstice in Avebury have been announced today (8th June 2022) to ensure that people can enjoy the event safely while protecting the World Heritage Site as much as possible.

The council will close The Ridgeway at Overton Hill to vehicular traffic from Monday 13th June until Thursday 30th June. The area covered by the restriction will be from the Ridgeway’s junction with the A4 northwards to the junction with Byway AVEB5, and will include the car park area just off of the A4. The Ridgeway north of AVEB5 to near Hackpen Hill is currently closed to vehicles.

In addition to the closure of the Ridgeway, the High Street in Avebury will be closed to all vehicles other than residents from 06:00 on 20th June 2022 and will remain in force until 12 noon on 22nd June 2022.

Additional ‘No Waiting’ restrictions will be implemented from 06:00 on 19th June 2022 and will remain in force until 12 noon on 22nd June 2022 – vehicles parked illegally will be towed away.

The closure has been put in place after consultation with Avebury Parish Council and The National Trust, following concerns about damaging the landscape within the World Heritage Site.

Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport said, “We want people to be able to enjoy the Summer Solstice safely. Avebury is a beautiful area with World Heritage Status, and therefore it’s so important to protect and preserve it for generations to come.

“Following consultation with both The National Trust and Avebury Parish Council, we have taken the decision to close The Ridgeway from 13-30 June, following concerns about damaging the landscape within the site. This will help ensure Solstice celebrations can be managed appropriately.

“People preparing for the Summer Solstice should take note of these important restrictions so they can plan celebrations appropriately.”

English Heritage will be showing a live stream of the sunset and sunrise at Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice.

Further details on Stonehenge celebrations can be found here.