Stanwick Lakes launches new solstice celebration

Summer Solstice at Stanwick Lakes is a new annual celebration inspired by ancient seasonal traditions, heritage crafts and the natural landscape of the Nene Valley. 

Sitting in the Nene Valley, Stanwick Lakes has over 5,000 to 10,000 years of human activity uncovered through excavation. Some of the finds at the site include Neolithic long barrows (c. 37.00-3500 BC), Bronze Age burial mounds, Iron Age settlements a Roman villa and later Saxon and medieval sites. This unique landscape has been continuously occupied and has been of significant social and economic importance throughout the centuries.

Since the Nene Valley has been populated since the Neolithic period, it is likely to have had many ritual uses which were a common part of prehistoric cultural practices. While there is no direct evidence of solstice ceremonies at Stanwick Lakes, the celebration will acknowledge how prehistoric communities across Britain often marked seasonal cycles such as midsummer.

Drawing inspiration from these cultural traditions, the celebration on Saturday 20th June will reflect on the importance of the sun and the balance of nature, reconnecting visitors with the landscape and seasonal rhythms with events, workshops, and a unique opportunity to swim in the lake after dark. Roman re-enactments will give visitors a glimpse into the Roman world, and the Northampton Pagans will be exploring the deeper meaning of the solstice with visitors, explaining ancient beliefs and traditions. The Bifrost Guard Viking camp will also be on-site to teach visitors how communities across history have celebrated the power of the sun.

The heritage team at Stanwick Lakes are looking forward to sharing their heritage craft skills with demonstrations such as pole lathe woodworking and traditional textile techniques, and volunteer experts from the Northampton Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers will be using ancient materials and natural dye to produce traditional textiles. The event will continue late into the evening with Solstice craft activities, and will end with an after-dark swim in the lake under the midsummer sky.

Entrance to the festival is free, with usual parking charges. Some of the evening events are ticketed and will incur booking fee. The Rockingham Forest Trust, which manages the site, hopes that this new event will highlight the historical importance of the site, and remind people how in balance nature is with seasonal rhythms and the cultural significance of the site throughout history.

The Summer Solstice Event will take place on Saturday 20thJune. For further information, please visit the website: Solstice at Stanwick Lakes | Stanwick Lakes | Nature, Heritage, Adventure