🔔  Glastonbury named a top five UK solstice spot — and the Summer Solstice is this Sunday

🔔  Mystery filming closes roads in Priddy and Wookey

🔔  Glastonbury Cemetery gets a proper new maintenance programme

🔔  Whitnell Corner crash blackspot to close for £4m roundabout

🔔  Priddy Folk Festival reveals its cracking 2026 lineup

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Glastonbury has been ranked fifth in the UK and 13th in the Northern Hemisphere as one of the best places to witness the summer solstice, according to new research by walking holiday specialists Inghams. The study scored 40 global locations on cloud cover, daylight hours, sunrise quality, altitude, local heritage and visitor infrastructure. Glastonbury Tor achieved a score of 54.3 out of 100, placing it just behind Amesbury — home to Stonehenge — which topped the UK table at 58.7.

Globally, the list was headed by Machu Picchu and Chichen Itza, but Glastonbury punched well above its weight. Inghams’ Laura Mason said the Tor’s combination of ancient spiritual history, its spectacular hilltop position and the clear views across the Somerset Levels make it genuinely one of the finest solstice spots anywhere in the world. The site draws druids, pagans, photographers and curious visitors every year for the longest day.

The summer solstice falls this Sunday, 21 June. Sunrise over the Tor will be at around 5am, and those who make the climb in the early hours should be treated to extraordinary views across the Levels — weather permitting. If you haven’t been to the Tor at dawn, this weekend is as good an excuse as any.

Do expect it to be busy. Glastonbury has always had a strong connection to the rhythms of the natural year, and the solstice draws crowds from well beyond the local area. Arrive early, dress warmly and take a flask. It’s worth it.

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An unnamed film or television production is closing roads in two Mendip villages this week, without revealing what they’re making. Minery Road in Priddy is closed today, Friday 19 June, for filming from 6am through to 10pm. The restrictions then move to Wookey, where High Street and Church Road will be shut on Sunday 22 and Monday 23 June — again from 6am to 10pm.

The closures are in place under a temporary traffic regulation order, but the production company has not been named and no details about the project have been disclosed. It’s the kind of thing that raises a few eyebrows and fuels plenty of speculation in the local pubs.

The Mendip area has form as a filming location. Wells Cathedral and its medieval streets have featured in various period dramas over the years, and Wookey Hole is another regular haunt for productions. There is no suggestion the current shoot is connected to either site, but the timing — closing quiet rural lanes across a long weekend — suggests something reasonably substantial is being filmed.

If you’re passing through Priddy today or through Wookey this weekend, plan an alternative route. And if you spot anything interesting going on, do let us know at [email protected] — we’d love to solve the mystery.

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Months of complaints about overgrown grass and unkempt conditions at Glastonbury Cemetery are finally being addressed. Specialist grounds maintenance contractors are due to start work during the week of 22 June, and a clear new maintenance schedule is now in place. The problems began when the previous cemetery warden retired in December 2025, and a new regular maintenance regime took several months to arrange.

The new programme sets out a straightforward schedule: two cuts and strims per month during the growing season, and one cut per month through winter. Designated wildflower sections will be protected and left to grow naturally, which reflects a broader Mendip trend towards supporting local biodiversity in public green spaces.

For many local families, the state of the cemetery had become a source of genuine distress — visiting a loved one’s grave only to find it surrounded by long, overgrown grass is upsetting, and the council has acknowledged that. The appointment of specialist contractors should mean the site is kept to a consistent and respectful standard going forward.

Glastonbury Town Council says it is committed to maintaining the cemetery properly, and the new regime should be up and running well before the end of the month.

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One of Somerset’s most notorious road junctions is getting a permanent fix. Whitnell Corner — where Bath Road (the B3139) meets the B3135 near West Horrington, just outside Wells — will close from Saturday 6 July for the construction of a new roundabout, funded by £4 million from the government’s road safety programme.

The statistics speak for themselves. Over the past 20 years, Whitnell Corner has been the scene of 67 recorded collisions, including 15 serious incidents and one fatality — earning it a grim reputation as one of the worst blackspots in the county. That track record secured the government funding, and Somerset Council has moved swiftly to appoint contractor Octavius to carry out the work.

Drivers will need to use alternative routes while the junction is closed, and Somerset Council will publish diversion details closer to the start date. The works are expected to be completed before the end of 2026. Once the roundabout is in place, it should significantly improve safety at what has been a dangerously unpredictable junction for decades.

For anyone who regularly uses Bath Road or the B3139, this is genuinely good news — even if the disruption will take some getting used to. The key date to put in your diary is Saturday 6 July.

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Priddy Folk Festival has announced its full lineup for 2026, and it’s packed with talent. The festival returns to Priddy village green from Friday 10 to Sunday 12 July, with headliners that include Irish traditional music giants Dervish, jazz-infused string quartet Melrose Quartet, Celtic-world fusion outfit Dallahan, Congolese-Irish roots band Kasai Masai, award-winning singer-songwriter Malin Lewis, and Northern Irish a cappella group the Henry Girls. It’s a genuinely diverse bill that spans folk’s many forms.

Free events running throughout the weekend include Morris dancing displays, Cornish dancing and circle dancing — all in and around the village green itself. Sunday’s highlight promises to be a spectacular procession featuring Fair Lady, a brand new giant puppet built in collaboration with local schoolchildren. There will also be a 30-piece Brazilian youth orchestra performing free of charge, which should be something rather special.

Priddy Folk has been going since 1991 and remains one of the most beloved events in the Mendip calendar. It’s run as a charity and has always worked hard to keep tickets affordable, which is why it attracts such a loyal following year after year. The combination of headline acts, free events and the setting — a genuine English village green in the heart of the Mendips — is genuinely hard to beat.

Tickets are available now at priddyfolk.org. Given how strong this lineup is, booking sooner rather than later is recommended. The festival is less than three weeks away.

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