English Traditions along the Great West Way

There’s nothing England loves more than upholding traditions - however weird and wonderful they may be. Because of this you can never be sure who you’ll meet along the Great West Way... 

You might run into dancing Morris Men waving handkerchiefs on May Day, people racing frying pans on Pancake Day or even a boatload of red-breasted Royal Swan Uppers - tagging fluffy grey cygnets as property of the crown. 

One major tradition, celebrated with fantastic firework displays and bonfires in most villages, towns and cities throughout the touring route, is Guy Fawkes' Night on 5 November. It marks the day Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot, to blow up the Houses of Parliament, was foiled in 1605. 

Summer and Winter Solstice are both celebrated annually at Stonehenge and Avebury. The longest and shortest days of the year are welcomed with a ceremonial greeting of the sun and much merriment. Did you know? The Heel Stone at Stonehenge is thought to have been built to align with the sunrise on the Summer Solstice. 

There are also many smaller, more localised events that can be fascinating to observe. Mummers Plays, for instance. These folk plays, usually staged on Christmas Eve, with a plot focusing on the legend of St George, have been entertaining the masses since the 18th century. Lacock is a great place to see one. 

Fun Fact: People from Wiltshire are colloquially known as ‘Moonrakers’. The mystical-sounding name originates from when smugglers immersed contraband barrels of brandy and other booze in a local lake. Caught trying to retrieve them by excise men, they pretended they were just simple locals, scraping cheese from the moon’s reflection on the water.