A Sacred Gap Year in Cymru: Summer Solstice on the Sacred Druids Tour

Every Sacred Druids Tour is unique.

The landscapes remain ancient, the stones continue their silent vigil across the mountains and coastlines of Cymru and the stories of the ancestors wait patiently to be told. Yet no two tours are ever the same, because each journey is shaped by the people who walk it.

This year's customised Summer Solstice Sacred Druids Tour was particularly special.

Whilst our tours are normally advertised with a minimum of six and a maximum of ten participants, I am always willing to create customised experiences when circumstances call for it. The core itinerary often remains similar but accommodation, meal plans, pacing and special opportunities can be adapted to create something deeply personal.

For this journey, we had the privilege of hosting two wonderful women from Australia.

Their story touched all of us.

Like many young Australians, they had dreamed of taking a gap year after university. However, life had other plans. Financial realities meant that while many of their friends travelled the world, they stayed home and built their lives. Careers were established, families raised, children nurtured into adulthood.

Then, decades later, they made a promise to themselves.

When the children were grown and independent, they would finally take their gap year.

And so, with hearts full of anticipation, they travelled halfway around the world to Wales.

Their sacred gap year had begun.

A Rainy Welcome to Wales

I collected our guests from Cardiff on a day that felt quintessentially Welsh. Rain drifted across the valleys while mist swirled around the mountain tops, obscuring distant views and adding an air of mystery to the landscape.

The excitement, however, was impossible to dampen.

To introduce them to the spirit of the land, our first stop was one of my favourite ancient sites in South Wales, a place that also features on our South and West Wales Sacred Druids Tour: Carreg Siglio, often known as the Rocking Stone.

Barefoot and grateful, we walked amongst the ancient stones. We circled the sacred space, followed the Dragon's Back and began the process of listening to the land.

Wales has a way of introducing herself gently.

Sometimes through sunshine.

Sometimes through rain.

Always through presence.

Before heading north, we stopped to gather supplies at the wonderful Coven Witches Tea Room, where we were welcomed with open arms, spellbinding tea and heartfelt hospitality.

Then it was onwards to Ynys Môn (Anglesey) our home for the next five nights.

Home on the Island of the Druids

Our base was a beautiful Welsh cottage, combining traditional charm with all the modern comforts needed to support a busy itinerary.

Each evening we returned to the most wonderful meals prepared by Jackie from Simply Homecooked. No matter how many sacred sites we visited or how many miles we walked, we were always greeted by delicious food and generous Welsh hospitality.

Needless to say, we went to bed happily stuffed every night.

The itinerary was full and, as always in Wales, slightly adapted according to the weather.

Solstice Dawn at Bryn Celli Ddu

The highlight of the tour and indeed one of the highlights of the year was the Summer Solstice celebration hosted by the Anglesey Druid Order.

The alarm clock sounded at 2.30am.

Long before dawn broke across the island, we made our way towards Bryn Celli Ddu. As we approached, the laneways were already lined with vehicles, evidence that many had come to witness this sacred moment.

Cloaked figures emerged from the darkness.

The sound of drums echoed through the early morning air.

Guided by a symphony of sacred drumming, participants entered the ceremonial space and gathered within the sacred circle.

As the ritual unfolded, anticipation built.

Then came the gift.

The horizon glowed.

And as the sun rose, its first rays travelled through the ancient passageway of the burial chamber.

This is not something that can be witnessed every year. Welsh weather often has its own plans. Yet on this Solstice morning, the gods and goddesses were smiling upon us.

The alignment was perfect.

The light was glorious.

The sacred and the practical met in a single breathtaking moment witnessed by hundreds.

For our Australian guests, it was an unforgettable experience.

Shenanigans with the Druids

The day was far from over.

Following the ceremony, our guests received a special invitation from Kristoffer Hughes to spend the remainder of the day with members of the Anglesey Druid Order.

Kristoffer described the day's activities simply as "shenanigans."

It proved to be the perfect description.

We visited Pili Palas Nature World, enjoyed lunch together in the sunshine, shared stories and laughter and later gathered at the Druids Circle in Menai.

There, members of the Order conducted a special ceremony marking the 200th anniversary of the passing of Iolo Morganwg, the controversial yet enormously influential figure often regarded as the father of modern Druidry.

The day concluded with a traditional Sunday roast at a centuries-old seaside tafarn.

By evening, everyone was ready for bed.

And rightly so.

We had already lived what felt like several days within a single one.

Mountains, Megaliths and Dragons

The days that followed were filled with exploration.

Ancient burial chambers.

Remote standing stones.

Mountain-top monuments that seemed less like archaeological remains and more like gateways between worlds.

Standing beside these towering megaliths, gazing across the mist-covered waters of the Irish Sea, it was easy to understand why our ancestors considered these places sacred.

At Llanddwyn Island, rain and wind tested our resolve as we searched the shoreline for the famous dragon egg stones. Muscles ached, faces stung from the weather and yet spirits remained high.

There is something deeply cleansing about Welsh weather when experienced fully.

One particularly memorable afternoon was spent at the Anglesey Druid Order headquarters with Ian, Kristoffer Hughes and Mhara Starling, sharing stories, laughter, knowledge, and community.

Then, as if by magic, the weather shifted.

The skies cleared.

The temperatures rose.

Summer arrived.

Following the Path of Taliesin

Our journey continued to Dinas Emrys, where we met the spirit of the Red Dragon at Merlin's Pool.

From there we travelled to Llyn Tegid for an evening unlike any other.

Beneath the sheltering branches of the Grandmother Oak, Dr. Gwilym Morus-Baird shared ancient stories interwoven with hauntingly beautiful song.

The setting sun filtered through the leaves.

The stories flowed.

Time seemed suspended.

The following day we traced the course of the River Dyfi towards Borth, where Gwilym guided us along the shoreline of the petrified forest and the ancient fish traps associated with the tale of Taliesin's arrival.

From there we climbed into the mountains to visit Taliesin's ceremonial site and his legendary grave.

The temperature reached a scorching 33 degrees.

Horseflies enthusiastically welcomed us.

Eventually, common sense prevailed and we retreated to a charming community-run café for refreshments and the remainder of the story.

Some adventures require shade.

Farewells and Transformations

Our final evening was spent sharing a farewell dinner with Gwilym and his family, reflecting on everything we had experienced together.

The following day, our journey south included a visit to a beautiful medieval village church where stunning stained-glass windows glowed beneath the shadow of a 13th-century tower.

Then came the inevitable moment.

Train station goodbyes.

Hugs.

Promises to stay in touch.

The closing of one chapter.

Every Sacred Druids Tour transforms those who attend.

Yet I have come to realise that it also transforms me.

Like the story of Ceridwen and Taliesin, transformation is woven into the very fabric of these journeys. It affects our guests, our storytellers, our hosts and the landscapes themselves.

Travelling with these two remarkable women never felt like work.

It felt like sharing a sacred holiday with friends.

I was privileged to witness their encounters with the land, their moments of wonder, their laughter, their challenges and their growing relationship with Cymru.

Their long-delayed gap year became something much more than a holiday.

It became a pilgrimage.

A homecoming to a land they had never before visited.

A reminder that dreams postponed are not dreams abandoned.

Sometimes they simply wait patiently until the moment is right.

And when that moment finally arrives, the journey can be all the more sacred for the waiting.

The stones remain.

The stories continue.

And somewhere in Australia, two women now carry a little piece of Wales in their hearts.