Sunrise in Gloucester at the summer solstice will be at 04.49 whether or not it's not hidden by clouds. The plan is to make our way to the eastern end of the church in time to see the sun rise. Those on foot should be able to hear the dawn chorus announcing their progress up the hill.
I have very,very rarely been up and out at this time. I have made some investigation of sunrise and its accompanying phenomena.
To start with the basics. "Dawn" is when the sky begins to lighten. "Sunrise" follows later when the sun becomes visible over the horizon. The "summer solstice" marks the day when the sun rises highest in the sky and hopefully stays with us longest. The solstice is celebrated by thousands of pagans across the world who believe in the sun’s power and celebrate summer for its association with life and fertility. Pagans, and also Celts, traditionally light bonfires to add to the sun’s energy.
More scientific things
Earth shadow is a name for for the shadow that the Earth itself casts on its atmosphere. This shadow is often visible as a dark band in the sky near the horizon. This atmospheric phenomenon can sometimes be seen twice a day, around the times of sunset and sunrise.Assuming the sky is clear, the Earth's shadow is visible in the opposite half of the sky to the sunset or sunrise, and is seen right above the horizon as a dark blue band.
The Belt of Venus or "anti-twilight arch" is a pink band that is visible above the dark blue of the Earth's shadow, in the same part of the sky.
No defined line divides the Earth's shadow and the Belt of Venus; one colored band blends into the other in the sky
There is a small car park beside the church. There are also several walking routes up. The trailhead co-ordinates given are for our favoured route where there is some roadside parking or a supermarket car-park not too far away.
make your way up by whatever means to gather at the eastern end of the church where there should be a good view weather permitting.