Legend has it that Glastonbury is the one-time Isle of Avalon; King Arthur's final resting place. True or not, the town has a palatable mystical quality that makes one want to believe. I had the opportunity to visit Glastonbury 30 years ago and was pleased to see that the spirit of the town hadn't changed when I was able to return in May 2017. That first trip inspired my novel "Waiting."
Traveling on my own, I prefer hotels whose locations support walking excursions and have some history. There is plenty of history in Glastonbury and The George & Pilgrim's Hotel at 1 High Street has seen much of it.
This was originally lodging for pilgrims visiting the Glastonbury Abbey in the 1400s and has been both a pub and inn for hundreds of years. There are stories of hauntings by pilgrims and monks. I stayed in the newer section and didn't see anything odd but woke multiple times to the strangest sounds. Ghosts? Who knows.
The creaky winding staircase leading up from the ancient feeling pub at night makes it easy to believe in ghosts.
This location is ideal for shopping at the crystal stores and spiritual book shops. The proprietors at these shops are very happy to sit and chat. I purchased a crystal for my wife at Cat & Cauldron and a painting by the artist Patrick Gamble which I saw in a shop window at (possibly at The Mystic Garden). I'd encourage you to check out Patrick's website as his story really captures the mystical feeling of Glastonbury.
Directly across the street from the hotel was a courtyard featuring Assembly Rooms advertising free talks on spiritual topics that were open to the public. I had a pretty aggressive itinerary to walk the streets, spend time at the Abbey ruins and climbing the Tor but if I could come back for longer, I certainly would check these out. If I could also bring my wife, Cyndi, they would be a must-do.
I did have a few minutes to sit in the sun at a table in front of the George & Pilgrim's to listen to a street performer singing and playing a variety of medieval type instruments in the entryway to the Assembly Rooms courtyard. That and a cold beer was a great way to kill 30 minutes before hitting the streets again.
My first visit was to the ruins of the Glastonbury Abbey. Again, legend suggests that this Abbey was built on the site of the first Christian church in England, founded by none other than Joseph of Arimathea. The monks have kept a thorn tree growing in the courtyard for over a thousand years thought to have been an offshoot of Jesus's crown of thorns planted by Joseph. For 700 years, Glastonbury was the richest and most powerful abbey in England. It was finally brought down by King Henry VIII during the Dissolution of Monasteries in the 1500s.
The roped off area shown in the center of the above image marks a spot where 12th century monks reportedly exhumed the skeletons of tall royal figures, man and woman, and proclaimed to be the bodies of King Arthur & Queen Guinevere. Most historians pass this off as a money raising stunt but one can never be too sure. The Arthur legends are pretty strong in the area.
The ruins and the accompanying museum are fascinating if you are interested in the history of both England and Christianity. I spent plenty of time just sitting in various spots and absorbing the energy of the place. I'm not by nature a very spiritual person but there really is something special there.
The walk thru town was fascinating so I took the long way to the Tor. These few images don't do the town justice but look for the Chalice Well and some of the back, out of the way, entrances to the park around the Tor.
This courtyard really caught my eye. It has a true European look and feel.
I walked around the base of the Tor on Friday afternoon but didn't want to scale the hill as dusk was falling. The images below convey the Tolkien-esque feeling of the area. I wouldn't have been surprised if I stumbled across a Hobbit's round door.
The walk up the Tor on Saturday morning to St. Michael's Tower was challenging at points (for those of us with old knees) but worth it. I tried to imagine that the chapel dates back to King Arthur's time (6th century) but archaeological evidence puts the first signs of building in the 10th century. The tower was built in the 14th century.
The view from the top is breathtaking and you can see how the region might have looked 1,500 years ago when it was an island in an inland sea. I spent my time at the Tower with 2 families that clearly shared a spiritual bond with the energy of Avalon. Watching them go thru yoga-like poses as they "tuned in" was interesting. I'm not sure how successful they were but they walked down the hill smiling.
My time in Glastonbury was much too short as I had to get back to London at a decent hour to prepare for real-life business meetings on Monday. However, I did give myself enough time to take some back roads and experience more of Somerset. Of particular interest to this King Arthur enthusiast was Cadbury Castle. Cadbury is one of the most credible candidates for the legendary Camelot. It overlooks the Cam River and one can piece together bits of legend to see how Arthur's final battle at Camlaan could easily have been fought in the shadows of this hilltop fortress.
While there are no walls or visible indications of a building any longer, you can still walk around the ramparts of the former castle to get a feel for the view and power this place must have had in the 4th-6th centuries. Glastonbury (the Isle of Avalon) is just over the horizon. Not an unreasonable journey with the body of the slain king.
I set off for London from Cadbury taking what I believed was the most expedient route looking to get back to the hotel before dark. I was totally caught off guard by the sign that said "Stonehenge - Turn Right". Hard to pass that up...
I'd been to Stonehenge on my visit 30 years prior when you literally pulled into a gravel parking lot 25 yards from the stones; right off the highway. There is now a park entryway and a relatively stiff fee requiring a bus trip from the visitor center to the site. Worth it in my book...
The Visitor Center exhibits add a whole new level of understanding to this 5,000 year old monument. You can't walk into the rings as you could 30 years ago but a walk around is still worth it.
All in all, this was a great trip thru the centuries experiencing parts of Britain that witnessed so much before written history came to the United States. If you can handle the driving thru 2-way streets scarcely wider than my rented compact car, being on your own vs. a tour offers so much more opportunity for the exceptional find. There is so much more to see that I'm planning a week long trip just to soak up the history and immerse myself in the stories.
I look forward to any comments, shared stories or questions. Thanks!!
Vince
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