Glastonbury

Glastonbury is a town of 8,980 people (parish, 2021 census), set at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels. The ground that now looks like farmland was once wetland, and the Tor, which rises 158 metres above sea level, was an island in it. This is why the hill stands so sharply above the flat land around.

On the Tor, the three-storey tower of St Michael’s Church is all that survives of a 14th century building, which was demolished at the Dissolution in 1539 apart from the tower. The sides of the hill carry seven deep terraces, whose origin is still unexplained. The Tor is looked after by the National Trust, and paths were laid so visitors can reach the summit without damaging the terraces.

In town, Glastonbury Abbey was founded by Britons and dates to at least the early 7th century. The Abbot’s Kitchen and Lady Chapel remain well preserved. At the foot of the Tor, Chalice Well is a holy well with a spring in almost constant use for at least two thousand years, and a World Peace Garden since 2001. The Glastonbury Festival is held at Worthy Farm in the nearby village of Pilton, not in the town, and returns from 23 to 27 June 2027 after a fallow year in 2026. In November the town has its own illuminated carnival from 6.45pm on Saturday 21 November 2026, and the Glastonbury Frost Fayre brings stalls to the High Street on 28 November, with the Christmas lights switched on at 5pm. Staying here puts the abbey, the well and the Tor all within walking range of each other, with the open Levels beyond.