Glastonbury — Mystery of Avalon

Your journey begins at Chalice Well Gardens, a Scheduled Monument managed as a public garden since 1912. Here, the underground spring water, rich in iron, takes on a red hue due to iron oxide deposits. Legend associates this place with Joseph of Arimathea and the Holy Grail, although science attributes this coloration to local geology. The wellhead cover, designed by Frederick Bligh Bond in 1919, features a vesica piscis symbol. This site, at the foot of Glastonbury Tor, covers approximately 1 hectare, inviting you to explore the roots of the myths that have made Glastonbury famous.

Continue towards the Glastonbury Thorn, a Crataegus monogyna 'Biflora' whose original is said to have been planted by Joseph of Arimathea around 31 AD. This tree, which blooms twice a year in spring and winter, is a living relic. The original tree on Wearyall Hill was cut down in 1649 during the English Civil War, but cuttings have been distributed worldwide, like the one you will see. In 2010, the tree on Wearyall Hill was vandalized, but its tradition endures, attracting pilgrims for its anomalous December flowering, and reinforcing its connection to the Holy Grail story.

Your quest then leads you to Glastonbury Tor, a small hill rising 158 meters above sea level, topped by the ruins of St Michael's Tower. Known in medieval Welsh as 'Ynys yr Afalon' (Isle of Avalon), this name was first referenced by Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1136. The site features a prehistoric terraced landscape, interpreted by some as a zodiac pattern formed over millennia. From the summit, St Michael's Tower, built in the 14th century after the previous church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275, offers panoramic views over the Somerset Levels, asserting Glastonbury's position as a highlight of Southwest England's heritage.

Descend to Glastonbury Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded around 712 AD, whose ruins cover 36 acres, including church remains up to 85 meters long. Destroyed in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, the abbey is the legendary site of the burials of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, claimed discovered by monks in 1191. This place was also an early Christian settlement linked to St Patrick or Irish monks in the 5th-6th centuries, a testament to the antiquity of Christianity in England and a pillar of Glastonbury's history.

Finally, your journey concludes with a last visit to Glastonbury Tor, where you can once again contemplate St Michael's Tower, standing 16 meters tall despite its partial collapse. The original church was dedicated there in 1016 and destroyed by an earthquake on September 11, 1275. The site is also linked to alleged supernatural events, including the defeat of a demonic figure in local folklore from 1243. This walking tour will have allowed you to grasp the essence of Glastonbury, a town where historical facts mingle with legends, offering a unique experience of Southwest England's heritage and the Holy Grail site.