Welcome to Glastonbury

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Glastonbury - Britain's most legendary town - possesses a vibe like no other place in the country. Drawing people from a breadth of backgrounds and a wide variety of beliefs, Glastonbury trully is a cosmopolitan place to visit and explore.

Ancient trees planted by the Druids of old, Faery portals into magickal realms, mystical springs with reputed healing properties, historical buildings of religious significance and New Age shops offering a plethora of tools and books to aid in personal growth and awareness all await the visitor to Glastonbury.

With these and so much more (like the famous starling spectaculars and the musically and culturally famous Glastonbury Festival) to discover and enjoy in Glastonbury, it is little wonder how the town and surrounding countryside casts its powerful spell upon those who take the time to bathe their souls in the area's unique atmosphere and resources. Once enraptured, few forget the treasures and spiritual energies offered by Glastonury. And for many people, their visit to Glastonbury is but the first of many, many return trips.

Samhain Celebrations at Chalice Well, Glastonbury

Let Welcome to Glastonbury, written and illustrated by someone charmed by the area in just such a fashion, guide you through Glastonbury's legends, history, tourist attractions and unique natural beauty. And please feel free to leave your mark by adding your own comments to this and/or any of the other pages on this site. Together, let's try and illuminate the wonders of Glastonbury for all the world to see and take delight in.

The Glastonbury Holy Thorn (Glimsped on the Horizon in the Background)

Coming Soon: The Glastonbury Blog

New Age Venues

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The Goddess Temple

White Spring

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St. John's Church, Glastonbury

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The Glastonbury Thorn in Flower Outside St. John's Church

The Interior of St. John's Church

St. John's Church Labyrinth

Moneybox Field

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Millennium Statue - Moneybox Field, Glastonbury and it's Accompany
Dressed Trees

Glastonbury Abbey

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Food & Drink

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The Blue Note Cafe

Outside Wall Decoration of the 'Truckle of Cheese' Shop

'Truckle of Cheese'

Hundred Monkeys Cafe

Glastonbury Children's Festival

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Miscellaneous

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Flyer

Ram -Museum of Rural Life

Glastonbury Cottage

Fungi - Photographed Near Gog & Magog

Glastonbury Town

Glastonbury People

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Charaterful Busker

Juggler

Busker

Busker

Glastonbury's Town Crier

Cyclist

Mother and Daughter

Events & Local Averts

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If you would like to advertise an event or service that is taking place in Glastonbury, please contact chris.elphick@gmail.com . All advertising is free on this site.

You can also see a detailed list of Glastonbury events and services at:

http://www.glastonburyoracle.co.uk/

The Glastonbury Festival

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Glastonbury 2007 Report

Despite the great start to the Glastonbury Festival 2007 - sat at the stone circle with my family as the swollen evening sun settled on a blissful Midsummer's Solstice (where I even managed to get myself a bit of a tan), the weather was to prove more than a little unkind as the festival progressed over the next few days.

A Glastonbury Wishing Tree Wish

Mid Summer's Night at the Stone Circle

The heavens had opened during the night and the rain had already started to form large puddles on the unforgiving clay-bed fields by the time we awoke the following morning. Although only the occasional shower blighted the remainder of the day, every centimeter of water that fell meant another centimeter added to the growing puddles - Glastonbury used to be an island and the surrounding land (including Worthy Farm - on which the Glastonbury Festival is held) certainly seemed intent on returning to its sub aquatic origins this week. After a day of squelching around all the stalls and displays, we retired to our camp to relax around an open fire, looking forward to the start of the music part of the festival the following day but fearful of the extent Glastonbury's infamous mud might blight our experience of it.

The rain was falling heavily when Friday dawned and the forecast was for worse to come. Nevertheless, armed against the elements in our wellies and kagools, we stepped out from our tent and into the mud and made our way to the music which had already started to thunder from the Pyramid Stage. During our travels from stage to stage (there were dozens of them scattered over the small city-sized site) and around the various attractions, we discovered that there were two types of mud to be negotiated - which we labelled 'Good Mud' (loose, watery stuff which splashed but could easily be waded through) and 'Bad Mud' (thick, sticky, quagmire stuff which held you fast and tried to steal the wellies from your feet). Unfortunately, it was this latter, spirit-draining mud that predominated at this year's Glastonbury Festival.

Mud...

And Even More Mud...

Despite this, we all had a great time and caught some amazing gigs and acts. Amongst our personal highlights were Kasabian, Bjork, Mark Ronson, Bat for Lashes and the Manic Street Preachers as well as the stand up comedian Bill Bailey. My children also enjoyed Mika, the Circus Tent and the various activities in the Kidz Field. And as we lay down to sleep on our very last night at the festival, we all agreed that, given the opportunity, we would all love to visit the place again next year. Of course, that was before we had to pack our tent up at five in the morning in the torrential rain, had to drag our stuff through half a mile of foot-deep, flooded tracks just to reach our return coach home and then, when we got back to Swansea, had to ring round for a lift back to our house as we were all still too wet and muddy to get accepted into a taxi.

Balance

Alan Parsons

Bill Bailey

Billy Bragg

Carrying the Cross

The Kaiser Chiefs

A Moment's Respite

Waiting for Kasabian to Begin

Wearyall Hill

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Whilst not as dramatic in shape or height as the nearby Glastonbury Tor, Wearyall Hill holds an important role in the mystical/religious history of Glastonbury. For this reason, it is often the starting place of many organised tours of the area.

The prime interest Wearyall Hill holds for present day visitors in the siting of a Glastonbury Holy Thorn near its summit. Although not the original thorn tree, which was believed to have been planted by Joseph of Arimathea, it is a direct descendant, having been grown from a cutting of th famous original.

The Glastonbury Thorn, Wearyall Hill

The hill is a popular haunt for local dog walkers and is also used for grazing sheep.

Fine views over the whole of Glastonbury can be seen from the summit of the hill.

Ram/Sheep on Wearyall Hill - Take a Look at the Vid Below Too:

Glastonbury Starling Murmurations

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Glastonbury Tor from Westhay

One of the greatest natural spectacles in Britain occurs near Glastonbury. Each winter, as many as starlings descend upon the reed beds of West Hay and Shapwick Heath, and to settle down for their nightly sleep. They approach the beds from all directions and as they congregate in the sky above the reeds they form a visually stunning areial display that really does have to be seen to be believed.

West Hay

Such displays have always been popular but the public interest in viewing them have definitely peeked since Bill Oddie’s short film on the starling murmuration was screened as part of BBC’s ‘Autumn Watch’ TV series in 2006. Whilst this BBC film featured the starlings at in , such large displays can also be witnessed at several locations across Britain. Glastonbury’s starling displays number amongst the finest in the country and have, perhaps, been best recorded by local photographer on her excellent http://www.foxybiddy.com/ website.

It really is a quite remarkeable experience attending these starling murmurations. As the sun sets and the dusk begins to grow, the sky can appear quite empty. Then, from one corner of the sky, the first few starlings can be seen making their way to their nightly rests. Soon further birds appear, then more until the whole sky seems dotted with small black dots. At certain moments it is difficult to connect these moving patterns in the sky with the birds which create them and a quite surreal experience starts to unfold as their patterns swirl and shimmer and change form above and before the viewer.

Then, just as quick as it begins, the display fades as the starlings swoop down to the reeds to find a perch for the night and a chattering cacophany rises from their resting place as the birds communicate whatever business they have to share with their fellow bed mates.

Whilst the full spectacle of these displays can only be witnessed by attending the actual resting sites of the starlings, to kilometres from Glastonbury Town Centre, it can still be an arresting sight to catch glimpse of the huge flocks of the birds as they fly over Glastonbury Tor and Wearyall Hill and head towards the reed beds for the night.

The displays are best viewd on clearer nights during the months of December and January. More advice on the Glastonbury starling murmurations can be found on the http://www.foxybiddy.com/ website.