Glastonbury, Wells, Bath(ish) – Day 11 of 2025 England Pilgrimage

Monday, 9/29/2025 – Michaelmas

Gregg and I were out of the house by 6:30 this morning, driving to visit some of our “westerly” destinations of interest. It took us three hours to drive to Glastonbury.

There are many legends associated with this area including that Joseph of Aramathea brought Jesus here as a boy and then returned after Jesus’ death bringing the Holy Grail, AKA the Last Supper chalice, that King Arthur and Guinevere were buried here in the Abbey, and that the Excalibur came up out of a well – the same one that the Chalice may have been dropped into, making the well holy water.

Today, Glastonbury holds a lot of spiritual significance and “energy,” so there are dozens of shops selling crystals and other items and services related to New Age spirituality and culture. Evidentially, there is a big drug issue in town.

The local church, St. John the Baptist, had their yard and building open with dozens of people milling about. They didn’t look like tourists. It appeared that the church gives away clothes and food (and maybe more?) on Mondays. When we went inside, they were having a sing-along around a piano. The church clearly has a heart to reach out to their unique residents.

Eating a fresh, warm, and yummy “Glastonbury Pasty” we wandered through town to the walking path leading up to The Tor (definition of Tor is hill or rocky peak.) There is a medeval tower on the top of the hill. The tower is all that is left of St. Michael’s Monastery. I had to stop a number of times to catch my breath as we climbed up, partly stairs, partly a path through the grass.

The view at the top of The Tor was breathtaking for another reason. We could not have come on a prettier day. The sky was clear and we could see the town below and green farmlands, some dotted with sheep, below and in the distance.

Gregg met a very nice man who lives in the town nearby. He worked his whole life at the Clark’s shoe factory and retired years ago. He is 93 and since turning 90, he has climbed the Tor 300 times. Wow! He reads the Washington Post daily so he struck up a conversation with Gregg about politics. I stayed busy taking pictures.

After walking back into town from The Tor, we walked by the Chalice Well. There was a room open for meditation since it is Michaelmas today. I peeked in but didn’t stay more than a minute. And we didn’t pay to go see the famous well.

Then we walked to the Glastonbury Abbey ruins. We didn’t pay to go inside but got a peek from the outdoor cafe area. It looked huge and beautiful in its day. Sadly, it received much damage and most things were taken or stolen during King Henry VIII’s Dissolution of Monasteries. This country lost incredible stained glass, statues, and beautiful buildings during this “Reformation.”

We walked to the local church, as described above. Then we left Glastonbury and drove to Wells where we visited their beautiful and unique (at least to this trip) English Gothic style Cathedral. We did pay to go inside and it was well worth it.

Unfortunately, mistakes were made…specifically in our interpretation of the signage near the Wells Cathedral. This resulted in a parking ticket. it is 70 pounds! Yikes! But Gregg later read it is half price if we pay online in a timely manner. The cost of not understanding the culture, their rules, and vernacular. It helps me relate to my friend, Elisabeth, a little bit better when she and her husband come to the USA from Africa after being away several years.

A reoccurring question we get is, “Have you been to Bath?” Since Bath was “kind-of” on our way back to Kidlington, Gregg decided to drive through.

We were both already a bit frazzled and the traffic in Bath was a nightmare. Most of the roads had 2 lanes for 2-way traffic EXCEPT, most of one lane was filled with parked cars. So you had to take turns with cars going in the opposite direction, depending on who could find a space to squeeze into while the other person passed. (Jennie recommends going to Bath via the train since traffic and parking are quite difficult.)

We decided to leave before we were able to find the Abbey and Baths. Still, if anyone asks if we’ve been to Bath, our answer will be a definitive YES!

That was a lot of driving for one day, but we were back in less than 12 hours. Tomorrow we may just take a long walk.