Exploring Glastonbury: A Magical Weekend Guide

My trip to the UK marked my first solo excursion abroad: no parents, no siblings, no…idea what I was going to do once I got there! Unlike my trip to Italy in May of 2024, which consisted of a 5 page google doc itinerary complete with hyperlinks, taxi numbers, and train schedules, this trip was much simpler. I was staying with a friend of the family in Richmond, just outside of London. While I enjoyed the time I spent in the city, I was counting the days for the excursion I had really planned for, my weekend exploring Glastonbury.

You may have heard of Glastonbury from their music festival, which is actually held just outside the town in Somerset, and has had a host of famous artist headliners over the years. However, the town itself is a much different experience, with a magical atmosphere that you can feel with every inhalation. The whole area is overflowing with sacred sites, rich history, wall murals, and just about every witchcraft shop you could ever need. Resting on the highest peak, visible from nearly every point in town, is the Glastonbury Tor, a spiritual monument resting on a naturally formed conical hillside.

In hindsight, I would’ve spent the entirety of my time in this town. There is simply just too much to see and do in the town alone. However, if you have to condense your trip into a single weekend in Glastonbury as I did, less than 48 hours in fact, these are the highlights I would absolutely recommend.

The Glastonbury Tor is a natural mystery, linked the the legends of King Arthur and many spiritual phenomena. Two ley lines- energy lines that carry powerful magnetic and spiritual fields- intersect precisely at its center. The view from the top is beyond extraordinary, and well worth the hike to get there! On a clear day, looking over the patches of landscape I had previously only seen from airplanes, it felt like I was flying. While I was there, a local pointed out that you could even see Wales in the distance! The historic landmark is open to the public at all times, but if you’re visiting in the summer and want the best shot of having the space to yourself, it is best to hike the Tor mid-day, when less tourists will brave the heat and the 301 steps to the top. There are two traditional ways up the Tor, but the most common entrance is on the corner of Wellhouse lane. Despite my time constraint, I hiked up twice, and it took my breath away each time!  

I knew about Glastonbury beforehand, but my interest grew immensely when I began water magic courses with my mentor, Annwyn Avalon. She is not only a brilliant water priestess and an amazing human all around, but she is also a current custodian of the white spring. The spring is water touched by calcite, and resides in a temple constructed from an old Victorian wellhouse that is free to the public. Please note that photos and video recording of any kind are strictly prohibited. This is not only to preserve the sacred integrity of the temple, but also because bathing is allowed inside, and it is clothing optional for this. You’ll find is you visit that most disregard clothing entirely. 

Private bookings are available, which I arranged with Annwyn quite a few months in advance, since they tend to fill up! Even in August, the water was some of the coldest I had ever been in, and the most invigorating. The inside of the temple…words would not do it justice. Just know I sobbed when I first stepped inside. The magic of the spring is not contained within the temple walls. A spigot protrudes from the side of the temple, where you will often find visitors filling bottles and jugs by the gallons! A series of descending pools reside in the spring’s courtyard, playing a gentle melody to visitors as they approach. The white spring is an amazing place for healing, reflection, and meditation.

Just across the street from the white spring, you will find yet another spigot with flowing water from an opposite source, the red spring. Part of the magic of Glastonbury is that both of these springs, the red spring touched with iron, and the white with calcite, rise from the caverns beneath the Tor. This is a phenomenon unheard of anywhere else in the world! The red spring is enclosed in the chalice well gardens, which charges a small £5 entrance fee that allows you return access until they close (their summer and winter hours vary, so be sure to check their website beforehand). The gardens are splendid, you can sit on one of the many shaded benches or the expansive lawn. A steady stream of iron touched water winds around the garden, turning the stones an orange-reddish hue. Besides the spigot on the opposite side of the fence, the only drinkable water in the gardens comes from the lion head fountain, which is on the right hand side of the gardens leading up the path to the chalice well. It is not recommended to drink this water in large quantities. However, many have attested to the healing benefits of the red and white spring for years. To this day, I still can’t pick a favorite!

If you’re a fan of medieval architecture, hidden wells in open crypts, and King Arthur, this is a must do! The abbey entrance fee is £11 for access to the sprawling 36 acre grounds. Inside you will find an excavated chapel, garden plots, and the remaining walls of a great church. The most iconic site are the towering archways at the far end of the abbey, where a square outline of stones set flush with the earth rests between them. At the head of those stones there is a plaque denoting the final resting place of the legendary King Arthur.

Overlooking the great stone archways is the Lady chapel. At the base of the stairs that leads to the crypt beneath, you will find St. Josephs well, a third source of magical water in Avalon that is believed to predate the chapel itself. The well is open to view, but covered with a plexiglass divider. I was unable to find anything stating if this water is drinkable, though the covering makes the point moot. My mentor had previously mentioned the well being polluted, however it is lovely to observe at all the same. I found its proximity to the crypt, intriguing, as this well is also referred to as the black spring of Glastonbury.

When I say this town has everything a witch could ever need, I truly mean it. While I try to prioritize experiences over the souvenirs when I travel, I didn’t mind shopping around these stores. Many of the shopkeepers are run by locals and a contribution to their business is beneficial to all. Plus, I was woefully unprepared for how much spring water I wanted to bring back with me. Luckily, Starchild, located on High street just past the George and Pilgrim Hotel, was stocked with the most gorgeous amber bottles. They also sell incense, teas, and an impressive collection of hand dipped altar candles. I snatched up a GIANT Scorpio pillar candle which I burned over my birthday. I also picked up a warm hoodie because, though it was the height of August, the Tor is still on top of a high hill, and the wind was whipping! But my absolute favorite find was a ceramic chalice from the Goddess Temple gift shop. I use it for absolutely everything!

I highly recommend staying in town on your first visit if possible. There are dozens of air bnb’s that can situate you where you’d like to be, and the hotels are amazing as well. I chose to stay at the Crown hotel, which has about 8 rooms, each named after a famous artist who has played at the Glastonbury festival. I stayed in the Adele room and it had the most charming views of the town right from my window, and my accommodations included breakfast. On a return visit, I may wish to stay at an air bnb closest to the Tor and the springs. From my hotel, it was about a 15 minute walk to Wellhouse Lane. I was able to see much of the town and captured a lot of amazing moments in my travel vlog that I might not have otherwise!

Overall, my weekend in Glastonbury was incredible, and too short-lived. Though I made the most of the 48 hours I was there, I believe that to really immerse yourself in the magic of the town, you should stay a minimum of 4 days. I left that Monday afternoon with a crystalline certainty that I would be retuning to this town soon, ready to scale the sloping hillsides of the Tor, sip the bloody waters of the lion head, and bathe sky clad in the white spring once more!

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