The Legend of King Arthur

The myths surrounding the legendary King Arthur permeated the county of Somerset well before the infamous Glastonbury music festival. Somerset itself is hilly and covered by fields of green with many villages spread throughout the land - an absolute MUST-SEE when you're overstimulated from the city. 

Glastonbury Abbey

Glastonbury itself is a very in-tune village of seers, mystics and fortune tellers, and boasts the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey - the final supposed resting place of the aforementioned king and his Guinevere. 
The ruins of the Abbey are visible as soon as you reach the centre of the village of psychic shops and lovely cafes, as they tower over the tops of the 2-storey buildings. The abbey has Christian origins from the 7th Century, and grew over time into a very wealthy and sacred place of worship that could rival the importance of Canterbury's. 
The myth goes that King Arthur was over 7-feet tall, and the abbey honoured him in a black marble tomb in the centre of the building after his remains were discovered and excavated from a cemetery.  
During the Protestant uprising and reign of King Henry VII, Glastonbury Abbey was targeted and destroyed at his order. The ruins sat untouched for centuries until 1908 when the Church of England purchases the ruins and repairs began. 

The Holy Thorn

The abbey itself would easily have been similar in size to Westminster and Canterbury, and there is a single hawthorn tree within its walls that has a 2000 year old history, again with spiritual and mythical undertones. 
The legend says that Joseph of Arimathea (rumoured to be Jesus' uncle) arrived in England with the young Messiah, and stuck his thorn staff in the ground from which sprouted the original Holy Thorn tree. A cutting from the original tree was taken and planted in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey. This tree only blooms at Christmastime as its original predecessor. 

Glastonbury Tor & St Michael's Tower 

Just a short jaunt from the abbey ruins, is Glastonbury Tor - the steep hill (definitely a great cardio workout and well-worth the view) with the roofless St Michael's Tower situated up top. 
The hill itself has huge spiritual significance with evidence of its use in Neolithic and Roman times; as well as, a link to the Holy Grail—the chalice Jesus drank from during the Last Supper—which is rumoured to have been brought over with Joseph. It's said to be buried beneath the Tor itself.  

St Michael's Tower

Originally atop the Tor was a wooden church that was destroyed in the late-1200s, and its stone replacement was constructed in the 14th century, with the tower now remaining. 
After ascending the Tor, spectacular 360° views of the surrounding county greet you and they're absolutely breathtaking!  

The Chalice Well & White Spring

The Red Spring that flows from the bottom of the Tor is surrounded by a lovely garden space where people can drink from the mineral (iron) water, said to be blessed from Jesus' blood collected in the Holy Grail. 
The water flows red, and sometimes blue, because of the high iron content and its characteristics resembling blood. It does have a coppery taste to it, and is free for those adventurous enough to drink from the two wells across from each other. 

Cheddar Gorge

A hop, skip and a jump outside of Glastonbury is the stunning natural caves and cliffs of Cheddar (another phenomenal place to hike or rock climb). Located next to the village of Cheddar, the cliffs and natural rocky landscape surrounds this lovely area. 

Gough's Cave

Originally a much smaller limestone cave, Richard Gough is the man who excavated the cave to what it is today: a 3 km long structure that shows off the natural formations and the largest underground river system in Britain: the Cheddar Yeo. 
Two things to come from Cheddar Gorge: Cave Cheese and Cheddar Man. I've mentioned both in past posts (links provided). 
Another myth surrounding King Arthur is the Sword in the Stone, and across the street from Gough's Cave, by a bridge, is a "replica" of the sword in Yeo river (unfortunately I missed that!).

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