Stonehenge
Twenty years ago I took a day tour from London called Stones & Bones which went to Stonehenge, Glastonbury, and Avebury. I loved it. It was the first thing I wanted to do again when I got back to the UK. This time I travelled with the company International Friends and the tour is called King Arthur's Realm. It's a very long day. About 12 hours rushing around but I'd do it again. Your tour guide, driver, traffic, and other passengers really either make or break your trip.
Our tour guide droned on so long on the first leg of our trip to Stonehenge and there were two passengers that talked the whole time while he was talking. I'm not sure that they spoke English well so it was probably hard to understand what he was saying but other people were trying to listen. Then one of those talkers was cold so they turn the A/C off for everyone else. And they were late at every single stop. So irritating. If you can get yourself there on your own then do it.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed seeing Stonehenge the first time. I was happy to go again even though I had less time to enjoy it this time.
Glastonbury
I grew up in Arizona home of the famous New Age town of Sedona. Glastonbury is similar. I love them both.
Glastonbury Abbey
Legend has it that King Arthur and Guinevere are buried in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey. The monks of the Abbey excavated the site and unearthed a stone slab. Underneath the slab was a lead cross inscribed in Latin, “Hic iacet sepultus inclitus rex arturius in insula avalonia”, “Here lies buried the renowned King Arthur in the Isle of Avalon”. Also found were a few small bones and a scrap of hair.
The bones were put in caskets. King Edward I entombed them in a special black marble tomb in the main Abbey Church. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries when the Abbey was sacked and largely destroyed, the caskets were lost and have never been found. Today a notice board marks the spot of Arthur’s final resting place.
Chalice Well & Gardens
I love this place.
Joseph of Arimathea is said to have buried the Holy Grail just below the Tor, where a spring, now known as Chalice Well, began to flow and the water was supposed to bring eternal youth to whoever would drink it. It has been mystically associated with the blood of Christ. It's been called the Blood Spring. The reddish tinge to the water is due to the high iron content.
It's a very pretty and peaceful place to walk around or just sit. You can drink right out of the spring. I noticed there is another spring outside the grounds around the corner coming out of the wall. I filled up my water bottle.
There was a guy meditating right next to the well so I didn't take a picture. People come to the well to preform various ceremonies.
Glastonbury Tor
This mound was thought to be surrounded by water at some point and was known as the Isle of Avalon. The myths say that Avalon was a meeting place for the dead and that the Tor was the home of the Lord of the Underworld. In these legends, the Tor is the gateway into the land of the dead.
I didn't get to climb up it this time. We had no time. Next time.
Avebury
Avebury is Europe's largest stone circle. I only visited a small part. It goes on and on. It's older than Stonehenge.
There was a transportation strike going on this day. There was so much traffic. The subways were closed and only some bus routes were running. I had no idea how I was going to get home from the tour drop off location.
The tour guide looked up which bus we would each need to take to get home, assuming it was running. There were two guests, a husband & wife, that were going in the same direction that I was so they said I could come with them. A decision I would very soon regret.
Before our tour bus even got to Victoria Station the husband had to be let off the bus because he was feeling ill and had to use the restroom immediately. His wife shouted after him we'll meet you at the McDonald's! We? After a very, very long day of touring it was about to get so much longer. The highs and lows of traveling can be extreme. I got a memorable story out of it though.
Here's what happened:
