Glastonbury





Glastonbury is a small town (9,000 inhabitants) in the English West Country county of Somerset. Glastonbury is best known for the myths and legends surrounding both Glastonbury Tor, a prominent hill rising up from the surrounding flat landscape; Glastonbury Abbey, which together have made the town a thriving centre for mystical, New Age, alternative spirituality; and the annual Glastonbury Festival, a summer music festival that has been likened to the equivalent of an ongoing Woodstock music festival.

The town is the setting for the Netflix anime Little Witch Academia with the nearby leyline being the source of the witches' power.

Understand
It lies some 20 miles (35 km) south of Bristol.

Get in
You can take buses from Wells or other major cities in the area to get to Glastonbury. A National Express coach leaves the High Street early in the morning, and one returns at night to get you to London and back, or you could get a Megabus or train to Bristol and then get the 376 local service to Glastonbury (1½ hr).

Get around
There are 5 bus services in Glastonbury but you can easily get around walking through the town since it's quite small.

Buy
A selection of crystals, semi-precious stones, incense and esoteric books are available. Most shops on the high street are not chain stores; therefore, you are guaranteed to find an unusual item. It makes sense to shop around. Some crystal shops have inflated prices, and a couple don't even post prices — they have the 'Look at the shoes and handbag of the person and then pluck a price out of thin air' method of pricing. Beware of this, and look around a few different shops before you purchase anything.

An abundance of witchcraft, pagan and goddess shops will confront you, and it's worth taking a look at least one of them on your visit here.

Of particular note is the Gauntlet Thoroughfare, which contains a plethora of specialist shops, at 11 High Street.

Drink
Although there are a number of pubs in Glastonbury, the "proper English" pubs are found in Wells (20 min bus ride away). Once in Wells, the Rose and Crown and the City Arms are both nice pubs for a drink. The Rose and Crown has a pool table, so you can have a lovely game of pool whilst sampling some great local ales.



Sleep
Although there is now a new Travelodge just out of town, your best bet is one of the numerous bed and breakfasts, ranging in price and quality markedly.

The Overlook, right on the High Street, above the stationers is of particular note, as is Number Three (Number Three is closed), both in walking distance of the main shops and sights. There are 34 other bed and breakfast establishments in Glastonbury and it is best to look for the ones that are rated 4-star by Visit Britain and Quality in Tourism, especially AppleTree House and Parsnips Bed and Breakfast.