Glastonbury Tor

A few days ago we took Ruby for a walk up Glastonbury Tor. We live in the Mendip Hills and as you drive to Wells, our nearest town, you drop down from 483 feet above sea level to 108 feet above sea level in just a few miles. Wells is on a plateau called the Somerset Levels, and Glastonbury Tor is right in the middle.

It sometimes looks quite magical if we are driving down into Wells from above the cloud level, and the Tor is also standing out above the cloud level; it looks like an island in a sea of mist.

The area is known as Avalon, a place of myths and magic, and is believed by many to be the Avalon of Arthurian Legend. Glastonbury Tor is known as being one of the most spiritual sites in the country. Its pagan beliefs are still very much celebrated. If you saw the London Olympic Opening Ceremony you will have seen a model of the Tor, though the Holy Thorn is actually in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey, not on the top of the Tor.

Because it's such a popular walk the path up to the top has been laid out as steps, hundreds of them!

Part of the way up we stopped to give Ruby a drink of water and a rest - we were quite happy for a short stop too! The views from here were fantastic.

And then we carried on trudging up to the top. The views from here were even better. I took a video walking all the way around the tower, but haven't been able to work out how to upload it.

By the time we'd walked all the way down again my legs were trembling from all of the steps. And Ruby slept well when we got home.