Glastonbury

Otherwise known as the Isle of Avalon. A strange, mysterious place, even now the smell of incense pervades the air and mostly defeats the traffic fumes. Once upon a time it really was an Island, secured by the surrounding bogs and water courses that surrounded it. But gradually the bogs were drained for agricultural purposes and the Island became just another part of the landscape, albeit topped with a most unusual hill, known as Glastonbury Tor.

This in turn is topped by a medieval tower that adds to the striking profile of the Tor. Legend has it that beneath the Tor exists the realm of Gwyn ap Nudd, the king of the Tylwyth Teg or “fair folk” and ruler of the Celtic (especially Welsh) Otherworld. Another tradition portrays him as the leader of the Wild Hunt, in which he leads a pack of supernatural hounds known as the Cŵn Annwn to harvest human souls. In Welsh folklore, to hear the baying of Gwyn’s hounds was a portent of imminent death in the family.

And there is much more to Glastonbury. A place where seventy differnt faiths are practised, a place of piligrimage that dates back two millenia, of sacred springs, and a high street that offers some of the most unique products, from gongs to healing, from spells to tarot readings.

A mix of photos of the Chalice Well and the stream that runs from it, together with photographs of a shop on the main street and an arcade.