Glastonbury Tor

We stayed in the backpackers’ dorms/​hostel, a part of The Crown Hotel, and made the hike up to the Glastonbury Tor in the cold, wind, and pouring down rain (this was a recurring theme of basically our entire trip). It wasn’t actually that far, but the weather and the terrain made it a little less fun (but it was still so worth it).
We took the High Street route, which was about a mile and a half one way. The stairs that begin at the bottom of the hill are pretty daunting as you look up, but they are conquered without much effort long as you are somewhat in shape. I imagine anyone with issues walking might not have the easiest time climbing up.
The history of the Tor is incredibly fascinating, and I am in love with all of the stories related to it. The views from the top are awe-​inspiring, and it was one of my favorite places to visit during my trek around the UK.
Definitely a must-​see.

Despite quite a walk, and a total lack of parking — a pretty good size crowd gets up to the top of this tor — which is just a tower on top of a very windy hill. I dropped my mom (with the broken toe) at the closest point, then drive the car down the hill to the car park. The walk up the narrow country lane was quite fun — there’s a lot going on there and then I met my mother at the gate.
Partway up the path, there’s a nice spot to rest — so we had a picnic there and she enjoyed the view while I went up the rest of the way. Once on top, the wind really picks up – but the views are totally worth the trip! Though my photos don’t show it — there were a LOT of people up there, at least fifty to sixty. I’d be keen to get up there for a sunrise — that would probably be really worth the effort!

The Tor is separate from Glasonbury Abbey, requiring a hike of some 400 – 500 feet (about half the height of Arthur’s Seat is how I figured it, and the only way I could convince my aching feet to take me up another damn hill) to see the tower at the top of the hill where various abbots prayed and from which the last abbot was hung by anti-​establishment types during one of those religious wars that simultaneously prefaced the horrors of twentieth-​century warfare and began to convince western societies that killing each other over religious dogma might not be the most useful way to settle disagreements.* The climb is fun, especially because like many large green spaces in the UK, they’ve decided that goats are the most cost-​effective method of lawn maintenance, and you can have some fun (slightly) messing with them on the way up and down.
The top yields a beautiful view of the town below and the countryside of Somerset, plus it has the traditional «map with arrows pointing out what the heck you’re looking at from up here.» It might not be as overflowing with history as some spots, but the fun climb and beautiful views make it well worthwhile.
On the way down, there were some slick spots where decaying leaves had congealed in shaded areas of the path in the last rain (which I can safely say occurred yesterday no matter when you happen to read this review). Naturally, I fell and sustained minor injuries to my arm, shoulder, and pride. Use caution, because only true emergency care is covered by the UK’s national health service if you’re a foreign devil like me.
* Emphasis on began.