Glastonbury Sites

Sunday 8 October

Today I visit Glastonbury Abbey. I've been here before of course, but again it's all fresh and new as I am finding many things in Glastonbury are after ten years.

It's a warm but breezy day rather like one particular day I remember visiting the Abbey.

The Abbey was a great and prosperous one until King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in the 16th century. Then it fell into ruin. The last Abbot, the elderly Richard Whiting was dragged up the Tor, hanged and his body drawn and quartered; the various bits staked up in various Somerset towns (his head was on a post at the Abbey gates I think). Despite all of this, it is a serene place and I walked up to the small wildlife reserve to see if any badgers would make an appearance. There are warning signs around the place telling people to be careful and not fall into any badger 'scrapes' and 'snuffle holes'.

I see no badgers, but I take the opportunity to call a guy called Sig who my friend John recommended I contact whilst in Glastonbury. Sig's an American who runs a B&B and healing centre for pilgrims in Bove Town just off the High Street. We arranged to meet for a cuppa that afternoon.

I finished my Abbey visit with the Fish Pond, a possible resting place of the treasures the monks were able to smuggle out during the dissolution.

There is a pamphlet in the Abbey visitor centre called Don't Let Henry Win. This is the current Abbey carers' way of asking for financial support and I thought it very creative!