The youngsters had been dying to climb Glastonbury Tor ever since they saw the movie The Kid Who Would be King.
With the aid of King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur, and his pals, a 12-year-old boy named Alex and his friends face an evil sorceress in an attempt to save the world from her horrors. Glastonbury has a long-standing legend of being “The Isle of Avalon,” where King Arthur went following his final battle.
The National Trust owns Glastonbury Tor, but parking is not available there. We had to pay £3 to park at Draper and Co. on Chilkwell St.
The Glastonbury Tor entry is on the left when you turn right onto the main road from here. We went up the country path to the rear entrance of the Tor, which offers a beautiful vista as you pass by, after missing the front entrance.
There is no need to make reservations in advance, unlike many other National Trust sites, and admission is free.
The ascent up the Tor is rather steep once you leave the road. Eliza and I decided to take the easy path, the steps, while Sebby and Isaac went up the steep slope.
Ascending 158 metres above the surrounding level terrain, the hill bestows upon you a breathtaking 360-degree panorama that encompasses Glastonbury, the Mendip Hills, and the Bristol Channel.
There’s a useful sundial-style plaque at the summit that shows the location of several viewpoints, including Cheddar Gorge, which we had visited the day before.
All that’s left of the St. Michael church from the fourteenth century is the tower atop the Tor, and it has some incredibly fascinating carvings on it.
It has no roof, thus it offers little protection from the weather or the wind.
We climbed there and returned in about 90 minutes, however we had to cut it short because it started to rain. The visit is not a full day excursion.
However, the kids enjoyed racing all the way back to the bottom, and we had barely reached the trees’ cover when the heavens opened.
They were also able to count the 301 stairs on the way back down! In light of this, your infant or small child should ride in a carrier as opposed to a pram.
A trip to Glastonbury Tor is a great day out, and there are lots of neighbouring attractions including Wookey Hole, Wells, and Glastonbury Abbey to make a complete day out of it.