‘Mountain of God! Great forefinger of Light! Pointing the path to wanderers on earth.’ So began Alice Buckton’s poem ‘The Silent Tor’ written about Glastonbury Tor. ‘There is such magic in the first glimpse of that strange hill…the grey Tor rises to heaven and the green hill (Chalice Hill) dreams beside it.’ So wrote Dion Fortune in ‘Avalon of the Heart (1934). This strangely shaped hill topped by St.Michael’s tower rises from the Somerset Levels and can be seen from far distances, often glimpsed to the far left from the M5 motorway when one is heading south.
A common response is for the heart to leap or the solar plexus tighten. On climbing the Tor, by either ascending path, one has spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and whether absorbing the sight of the Abbey ruins in their solemn quietude or the gardens of the Chalice Well nestling at the foot of the Tor one is struck by the magic and surrounding power and legend of this place.
Location: on the A361 in Glastonbury. Parking is best in town, in the Town Hall Car Park BA6 9EL, Silver Street Car Park BA6 8BS, St John’s Car Park BA6 9LJ or Northload West Car Park BA6 9JJ. It is about a twenty-five minute walk from the centre of Glastonbury to the summit.
