Glastonbury Tor, Glastonbury

Glastonbury Tor is a lovely place for a family walk and always interests our children. The Tor is very popular; a lot of visitors are local and very friendly. It is a fairly steep walk, but there are some seats on the way up to stop for a rest. There has been some research in to a supposed Glastonbury Zodiac, formed by natural shapes in the surrounding land, which we like to try and spot from the top. Occasionally a little tray of water, juices and chocolate is left at the top with a jar to leave the money in, which shows how friendly and trusting the local people are!

We adore Glastonbury Tor! It is quite a hike up to the top, but I find that most kids bound up really quickly and it is the adults who have to stop for breathers! There is a paved path on one side (from Chilkwell Street and near the Glastonbury Chalice Well gardens); the other path to the Tor is slightly steeper and involves some walking across fields and country roads. At the top you can see for miles. We occasionally take a picnic, but be warned – sometimes there can be quite a lot of cow dung at the top!

When vIewing the tor from ground level, the prospect of walking up it can be quite daunting. There is no denying that it is quite strenuous (especially with a baby strapped to your back!) but I did witness school age children tackling it, without too much of a problem. Once you reach the top, the views are outstanding as you are at the highest point for miles. There is a magical feel as you will often see people performing dances, chanting and singing at the very top. I have to say I felt a little overwhelmed by how high we were as I am a little scared of heights, but we did really enjoy it.

We enjoyed our walk up the Tor. It’s very hard to park close by, your best option is to park in town and then walk from there. There are a lot of steps, some quite steep so I wouldn’t recommend this for the elderly or anyone with joint problems. You can’t get buggies up there either. Toddlers might struggle to get all the way to the top unless they are feeling very energetic. It can be very windy up there so take care. Really great views though and plenty of wildlife. Somewhere different to take the kids and completely free.

The Tor at Glastonbury is a lovely place to take children of all ages. There is no charge but they do have a box for donations. You can either walk from the town or park near the rural life museum and walk from there. The walk up is quite steep but the steps are good and there are a few benches on the way if you need a rest. Beware at the top it can be very windy, much more than you will feel at the bottom. The views are great and sometimes the cows wander up to say hello! It doesn’t take long to get up there with the kids racing ahead but they seem to really enjoy the fresh air and the challenge of getting to the top.