Friday 10th/Saturday 11th June 2016, visit 88!!

My friend Cathy and I both took a days holiday on the Friday and had a lovely overnight stay in Glastonbury. We drove down the pretty way via Marlborough and Devizes. We stopped in Marlborough for refreshments and I bought some amazing wide legged trousers in the Made in India shop there. I love that first glimpse you get of the Tor after leaving Shepton Mallet. As the road winds into Glastonbury, you keep seeing the Tor from different angles.

We parked the car on arrival, and then had some lunch in the Mocha Berry. Then we had a lovely afternoon wandering round town and doing a bit (ok a lot!) of shopping, with an afternoon tea break.

We went and checked into our hotel about 5.30. My room had a view of Wearyall Hill, but Cathy's looked out onto a car park and industrial estate which wasn't so pretty! We had cuppas and then went and had a meal in the Hawthornes. Then we were going to go up the Tor (our hotel was a bit far to walk as it was out on the way to Street), but we couldn't get parked anywhere nearby. So instead we went and had drinks in the wonderful George and Pilgrims.

In the morning we left the hotel about 9, and had breakfast in town as it wasn't included at the hotel.
We visited the beautiful Goddess House too, my first visit there and I found it so beautiful and peaceful and inspiring. Each room dedicated to a different Goddess with lovely art and decorations, just the most amazing place.

After a bit more shopping, we went to the Chalice Well and had a lovely long wander there. There was a very heavy shower and all the blooms looked so pretty with raindrops all over them. It was also the healing weekend so there was a marquee, and refreshments on sale so we had afternoon tea and cakes there. My spiritual focus is so much on the Well and White Spring and the Tor and Chalice Hill, I just love that area and often try to visualise what the white spring must have been like before the reservoir was built in Victorian times.

We went home the same lovely cross country way with a refreshment stop in Marlborough. It was a lovely weekend and we plan one next year too hopefully staying at the Well as I do love to stay there most of all.

Photos of course. My pictures express more than my words can. All photos copyright Jackie Jae Fae Hewitt as usual, as I only use my own photos (or ones taken by friends with their permission) here.

Cat who joined us for dinner at the Hawthornes

Sat/Sun 30th April/1st May 2016, visit 87.

My friend Sue and I had a magical Beltaine weekend in Glastonbury. Sue has a lovely little blue camper van, it was such fun to drive down in that. We went the pretty cross country way via Marlborough, where we stopped for coffee, Devizes, Frome, Shepton Mallet. As you approach Shepton Mallet you get the first view of the Tor, I always have to look out for that first view of the tor.

We had a lovely afternoon shopping with refreshment breaks. The town had a Beltaine feel to it, getting ready for the following days festivities. We even saw the red and white dragons having the finishing touches put to them ready for the parade. We had some lovely chance meetings too including with two people in one of the shops who recognised me from Pinterest.

We stayed in a lovely, fairly new B&B on the Wells Road, a few minutes walk from the top of the High Street and about 15 mins walk to the gardens. It was really really nice.

On Saturday evening we climbed the Tor to watch the sun set. There were lots and lots of people there. There was a group doing a guided meditation in the tower and they didn't mind at all that we quietly joined in, in fact we got hugs afterwards. The sunset was really lovely, a magical Beltaine eve. We went for a drink in the George and Pilgrims before turning in.

On Sunday the gardens had opened early, and admission was free. We missed the main celebrations but the maypole and Beltaine fire were there, and lots of lovely people were wandering round. We both got chatting to a couple of men, who were friends who hadn't seen each other in a while. I did a releasing ceremony in the fire, I was the victim of sexual abuse in my late teens but only realised recently that it was abuse, in the light of recent public cases. So I wrote a release note and burned it in the fire. It felt good.

We came home a slightly different way via Midsomer Norton as there were road closures due to a road race. We stopped for coffee in Devizes and also briefly called in at Silbury Hill. It was a really really lovely weekend.

Beltaine Eve on the Tor

Beltaine Morning at the Chalice Well