Glastonbury Walking Weekend

Itinerary

Day 1

You’re welcome to arrive at the hostel at any time after 5pm, where you can relax in the sunlit grounds, surrounded by nature and ready to have a weekend of easy walking and relaxation.

Dinner is served at 8pm, and you’ll hear more about the plans for the next day. Other than that the evening is yours to get to know your walking companions and help yourself to our endless hot drinks.

Day 2

After breakfast at 8am and time to make packed lunches, our plan is to take the group out for the day on a gentle wander exploring the Somerset Levels and the surrounding woodland, viewpoints and farmland.

Along the route we’ll follow rivers, cross ancient meadows, pass through quaint villages and walk through parkland that pretty much sums up all that is great about England. We then come to Glastonbury Abbey, one of England’s earliest Abbeys and legendary resting place of King Arthur.

From here we take the well-made path up to the 518-foot summit of Glastonbury Tor with its 15th century tower dominating the skyline, and marvel at the fantastic views before meandering back to base. Once back at the chalet there’s plenty of time to rest the limbs, perhaps having a cup of tea or pre-dinner drink in the garden before the evening’s meal gets underway. If the weather is good enough we’ll have a BBQ!

Short walk option: As we pass through several villages on this walk, including Glastonbury itself, there’s always scope for people to cut the walk short and be collected by car later in the afternoon. Ask our host on the Friday night if you think you might like to take this option!

Day 3

This morning after breakfast it’s time to pack up and leave the hostel. On Sundays we aim for a 3 hour walk, finishing between 12-1pm near a local pub, where you can either join us for lunch or begin the journey home.

Today's plan is to head out for a stroll through the Mendip Hills, towards the north of the county, scenery typified by its rolling landscape, limestone gorges and ancient woodland. This will be a chance to see a totally different side of Somerset from Saturday’s walk, perhaps visiting Ebbor Gorge and Nature Reserve and wandering through the peaceful Ebbor Wood.

About the area - Somerset

With the Severn Estuary, Exmoor’s dramatic moors and sea-cliffs, the wide plains of the Levels, and the wooded hills of the Quantocks, Black Downs and Mendips, Somerset is an ideal county for walking. Down in the South-West, in-between Gloucestershire and Devon, it’s also home to the legendary Roman city of Bath, and the iconic Glastonbury Tor, burial place of King Arthur. The Somerset levels are ideal for bird-watching, and the small hills surrounding them make for easy walks with wide views, where you can relax in the fields around ancient villages, a cider in hand. Running through the county are several long-distance walking trails, taking you across the plains and over the hills, which can easily be linked up into circular day-walks – an excellent way of seeing the county on foot.