Staying in Glastonbury

Saturday June 6, 2009

Several people have asked me where to stay in Glastonbury, so I thought I’d mention a few places that I’ve stayed at and loved. However there are a surprising number of places to stay considering the smallness of the town, and you’re sure to find something that appeals to you at the Online Guide to Glastonbury. Accommodation ranges from camping sites and the friendly hostel situated in the historic Crown Hotel, a 16th-century coaching inn on Market Place at the corner of High Street and Magdalene Street, to the luxurious George & Pilgrims Hotel just a few doors up, which was originally built for pilgrims to the Abbey, and is reputed to be haunted. In between that there are many Bed and Breakfasts you can stay at, from people letting out a single room in their house when a child moves away to large houses set up to accommodate lots of guests.

I’ve stayed at some wonderful B&Bs, including Apple Tree House and Tordown, although my favourite place is St Edmund’s Cottage (right and below). I stayed there with my friend Lucy a few years ago, and I've just stayed there again with my hubby, having a second honeymoon and sitting together by the sacred Well again. Having our own little self-catering cottage certainly added to the enchantment of our time there, as we could set up house and imagine we live in Avalon, cooking meals in our own little kitchen, brewing pots of tea and curling up on the couches in the glass-walled sunroom to read for hours at a time. Visit www.stedmundscottage.com for details or email the lovely Jeannette.

There is also an ashram that has budget accommodation and daily meditation and yoga practice, but one of the most incredible places to stay is in the Chalice Well Gardens accommodation, which includes 24-hour access to the beautiful gardens and the Well. There is a retreat house with several rooms, and a cute little lodge, which I had to myself when I stayed there one time, although sometimes you may have to share it with one other person. You must be a member of the Trust to stay there, but this also includes free entry to the Well, regular newsletters and discounts in their shop, and supports them in their sacred work of preserving the ancient site.

You can also contact the Glastonbury Tourist Information Centre at 9 High Street, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 9DP, check out www.glastonburytic.co.uk, or call 44 (0)1458 832954 to get more information.

To return to the Blog homepage, click here.

To return to the Main homepage, click here.

Seven Sacred Sites and A Magical Journey are available from bookstores across Australia, distributed by Brumby Books, and through this website.

Send Serene an email.