Once, Glastonbury Tor was an island rising from the flooded Somerset levels.
It’s believed that in Neolithic times monks cut out a series of circular paths that can still be seen, like a maze, from above.
Now the Tor rises mysteriously and beautifully out of the early morning mist, beckoning visitors and residents alike to climb to its peak and view the magnificent Somerset countryside on every side.
Secret tunnels
Myths and legends abound. Are there secret tunnels under the Tor, some leading to Glastonbury Abbey, others to Deer Leap, an ancient monument consisting of standing stones, similar to Stonehenge?
Only two rocks remain in a field, and no one has yet discovered those tunnels.
Ley-lines
The Tor sits on a point where ley-lines meet, connecting it with Avebury and Stonehenge, and there are many reports of strange lights that hover above the Tor. Some people claim to have seen ghosts.
Then, there are the tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. As a local says in Murder on the Tor, ‘we’re fond of our Glastonbury legends around here. We all know King Arthur’s buried under the Tor.’
Was Glastonbury the original isle of Avalon?
Archaeology
Discovered in the late nineteenth century, and now preserved under replaced soil, Glastonbury Lake Village dates far back, to the Iron Age, and was built in 250BC. The Museum of Somerset in Taunton displays many artefacts made of wood and metal from the Village.
