Glastonbury Tor is a conical hill rising 158 metres above the Somerset Levels, crowned by the roofless 15th-century tower of St Michael's Church, the only surviving part of two successive churches. It has held religious significance for over a thousand years and is tied by legend to Avalon and King Arthur, with a grim footnote: Abbot Richard Whiting was executed here in 1549 on the orders of Thomas Cromwell. The climb is free and takes about 20 minutes on a concrete path with a bench halfway, rewarded by a view across Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire to Wales, with Wells Cathedral visible on a clear day. Reviewers love it at sunrise, when mist lies over the Levels. Tips from regulars: there is no parking at the Tor beyond two blue badge spaces, so use the pay car park at Draper and Co on Chilkwell Street or the seasonal park and ride; the summit is ferociously windy, and sheep graze the hill, so keep dogs on a lead.
