England鈥檚 scenic landscapes are home to a mix of historic wonders and romantic legends, going back to Camelot and beyond. Tucked into the southwest corner of England are two of the best places to contemplate the country鈥檚 mythic past: Glastonbury and Wells. Both market towns, a day鈥檚 walk apart, were once stops for religious pilgrims, and together make a great day trip from Bath (and are only a three-hour ride from London).
Glastonbury was a religious site as far back as the Bronze Age 鈥� about 1500 sa国际传媒 It鈥檚 considered the birthplace of Christianity in England, and the legendary burial site of King Arthur. For thousands of years, pilgrims have climbed Glastonbury Tor, now capped by the ruins of a church dedicated to St. Michael.
As St. Michael was the Christian antidote to paganism, this church likely sits upon a pre-Christian religious site.
For centuries, pilgrims came to Glastonbury on a quest for the Holy Grail. According to Christian tradition, Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy follower of Jesus who buried Christ鈥檚 body, was a tin trader. Since Britain was already well known then as a place where tin could be mined, it鈥檚 possible that Joseph could have sat right on this hill, with the chalice that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper in his satchel. According to legend, the Holy Grail lies at the bottom of Chalice Well, a natural spring near the base of the hill, now surrounded by a garden.
England鈥檚 first church was built next to Chalice Well. Eventually, a great abbey rose on the site. By the 12th century, Glastonbury was the leading Christian pilgrimage site in all of Britain.
At its peak, Glastonbury Abbey was England鈥檚 most powerful and wealthy, part of a network of monasteries that by the year 1500 owned a quarter of all English land, and had four times the income of the king.
When Henry VIII broke with Rome in the 1530s, abbeys like this one allied with the pope and became political obstacles 鈥� so Henry dissolved England鈥檚 monasteries. He was particularly harsh on Glastonbury 鈥� he not only destroyed its magnificent church, but had the abbot hung, his head displayed on the abbey gates, and his quartered body sent on four national tours.
Without its abbey, the town fell into decline. But Glastonbury eventually rebounded. An 18th-century tourism campaign 鈥� with thousands claiming that water from the Chalice Well healed them 鈥� put Glastonbury back on the map.
Today, Glastonbury is popular with those on their own spiritual quest, and synonymous with its summer music and arts festival 鈥� one of the largest in the world.
In contrast to Glastonbury鈥檚 abbey ruins, the city of Wells is dominated by its glorious, still-intact Gothic cathedral. With a population just under 12,000, Wells is the smallest 鈥渃ity鈥� in England. (It鈥檚 considered a city because it has a cathedral.)
Wells Cathedral, England鈥檚 first completely Gothic church, dates from about 1200. The west portal shows off an impressive collection of medieval statuary, with about 300 carvings. Inside the cathedral, I鈥檓 struck by its unforgettable and ingenious 鈥渟cissor鈥� arches. The now-famous hourglass-shaped double arch was added in about 1340 to bolster the church鈥檚 sagging tower. Nearly 700 years later, it鈥檚 still working.
The chimes draw attention to one of the oldest working clocks in the world 鈥� from 1392. The clock presents a much-loved joust on the quarter-hour, and more medieval whimsy is carved into the capitals: One man has a toothache, another pulls a thorn from his foot, and a farmer clobbers a thief so hard his hat falls off.
Just north of the cathedral, the peaceful lane called Vicars鈥� Close is perfectly preserved 鈥� lined with 14th-century houses that still house church officials and choristers. South of the cathedral, the stately Bishop鈥檚 Palace is circled by a park-like moat and sports an impressive front yard.
Peaceful and picturesque, both Wells and Glastonbury are worth a stop on a tour of England. Spend a few hours in each and let your imagination soar to long-ago days.
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Rick Steves (ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at [email protected] and follow his blog on Facebook.