Day trips from Bath (Glastonbury & Stonehenge)
This guide begins in Bath, and we travelled to Glastonbury & Stonehenge via car. Another option is to go on guided day trips from Bath with a tour company.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
When we went
We went mid-April, and got lucky with the weather being amazing! We’ve read and seen how UK weather can be grey and rainy, and although we had some days/mornings like that, most of the time it was sunny blue skies.
How to get to Bath & getting around
You can reach Bath, Glastonbury or Stonehenge by car rental, by train, or by day trip tours from London.
If you plan on staying only in Bath (and arriving by train), the city center is very walkable. Most, if not all, of the sights I have listed below can be walked and accessed by public bus.
However, car rental is best if you plan to go on day trips to nearby areas in Somerset or Cotswolds.
Buses, taxis and Uber are also available.
Things to know
For highly rated restaurants, it’s best to book a table ahead. Check their Google Map pin for the link to their reservations system.
Majority of the establishments are cashless, although it’s still a good idea to bring some cash for places like the flea market, or in case there’s a connectivity issue (we were in the UK when the M&S cyberattack happened).
Bath Hotel Recommendations
DoubleTree by Hilton- Where we stayed and recommend staying. My parents did have specific requirement with hotels (must have elevators), so that crossed out a bunch of renovated hotels in old buildings. Since we were 3 people, we got the King Superior Room with Sofa Bed.
The hotel is located on the quieter side of Bath but still considered central, and very walkable to the sights and shops. It’s also close to a supermarket (Waitrose), Landrace Bakery ;) and right next to the Flea & Antique Market that happens every Saturday! There was an issue with only 1 elevator working though, but I hope that has since been fixed.
Other family/group friendly hotels we considered are: Travelodge Bath City Centre, Apex City of Bath Hotel and Hampton by Hilton Bath
Glastonbury
Glastonbury draws tourists and pilgrims from all over whether you come for the legends of King Arthur, Christianity, and New Age beliefs.
I first came across Glastonbury from the latter, as an author of a book I resonated with a lot in my own spiritual journey moved there (Light Is the New Black by Rebecca Campbell). If you’re into the ‘woowoo’ you’ll probably come across a map of the locations of the chakras of the world. The heart chakra is said to be Glastonbury. So I figured why not go, we were going to be in the area anyway!
Long story short, same as in Mont St. Michel, I was disappointed because I expected to feel something energetically up at the Tor specifically. It made me doubt my spiritual connection, not gonna lie. But while I did not find it at the Tor, I found it at an unexpected place I’ve listed below.
Things to see & do in Glastonbury
Glastonbury Abbey
Our first stop upon arrival as it was right by the parking lot. It seemed a little too warm too to head up to the Tor just yet, so we went decided to head to the Abbey.
Inside, it was a very quiet park with the ruins of the Abbey. There’s not much left of the structure unfortunately. The Abbey was first built in the 8th century and burnt down in 1180s. They rebuilt in the 14th century and in the 1500s, during King Henry VIII’s reign (Founder of the Church of England), was dissolved and the last abbot executed at the Tor.
There is a marker on a plot in the grounds that is said to be the place of King Arthur’s tomb.
Glastonbury Tor
After lunch, we headed towards the Tor. There is no parking area by the base, so you’ll have to park at a lot and start your walk there. The base is also right by the Challice Wells and Springs, which you can visit before or after the hike.
There are multiple trails to reach the Tor, some starting from the city centre. There were two paths at the base of the hill, and we asked a man at the base who answered, “go where your heart tells you”. Alright then, we picked the one closest to us which happened to be the shorter way, too. Later I find out the trail name is Glastonbury Tor Steps Circular.
The hike took us at least 30 minutes. The 360° view from the Tor is the cherry on top of the exercise, and up there, you’ll understand how it is said to be the Isle of Avalon in the Arthurian legends because you can imagine how the land below would’ve been below sea level, as it used to be.
The Tor itself is the surviving tower of St. Michael’s Church.
Chalice Well & Gardens
The Chalice Well Gardens and Springs is a World Peace Garden where people from all beliefs are welcome. I saw people there meditating, walking the shallow spring pool, journaling, or just being around nature peacefully.
It is home to the Chalice Well, an iron rich spring also known as the Red Spring. It is Britain’s oldest holy well, sacred and is said to be healing, with connections to Christian mythology, which say that Joseph of Arimathea brought over Jesus’ blood in either a chalice or in cruets (depending on the source) from the crucifixion and buried it under making the waters red.
What’s amazing is how the spring has been flowing daily at a steady rate for over 2,000 years and is at a constant temperature of 11C throughout all seasons.
According to their website, a dowser, Sir Lonegren, said that the spring’s source comes from deep beneath Mother Earth, and not dependent on rainfall.
There is an entrance fee.
St. Margaret’s Chapel
This is one of those places where it’s not exactly in travel lists/guides, but something I stumbled across while zooming in and out of Google Maps. Luckily it was just down the road from the Glastonbury Abbey parking lot so I popped in for a quick visit while my parents rested in the car.
If you didn’t know it was there, you could easily pass the little alley that leads to the chapel at the back. It was formerly a pilgrim’s hospital and refuge.
It was so peaceful. Almost like a sound pocket enveloped the place. Pretty much what I expected to feel at the more famous sights, I found here.
Mystical Shops
There are plenty of crystal and mystical shops along the main road right outside the Abbey. I stopped collecting crystals (I know, the timing of this trip was not giving xD) but it was nice to pop into a couple of them and just browse.
Where we ate
Glastonbury is full of vegan and vegetarian friendly restaurants. However, we wanted meat. So I did a quick search and found this restaurant outside the city center and in a somewhat industrial looking area and building. Was a touch worried when we arrived because of the last minute booking through the app, but luckily they did have the table available. Our server was very warm and friendly, and my first Sunday Roast was pretty good! Unfortunately, they seem to be permanently closed now :(
Stonehenge
What do you think its purpose was?
Getting there
Be sure to book your tickets ahead as there is a separate line for online ticket purchases vs buying upon arrival. So if you’re sure on the date, best to book ahead as they may offer a bit of discount for online purchases, too.
Try to be there at least 15 minutes before your entry time to allow for parking as it was kind of full when we went. I will say ahead that it took us almost 2 hours from Bath because there was some road/traffic incident. Luckily, we allowed for some extra time and was able to arrive just in time.
The Tour
After getting your online tickets scanned and getting entry wristbands, you enter the exhibit room where it shares the history of how they think Stonehenge came about, the restoration work, and what they have since learned about the structure.
Heading out, you first see modern made reenactments of stone huts to show us how the workers and people back then lived.
Then it’s time to head to the site! There are two ways: by walking or by bus shuttles. The buses come every few minutes, so there’s really not much wait. We took the bus as skies were grey and it was raining on and off - we were not wearing mud friendly shoes :)) The walk takes about 30 minutes from the tourist center.
After about 10 minutes, you arrive at the stop and after a bit of a walk, you see the stones. A pretty surreal feeling seeing something from the books with your actual eyes. As you draw closer, you do begin to wonder how they came to be with the formation of the stones and what it’s purpose was, given that it aligns with the summer and winter solstice sun.
Overall, it is a nice walk around the circle, and we were blessed that the blue skies chased the grey clouds away, and it’s just a different vibe with the sun shines upon it. There are markers too with were the sun alignment happens.
Since we’re being honest, I wanted to feel the woowoo and yet to my continuous disappointment, I still didn’t feel anything xD None of the strong energy that people and non-believers (even our driver said so!), say they feel when they visited.
Nevertheless, Stonehenge remains an engineering and spiritual wonder of the world.
Hope that helps! Thanks for reading!
