2nd August 2024
R and I headed off to Glastonbury for the one-night Glastonbury Abbey festival. We were to camp in the temporary Abbey Festival campsite for a couple of nights. We arrived at the site just before 1pm and were shown to our pitch. The usual guys were on site. The Welshman soon has us parked.
A lovely day, so we went for a walk, walking up the Tor to view the surrounding lands and campsite from above. The nuclear reactors off Hinkley Point were well in evidence. Also spotted the new design towers which are to carry the power from Hinkley Point power station. On the other side of the Tor, we should have been able to see the Pyramid Stage. Without its coat, the steel frame is hard to spot. The extremely zoomed in phone camera does show a very ghostly pyramid on the edge of the field.
After our walk up the Tor, we headed to the nearby Glastonbury Brewing Co and taproom. First time we had visited here, and it won’t be the last. Chatted to some fellow campers.
The next day was music day, so we walked into Glastonbury for the Extravaganza. Our usual look around the shops, and lunch in town. We ate in the same place as last year, the George and Pilgrims Inn. Across the road we popped into Visions, a card and photoshop run by Michelle, a Glastonbury photographer who we follow on Bluesky.
Bought supper in Tesco and headed for the queue to get into the Abbey Extravaganza. It is a laid-back enjoyable festival (hence R comes), with large groups of people bringing in chairs, tables and huge picnic meals and bubbly. Not sure if we saw any candelabra this time. Tonight’s entertainment was provided by the Shepton Mallet Big Band (good fun), Hothouse Flowers and finally Keane. After Keane was the usual firework display. A huge display which runs on and on. R quite taken with Keane (!).
Walking around the site, when I was buying some refreshments, I bumped into Michael Eavis. He is definitely looking old these days. Also, he seems to be confined to a wheelchair, or in this case being driven around in a buggy.
Getting out is a little tedious, with huge crowds converging on small exits. A final walk through the town to catch the courtesy coach back to the campsite.
Longburton and Sherborne
Sunday, decided not to rush up the Tor for sunrise, leave that to Michelle, who does it most days. We headed off to see Ken and Sue. (This turned out a disaster with me scraping the sill of the van on a piece of concrete. It’s been fixed now, paint redone, but there is still an indent in part of the sill.) We found them in their usual good form.
After our visit, we headed off to a Camping and Caravan Certificated site. Stopped in Sherborne at Waitrose for some supplies. West Hall Farm is a small site (5 vehicles only) at Longburton. It was very quiet, and we were the only occupants. There were a couple of caravans which had been rented out, but were presently empty. The site was quiet, but had electric hookups, toilets and showers. The toilets and showers were rather basic. There is a wedding barn there as well, I think this is what the owners were concentrating on.
The campsite is a small corner of a large field. At the bottom of the field is a stream, ponds, reeds, birds and dragonflies. The field contained three alpacas. Up the private road is a pub, where I did have a drink, and the bus stop.
The next day, Monday, we caught the bus into Sherborne. Here we walked around the town, following a town walk itinerary. Plenty of charity shops seem to have crept into the itinerary. R triumphant at finding a book which apparently I wanted to read, The Three Body Problem. A light lunch at the Digby Tap.
Back on the bus to the campsite, where the sun was shining, and the wind was quiet. An idyllic spot. On our walk back from the bus to the campsite, we met a Romany who said he had worked all around the world, helped out all sorts of landowners over in Norfolk and knew/was related to (we got a bit confused) the Kray brothers. He really needed to get someone to write down his life story.
Cerne Abbas
Another idyllic day. We caught a bus going in the opposite direction, so this time towards Cerne Abbas. Cerne Abbas, the home of the Cerne Giant. Here we ate at ‘The Giant Inn’, and then went for a walk through the village. Fabulous butterflies and our first of the season English Hummingbird Hawk Moth, all on a Buddleia. We saw the remains of the Abbey and St Augustine’s Well. Nearby there was an archaeological dig in progress. The dig was excavating the old Abbey which had been destroyed by Henry VIII. Walking on further we went to view the Giant. It is fenced off to stop erosion, a drone is a must. Or walk down to the layby where there is a good view of the Giant. We walked back along the stream and stopped at the Giant Inn again for a drink while waiting for the bus home.
Avebury
Today we packed up and left for home. On the way back we stopped at Avebury. Very busy, carpark pretty full. Difficult to get pictures of the stones without hundreds of people blocking the views. Anyway, there were some stunning thistles, and it is always worthwhile seeing.
