Inside ‘UK’s weirdest city’ the place residents ‘can stroll bare and nobody cares’

When most people hear “Glastonbury“, they likely think of the world-renowned music festival at Worthy Farm.

However, for the remaining 51 weeks of the year, Glastonbury is a hotbed of occult activity and unconventional spirituality, earning it the title of “Britain’s weirdest town.”

The town’s narrow streets are packed with more occult bookshops and stores selling magical paraphernalia than anywhere else in the country. Since 2010, Glastonbury has hosted an annual Occult Conference, linking modern-day witches to a mystical tradition that dates back to the flurry of mystical activity in the area during the 1920s, involving figures such as Aleister Crowley and Dion Fortune.

One local resident described Glastonbury as so relaxed “you can do anything”, adding: “You can walk down the street naked and no one takes any notice.”

YouTubers Josh and Jason journeyed to the legendary Isle of Avalon, which they described as the “chakra heart of the world, emanating mystical powers that attract healers and spiritualists from all over the world”. They climbed the steep path up the 520-foot Glastonbury Tor to explore the ruins of the 14th-century St Michael’s Church, built on the site of a previous building that was destroyed by one of the largest earthquakes ever to hit the British Isles.

“According to legend, there’s a cave deep in this hill and apparently it’s the final resting site of the Holy Grail,” Jason said.

The tranquil setting of Glastonbury, steeped in myth and folklore about King Arthur and the Holy Grail and home to a reportedly “healing” spring known as the Chalice Well, left the pair feeling rather “very awkward”.

From people wholly embracing nature by wading in the water and hugging trees to a woman simply holding her fingers in the well’s waters, it all proved a bit much for them.

Despite this, Josh suggested that everyone should give Glastonbury a go at least once.

He said: “As much of the vibe of the town centre with people wandering the streets barefoot whilst banging a tambourine isn’t for us, hiking to the top of Glastonbury Tor and witnessing those incredible views firsthand is definitely something everybody who’s able to should experience once in their lifetime.”

Glastonbury has its own special charm. A local rough sleeper named Bugsy praised the community spirit, even extending his commendation to the local plod, noting: “They’re more understanding, they’ll give you something to eat.”

Bugsy also spoke out about his current living conditions, revealing: “I’m sleeping in an abandoned garage… the police turned up and said ‘you’re fine here, we haven’t had any complaints or anything we just heard that someone was staying here’.”

“I came back that night and there was loads of brand new duvets in plastic bags. The police asked me the next day ‘did you get all our stuff for you? ‘ The fire brigade went there as well and they put up a smoke alarm.”

Nic from the Walking the Wyrd channel brought Glastonbury Abbey’s Arthurian connection into question, stating, “really just a marketing strategy by the monks to bring more people and more donations to the Abbey,” however, many are firm believers that the legendary king found his final resting place there.

Glastonburys tag as a “spiritual” hotspot mainly rests on stories suggesting that Jesus Christ visited the area during the unchronicled gap between the Christmas and Easter narratives in the Bible.

Nonetheless, not all agree with the perception that Glastonbury is an oasis of “love and light.”

A local street artist claimed: “There’s a lot of lost souls here. You just have to walk around by the White Spring and the Tor, you’ll see so many disillusioned people that have been harmed by society and just take it out on people.”

He concluded, “There’s a darkness here. Everybody says there’s so much light but really it’s just very dark …there’s a lot of bad things have happened here in the past.”