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Six miles south of Wells, and reachable from there in twenty minutes on frequent buses, GLASTONBURY lies at the centre of the so-called Isle of Avalon , a region rich with mystical associations. At the heart of it all is the early Christian legend that the young Christ once visited this site, a story that is not as far-fetched as it sounds. The Romans had a heavy presence in the area, mining lead in the Mendips, and one of these mines was owned by Joseph of Arimathea , a well-to-do merchant said to have been related to Mary. It's not inconceivable that the merchant took his kinsman on one of his many visits to his property, in a period of Christ's life of which nothing is recorded. It was this possibility to which William Blake referred in his Glastonbury Hymn , better known as Jerusalem : - "And did those feet in ancient times/Walk upon England's mountains green?"

Another legend relates how Joseph was imprisoned for twelve years after the Crucifixion, miraculously kept alive by the Holy Grail , the chalice of the Last Supper, in which the blood was gathered from the wound in Christ's side. The Grail, along with the spear which had caused the wound, were later taken by Joseph to Glastonbury, where he founded the abbey and commenced the conversion of Britain.

More verifiably, a Celtic monastery was established on this site in the fourth or fifth century - making this the oldest Christian foundation in England. Enlarged by St Dunstan, Glastonbury Abbey (daily: Feb 10am-5pm; March 9.30am-5.30pm; April-Sept 9.30am-6pm; Oct 9.30am-5pm; Nov 9.30am-4.30pm; Dec & Jan 10am-4.30pm; £3; ) became the richest Benedictine abbey in the country. Three Anglo-Saxon kings (Edmund, Edgar and Edmund Ironside) were buried here, the library had a far-reaching fame, and the church had the longest known nave of any monastic church at the time of the Dissolution (580ft - Wells Cathedral's nave reaches 415ft). The original building was destroyed by fire in 1184 and the ruins are the rather scanty remains of what took its place, reduced to their present state at the Dissolution. Hidden behind walls at the centre of town, surrounded by grassy parkland and shaded by trees, the ruins only hint at the extent of the building, which was financed largely by a constant procession of medieval pilgrims. Most prominent and photogenic remains are the transept piers and the shell of the Lady Chapel, with its carved figures of the Annunciation, the Magi and Herod.

The abbey's choir introduces another strand to the Glastonbury mythology, for it holds what is alleged to be the tomb of Arthur and Guinevere . As told by William of Malmesbury and Thomas Malory, the story relates how, after being mortally wounded in battle, King Arthur sailed to Avalon where he was buried alongside his queen. The discovery of two bodies in an ancient cemetery outside the abbey in 1191 - from which they were transferred here in 1278 - was taken to confirm the popular identification of Glastonbury with Avalon. In the grounds, the fourteenth-century abbot's kitchen is the only monastic building to survive intact, with four huge corner fireplaces and a great central lantern above. Behind the main entrance to the grounds, look out for the thorn-tree that is supposedly from the original Glastonbury Thorn said to have sprouted from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea when he landed here to convert the country. The plant grew for centuries on a nearby hill known as Wyrral, or Weary-All, and despite being hacked down by Puritans, lived long enough to provide numerous cuttings whose descendants still bloom twice a year (Easter & Dec). Only at Glastonbury do they flourish, it is claimed - anywhere else they die after a couple of years.

On the edge of the abbey grounds, the medieval abbey barn forms the centrepiece of the engaging Somerset Rural Life Museum (April-Oct Tues-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 2-6pm; Nov-March Tues-Sat 10am-3pm; £2.50), illustrating a range of local rural occupations, from cheese-and cider-making to peat-digging, thatching and farming.

From the abbey's ruins it's a mile-long hike to Glastonbury Tor , at 521ft a landmark for miles around. The conical hill is topped by the dilapidated St Michael's Tower , sole remnant of a fourteenth-century church; it commands stupendous views encompassing Wells, the Quantocks, the Mendips, the Somerset Levels - the once-marshy peat moors rolling out to the sea - and sometimes the Welsh mountains. Pilgrims once embarked on the stiff climb here with hard peas in their shoes as penance - nowadays people come to feel the vibrations of crossing ley-lines. If you don't fancy the steep ascent, take the easier path farther up Wellhouse Lane, the road that leads to the Tor Park from the centre of town. You can also save some legwork by taking advantage of the Glastonbury Tor Bus , a summer service (July to mid-Sept) which takes people from the High Street to the base of the Tor every thirty minutes; your £1 ticket can be used all day.

At the bottom of Wellhouse Lane, in the middle of a lush garden intended for quiet contemplation, the Chalice Well (daily: Feb, March & Nov 11am-5pm; April-Oct 10am-6pm; Dec & Jan noon-4pm; £2.20; ) is alleged to be the hiding-place of the Holy Grail. The iron-red waters were considered to have curative properties, making the town a spa for a brief period in the eighteenth century, and they are still prized - there's a tap in Wellhouse Lane.

Back in town, you might take a glance at the fifteenth-century church of St John the Baptist , halfway along the High Street. The tower is reckoned to be one of Somerset's finest, and the interior has a fine oak roof and stained glass illustrating the legend of St Joseph of Arimathea, both from the period of the church's construction. The Glastonbury thorn in the churchyard is the biggest in town.

Further down the street, the fourteenth-century Tribunal was where the abbots presided over legal cases; it later became a hotel for pilgrims, and now holds a small museum of finds from the Iron Age lake villages that once fringed the marshland below the Tor (April-Sept Mon-Thurs & Sun 10am-5pm, Fri & Sat 10am-5.30pm; Oct-March closes 1hr earlier; £2).

Glastonbury is of course also famous for its music festival which takes place most years over three days at the end of June outside the nearby village of Pilton. Having started in the 1970s, the festival has become one of the biggest and best organized in the country, without shedding too much of its alternative feel. Bands range from huge acts such as REM and Pulp to up-and-coming indie groups and such old hands as Tom Jones. Ticket prices are steep (around £90) and are snapped up early: for general information, contact the promoters on 01749/890470, or Glastonbury's tourist office, which is also licensed to sell tickets.