The Mystical Isle of Avalon: A Summer Solstice Journey

Hello and welcome to this week's Wildlife Matters podcast.

This week's episode is filled with summer delights.

Featuring our Summer Solstice special, we will explore the connection between wildlife and nature alongside folklore, magic and the enchanting allure of the whimsical Isle of Avalon.

In this week's Wildlife Matters and Mindful moments, we will journey to the wild wood where we can listen to the beautiful songs of nature on a long summer evening.

And in this week's Wildlife Matters Nature News, our lead story covers the animal aid campaign aimed at banning snares in England following the successful bans enacted by the Welsh and Scottish governments.

Join us as we delve into the origins of the summer solstice and and discover how our ancestors harmonized with nature and adapted to the changing seasons.

Our third story.

Join us for an evening walk as we take a moment to appreciate the soothing sounds of wildlife on a warm summer's night.

All of this and more is coming up on this week's Wildlife Matters podcast and Nature News is next.

Hello and welcome to this week's Wildlife Matters Nature News where we take a look at some of the stories from around the world of wildlife and nature that you will want to know more about.

Beginning with the news from Animal Aid and their ongoing campaign to ban snares in England.

As Animal AIDS say it's time to ban snares in England and they've been campaigning for a ban on the manufacture, sale, possession and use of snares.

The governments of Wales and Scotland have both banned them and Animal Aid are campaigning for a ban in England as well.

So what is a snare and what is it for?

A snare is a thin wire noose which is set to catch certain animals by the leg or the neck because they are accused of killing pheasants and partridges who are destined to be shot for so called sport or damaging crops.

There are two types of snare.

One is illegal, the other is legal, but both can easily fail to work correctly.

Snares should be checked daily.

Snared animals should be released if they are not the target species and the animal is unharmed.

If the animal is the target species then it will be killed.

DEFRA's own figures stated that almost 70% of animals caught in snares were non target species and this could and has included badgers, pet dogs, pet cats, sheep and lambs.

Do snares cause injury to animals?

Trapped animals will panic and struggle to get free.

Being trapped in a wire noose.

The wire can cut off into the animal's flesh.

Depending on how long they are trapped and how much they struggle, the snare can cut into and damage or injure their muscles, deeper tissues and even their bone.

Animals have been known to try to chew off their own limbs to escape.

Their pain and distress are unimaginable.

Even if an animal freezes, immobile and does not move once caught, that is not necessarily good.

There is a condition called tonic immobility which occurs when animals are incredibly stressed and it's a condition that has been recognized in humans.

So what does the snare code of practice say?

It states that snares should never be set under or near fences or other obstructions like saplings, hedges, walls or gates that could cause entanglement.

They should not be set where livestock could be caught on or near an active badger set or on the runs radiating from it in such a way that the restrained animal could become fully or partially suspended, entangled, drowned or strangled.

And if forecasted, weather conditions are likely to cause poor welfare or prevent daily inspection.

And this could include excess heat as well as cold.

Wind, rain, snow and other factors must all be considered.

So why haven't snares been banned in England?

The Labour government has promised to ban snares, so Animal Aid are working hard to ensure that this happens as soon as possible for the sake of all animals who are at risk of getting caught in these cruel and archaic devices.

For more information please visit the Animal Aid website.

We will leave a link in the show notes Our second story this week asks the topical question, why do we celebrate solstice?

On Saturday, June 21st at 3:41am, people across the northern hemisphere will commence celebrations to welcome the longest day of the year and herald the Summer Solstice.

The Summer Solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years with its roots in both pagan and religious traditions.

It is a time to reconnect with nature when food and nature are abundant and the focus of the festivities is fertility and the life giving powers of the sun.

In pagan Europe, people would light bonfires and dance all night on Midsummer's Eve accompanied by rituals led by the Druids.

One of the customs was bonfire jumping where the height of the jump was believed to predict the success of the year's crop.

In ancient China, the summer solstice was a significant festival during which workers were given a day off to celebrate the feminine force known as Yin.

Similarly, the ancient Romans celebrated with a focus on Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, home and family.

The summer solstice remains an important festival in many countries.

Many people stay awake on Midsummer's Eve to greet the sun as it rises.

Modern Druids famously gather at Stonehenge for celebrations of Midsummer, which are intertwined with mysticism and magic and believed to be at their peak during this time of the year.

Tradition holds that ghosts can cross from the afterlife into this world, and as seen in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, it is believed that the fairy world is close by, bringing mischief and chaos to mortals to ward off malevolent spirits.

Flower crowns are traditionally worn.

Many midsummer summer traditions focus on reconnecting with nature, so it's no surprise that trees and tree worship feature prominently in both ancient and modern festivals.

At the center of Midsummer celebrations is the oak tree.

The Celtic word for oak, dua, means doorway.

As the king of the forest, the oak is viewed as the gateway to mystical realms and and to the new, darker cycle of the year which is about to begin.

Mistletoe, long believed to have healing and fertility powers, is thought to harness the soul of the tree and is at its strongest when it grows on oak.

During midsummer, the beech tree, with its fresh lime green leaves brightening the forest, is regarded as the queen of the forest and consort to the oak king.

For the druids, it symbolized ancient wisdom and was a sacred wood of the summer solstice.

And according to folklore, if you write a wish on a beech twig and then bury it, your wish will come true as the twig decays in the earth.

Hazel trees are believed to possess magical properties and to ward off evil spirits, and in medieval times they symbolized fertility.

Stirring jam with a hazel twig is thought to prevent mischievous fairies from stealing the jam.

The shimmering trembling leaves of the beautiful aspen were believed to carry messages from this world to the afterlife, and wearing a crown of aspen leaves allowed the wearer to travel to the underworld and back again.

Traditionally, shields were made from aspen wood as it was believed to protect against evil, making it symbolism particularly important during the mystical time of mid summer.

We hope that this brief look at the history, customs and folklore of the solstice have helped you to understand how it is so closely tied to nature and our well being.

Our third story this week is a jaunt in the woodlands on a summer evening as we share an excerpt from a recent Wildlife Matters article for a well being publication Highlighting the night serenaders that add an enchanting layer to the natural soundscape Walking in the woodland on a summer night is a wonderful way to reconnect with nature.

Highlighting the night serenaders that add an enchanting layer to the natural soundscape Most people associate the cheerful melodies of birds singing with daytime, but there is a lesser known yet equally captivating world of birds that sing at night.

The nightingale is often regarded as the quintessential master of night songs.

Its melodic and powerful song, composed of a rapid succession of whistles, gurgles and trills, fills the night air.

The nightingale's song is frequently described as one of the most beautiful and melancholic sounds in nature.

Another nighttime star is the nightjar.

Commonly found in heathlands and woodlands.

Its distinctive chirring call and aerial displays make make it a fascinating addition to the nocturnal choir.

While cuckoos are typically known for their cuckoo call during the day, they also sing at night, adding to their enigmatic nature with their mysterious night songs.

And you might also hear some of your garden favorites such as robins and blackbirds, both of whom are known to sing through summer nights.

And of course, we can't forget the tawny owls, which communicate with each other through their distinctive twit and twoo calls, along with a far broader range of vocalizations.

You can join us for a summer night walk on an upcoming Wildlife Matters podcast to listen to our melodic and nighttime singers, but for now, that has been this week's Wildlife Matters Nature News.

Each week we make a point of sharing something special special with you from time spent in nature to help you relax and unwind and motivate you to get out and into nature.

And on this week's Wildlife Matters Mindful Moments, join us and enjoy one of the wonderful wild sounds of our woodlands on a long summer's evening.

SA is a truly unique city sound, often described as a persistent churning sound resembling the mechanical whirring of a clockwork toy.

Unwinding can be quite eerie and difficult to pinpoint the exact location due to its rising and falling pitch, and sometimes it moves its head while calling, altering its voice.

We hope you enjoyed spending time listening to a nightjar on a summer evening on this week's Wildlife Matters Mindful Moments.

Now it's time for you to join me before dawn as we set off on a celebration of the summer solstice to the mystical and magical Isle of Avalon for this week's Wildlife Matters main feature.

It's 3am and my alarm jolts me awake.

I pull back the curtains in the van and see it is still dark outside.

Rubbing my eyes, I get out of bed after getting dressed and enjoying a strong dark cup of coffee.

I sit in the van's sliding door and gaze into the calm, cool night.

Today was going to be unique and very special for it's the summer solstice.

I decided I wanted to explore somewhere different, somewhere magical, somewhere mystical and memorable.

And all roads led me to Glaston.

I parked Raven, my camper van, in the Duncton car park near the centre of Glastonbury and walked around the extensive grounds of Glastonbury Abbey.

I tried to imagine its glory days before Henry VII dissolved it.

The abbey was built by a Saxon king Iny of Wessex around 712 and its history is said to be traced back to an old church in the legend of King Arthur is also associated with Glastonbury abbey.

In the 12th century it was believed that the tomb of the legendary king and his wife Guinevere were found here.

The stone Saxon church underwent significant enlargement in the 10th century under the remit of the Abbot of Glastonbury and the future Archbishop of Canterbury, St Dunstan.

13 Glastonbury town is alive with ancient history and medieval mystique.

There's a story waiting to be heard on every street corner, on every mud covered cluster of stones and just about anywhere else you might care to look long enough.

As I leave the abbey and walk along the streets of Glastonbury, the colourful painted houses that adorn the whole town capture my imagination.

Each piece of artwork is as individual as the artist who created it and the people living in the house.

We should all express how we feel and share that in an amateur Banksy style on our own houses, which would really brighten up every town, village and city in Britain.

Bushycombe Garden is one of Glastonbury's beauty spots and is much used by folk visiting the tour by foot.

There are plenty of seats along the route, some of which have been there for over a hundred years, which is another sign that multiple generations of folk have used this route to the tour.

Following the footpath through the gate, banks of trees form a towering hedgerow on the Right towards the end of the steep incline, an old sycamore on the right has stood started to consume the fence post placed at its feet.

We walk through the Kissing Gate at the top corner of the Coombe and head towards Fairy Lane.

At the top of Bushy Combe is a much visited grand linden or lime tree across the grass and this spot offers a stunning view of the tour and a perfect photo opportunity, one I could not miss.

The cosy green hollow is lined by hawthorn, elder, hazel, blackthorn, old field maples, spindle and a magnificent split ash.

On the left, Fairy Lane leads into an open field with yet more views of the tor.

If you take a slight detour to the top corner of this field, you will find an old English oak standing in the hedgerow.

Its branches reach out horizontally, spiraling and twisting, while the two main trunks are fused, resembling snakes mating.

This is what the locals call the wiggly oak.

We continue walking until we reach the gated entrance to the Toul.

Three beech trees are planted at the entrance in dedication to the goddess Brigid Bridget.

Below them there is a milestone marking eight miles to Wales.

Legend has it that you should announce your arrival by throwing a stone.

Once we pass through the Kissing Gate leading to the terraces of the tour, an impressive row of hawthorns is straight ahead.

It is a hedgerow that has grown out for a long, long time.

There is also a wayfaring tree on the edge of the hedgerow, another sign sign of pilgrimage from the past.

As we reached the top of the tour and joined a large group of people gathered just before sunrise.

It was now 4:55am and the sun had cast its first light of a new day.

Many people gathered around a fire, some cheering, others clapping and dancing to the steady rhythm of the drums.

It was a fun way to welcome in the sunrise on a solstice morning.

We sat and enjoyed views of the Somerset countryside from what is regarded as one of the most spiritual sites in the uk.

I looked towards Avalon Marshes and began to dream about exploring them, which is another adventure that Wildlife Matters will bring to you.

Just being in a spiritual and mystical place on the solstice, dawn is a wonderful experience and we wanted to soak up every drop of it.

So it was a good couple of hours fueled with coffee and oat cakes before we set off towards the Avalon Orchard.

Avalon means apples, the name coming from the Welsh for apple or apple tree.

Here in Britain, as elsewhere in the world, apples were thought to represent long life, fruitfulness and health, and were often considered to be magical.

The apple was an essential tree to the Druids, and along with yew wood, it was used to make their wands.

Avalon Orchard is perched on the slope of the tour.

It appears to be largely missed by the thousands of visitors to the tour.

And even today we have this beautiful, beautiful orchard all to ourselves.

The National Trust looks after Avalon Orchard as part of the tourist state, but it doesn't appear to know much about its origin, age or what types of apples are grown there.

The trees are undoubtedly old for apple trees, I would have guessed at at least 100, maybe 150 years, and are suitably gnarled and covered in lichen.

During a later conversation with a local, I was told that many of the seats in Bushy Coombe were made from fallen applewood from the Avalon Orchard.

At the height of summer, the orchard's blossom had gone and the trees were full of young pink to green apples, some still wearing their now rotting pollen bonnets.

It is still clearly a productive orchard and we noticed that many trees had red ribbons tied to their branches.

The history behind the use of ribbon trees comes from many places around the world.

Sometimes known as wishing trees or rag bushes.

The Irish call them clotties and the Scots call them cluttie trees.

The orchards or woodlands used for the ribbon trees are often close to holy wells or water, as is indeed the case here in the Avalon Orchard.

These trees are often decorated with strips of ribbon or cloth, but always with organic materials that will decompose naturally by visitors who want to fulfill their wishes or in remembrance of a loved one, human or animal who has died.

This sets me thinking about the Arthurian legends that abound here and that back in Arthur's day, Glastonbury, or Avalon as the name translates to, is the island of apples.

In Arthur's day, the tour would have been an island rising out of the marshes.

And perhaps that is why it is said that Arthur went to Avalon after his last battle.

It is also believed that what we know as Glastonbury was the isle of glass, where deceased heroes were said to dwell.

We set off again with a head full of mystery and legend, walking down the tour towards the White Spring.

It is fascinating that the two healing springs, one white with calcite and the other tinged red with iron, should raise within a few feet of each other from the caverns beneath Glastonbury.

Tours.

In honor of the spirit of the white Spirit spring, the Victorians built a magnificent well house in gratitude for the gift of pure water.

Set apart from the chalice well, the well house is very enigmatic, especially when lit with candles at dusk.

The interior consists of three domed vaults, each 16ft high, with beautiful bowed floors, like the hull of a boat moored at a port long to the other world.

Its constant temperature and the sound of the perpetually flowing water make it a unique and sacred space.

We move to the open, sunlit gardens of the Red Spring, or the Chalice Well.

The water in the Chalice well comes from deep within the Earth.

25,000 gallons or 110,000 liters flow from the well every day, which has never failed, even during the driest droughts.

Iron oxide deposits give the water a reddish hue.

Archaeological finds suggest that humans may have used the spring's water over 2,000 years ago.

Set in a beautiful four acre garden, the Chalice well is a serene space for quiet contemplation and meditation, featuring numerous tucked away corners, lawns, flower beds and some majestic trees.

We walked down some steps to the Vesica Pool, a beautiful sculpture in a rockery.

A few people were here, some were sat on benches, others on the lawn, and some were in the shade of two large yew trees.

I started chatting with a lady who tells me that the yew Tree is around 700 years old, while the smaller tree is a spur of the first.

I love that they are known as the Guardians of the Gulf.

As we move through the central garden and into the small walled courtyard garden which is known as King Arthur's Court.

This courtyard has a healing point, a shallow brick lined pool surrounded by ferns and ivy and is shaded by another ancient old yew tree.

Here, people are dipping their feet in the chilly water around the pool to cool down.

It's been a long and warm morning and we have walked a reasonable distance already.

So I quickly removed my boots and joined the others, dipping my feet into the calming cool water.

And it's a welcome relief on this warm summer morning.

With my feet refreshed, we walk barefoot across to the Lion's Head fountain set in a sunken garden to drink the spring water for the first time.

That water tastes so good and is so refreshing.

I filled my cupped hands several times to quench my thirst and I filled my water bottles.

The water is tested regularly and even when the garden is closed, a tap located along the well house lane allows access to water from the fountain.

The tap is piped directly from the well's source.

Just behind us is the Holy Thorn Tree, which I'm told flowers twice every year, once at Christmas and once at Easter.

According to local legend, the this tree is the descendant of the original holy thorn tree that grew from where Joseph drove his staff into the ground near the well.

A stone path with beds flanked by traditional English country garden flowers leads us to the far northeast corner of the garden, where you will find the beautiful well head with its immediately recognizable well well lid.

It's a popular and busy area of the garden, so we stop long enough for me to take a picture or two before moving on.

As we walk between the places we want to visit, we return to the thoughts of Arthurian legend.

Glastonbury, or the Isle of Avalon, is a place steeped in Celtic mythology.

It is said that the cave under the hill is the entrance to the fairy realm and the underworld of Gwyn Ab Nud and his Cauldron of rebirth.

We arrive back at Glastonbury Abbey to look for the tomb of the legendary King Arthur.

Nearly everyone has heard stories about King Arthur.

His sword in the stone, his Knights of the Round Table, his Kingdom of Camelot.

But there's little to no historical proof of an early British king.

Arthur.

The legendary king is said to have ruled sometime around the late 5th to the early 6th century and fought against the invading Saxons.

However, the first mention of a warrior named Arthur is a few hundred Years later, in 829, when a Welsh monk called him a commander who fought alongside the kings of the Britons.

The medieval storytellers took it all.

From there, they began circulating fantastic tales of King Arthur and his daring deeds, deeds which seemed to grow with each story.

According to Geoffrey's original story, when Arthur was mortally wounded, he was put in a boat and taken to the Isle of Avalon in hope that he could be healed of his wounds.

And Geoffrey ends his story there, leaving Arthur in Avalon.

But at that time, no one knew where the Isle of Avalon was.

In the old abbey cemetery, they were digging between two old stone pyramids covered in worn, unreadable markings, when deep in the ground, they found a large stone laying flat.

They lifted it out so that they could inspect it.

A lead cross was attached to the back of the stone, the side facing downwards.

They pried off the cross and found an inscription hidden on the back of it.

All the monks were wondering at this strange sight.

Then one translated, here lies buried the renowned King Arthur with Guinevere, his second wife, in the Isle of Avalon.

Everyone gasped.

Years earlier, King Henry II had sent word to the monks of Glastonbury about Arthur's burial.

He claimed that an old soothsayer had told him Arthur was buried in a log casket very deep in the earth.

The monks picked up their shovels and began digging again with more vigour.

They dug deeper and deeper until at about 16ft, they hit what seemed to be a tree buried horizontally in the earth.

It was large.

It was a tree trunk coffin, similar to those used in earlier times.

The word spread.

A large crowd gathered and probably paid to see the coffin opened.

After the monks had dug all around it, they struggled to lift the top off.

But as they hoisted the wooden lid out of the pit, the remains of two bodies were revealed, a man and a woman.

There was a lock of braided blond hair that looked completely intact.

However, when a monk went to pick it up, it turned to dust in his hand.

Everyone was astonished when they saw King Arthur's skeleton as it was enormous.

One monk took the shin bone and held it against the tallest man there and it extended a good three inches above his knee.

His eye sockets were a hand's width apart and he had at least 10 wounds on his large skull.

All had scarred except for one, a large one, which was probably the final blow.

The monks carefully lifted the bones from the grave and wrapped the them in cloth.

They would have a new marble tomb made for Arthur and Guinevere and place it in their church.

The discovery of King Arthur's tomb changed Glastonbury Abbey's fortunes as people from far and wide began making pilgrimage to see it.

And that was the end of our summer solstice adventure.

We took off to the Pyramid Cat on Glastonbury High street, an excellent fully vegan calf that we highly recommend you visit and try one of their exquisite cheesecakes, such as the dragon cheesecake, which tasted even better than it looks.

We hope you enjoyed our summer solstice adventure to Glastonbury, a place rich in mysticism and magic.

Due to its fascinating history and the beliefs surrounding ancient sites such as the Glastonbury tour.

Many visitors report feeling a unique energy in the area, which they attribute to the ley lines and other unseen forces.

Plastonbury Tours is considered a significant location where ley lines intersect with ancient sites, enhancing the spiritual atmosphere.

Regardless of your beliefs, it's a wonderful place to spend time admiring the ancient trees and contemplating their history, imagining the stories that they could share if only they could speak.

One can reflect on how our ancestors were connected to the changing seasons and the landscape from the pure water of the wells to the seasonal bounty of the land.

And from the tour you can look out over the enchanting Avalon Marshes which will be featured in a future episode of the Wildlife Matters Podcast.

We want to extend a warm welcome to our new listeners and subscribers this week.

Last week's episode featuring the watching of wild beavers in Devon has been incredibly popular and has already become one of our most listened to episodes.

And with your support we have also achieved another landmark for the Wildlife Matters podcast where we have exceeded 500,000 downloads.

Yes, that's over half a million of you who have listened to our episodes and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who listens to the Wildlife Matters Podcast.

Thank you.

We set out with a vision to educate, entertain, inform and engage like minded wildlife and nature lovers who share our desire to reach broader audiences while advocating for local wildlife and conservation projects as well as community groups and standing up and speaking out to stop the persecution and destruction of wildlife and nature.

To achieve this landmark with a self researched, written, recorded and produced podcast that remains independent is something I am incredibly proud to have created.

But it's you, the listener who has driven us on and helped us evolve over the last three years and for that we are incredibly grateful.

Wildlife Matters will return in two weeks with another incredible adventure as we go in search of golden eagles in Galloway.

So be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

Thank you as always for your time today and we hope you found something that you can take away and discuss with your friends or colleagues when you have the time.

Until then, stay curious wild ones.

This is Wildlife Matters signing.