After 4 weeks in France, mostly along the South then up the West coast, on 15 August Peter Van and I returned to the UK for our final leg of vanlife together. We took a ferry from Cherbourg in Normandie to Poole, Dorset.
What awaited on the other side was a spiritual week of connection, healing, breathwork, gongs, yoga and intense energy vibes. I was heading to the Soul Circus Festival in the Cotswold (England) for the weekend followed by a trip to the mystical Glastonbury.
I have been to the infamous Glastonbury festival 3 times but I never visited the actual town. Tut tut.
SOUL CIRCUS FESTIVAL
SoulCircus was so good and tons of fun too. The life coaching academy I qualified with (Mindful Talent) in partnership with Breathpod (you must check them both out!) hosted a tipi at the festival, with a 3 -day programme packed with cool, transformational sessions of breathwork, body movement, meditations, talks and sound healing.
They organised tickets for those of us in the “Mindful Talent tribe” that could make it, and take this perfect opportunity to meet and connect in person.
As recently posted on my Instagram (@thegr8fool): “You can become a GREAT coach with a great accredited coaching course. You can become an OUTSTANDING one with an outstanding tribe who has your back!”
Have you ever tried a breathwork session? If you haven’t, please don’t delay it any further. Breathpod is a great go-to place.
At the festival, I really enjoyed the gong and sound healing sessions and one called Psychedelic Breath Circle. Oh my goodness, was I in for a surprise. I had no idea what to expect and funnily I had conversations about trying “eye gazing therapy” just before going into the tipi, despite being secretly intimidated by it.
The mysterious psychedelic session involved exactly that. We sat in two circles, one facing the other. On rotation we were guided to move along and stare in the left eye of the person in front of us. 4 different people for c. 10 mins each. The process was not easy but we were gently guided by Stuart Sanderman of Breathpod, and supported by our breath.
It was a strangely difficult but profound experience. After a while, you connect with the no-longer-stranger in front of you at such a deep level, you feel you’re looking right into their soul.
Peter Van Therapy
Peter Van loved the festival vibes and having visitors sleep over and popping by for breakfast and teas!
GLASTONBURY
After such a powerful weekend at SoulCircus, Glastonbury seemed like the perfect place to let it all sink in.
England offers the best farm campsites and I love pitching up on a field of perfect green grass, immersed in quiet nature and surrounded by animals: cows, horses or alpacas!
In Glastonbury, I found parking for the campervan at the RJ Draper factory and store. From there you can easily walk to town and all the major hot spots: Chalice Well, White Spring, Tor and the Glastonbury town and Abbey site
Chalice Well Garden
The home of the famous red spring (red because the water is rich in iron which leaves red residues), believed to have sprung where the Holy Grail of Jesus was once placed. I bathed my feet in the healing water pool, took a stroll through the beautiful garden and enjoyed a meditation by the well.
When I reached the garden top, with a view of the Glastonbury Tor, a swarm of beautiful dragonflies appeared. See if you can spot any in the picture below.
Glastonbury Tor
http://www.glastonburytor.org.uk/
Walking up the Tor hill was peaceful and beautiful. From the top, you get a 360 degree breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside. WOW. I zig-zaged my way up from the back of the hill, and returned from the front, a slightly steeper descent. Both easily manageable.
White Spring
https://www.whitespring.org.uk/
Another healing spring located only a few metres from the red spring, yet rich of a very different mineral: calcite. This spring is accessible inside a candle lit sanctuary building, with pools filled with the chilled spiritual waters, surrounded by various shrines. Many people go in full body and naked. I undressed down to my undies and soaked up to thigh-level. I don’t really tolerant icy water very well.. but I appreciated the calm and cleansing experience.
[for obvious reasons, no photos could be taken 🙂 ]
Glastonbury Abbey
https://www.glastonburyabbey.com/
I didn’t expect the Abbey site to be as big as it is. In fact, I knew very little about the place so I really enjoyed delving right into it. Getting to know the history of the early Christian foundation in Britain and the legendary (or true?) burial location of King Arthur. You can easily spend a whole day exploring and relaxing here. I got in late afternoon, and stayed till closing time.
There’s something really magical and spiritual about Glastonbury. If you’re in tune with energetic fields, you won’t miss the vibes!
I closed my spiritual trip through Glastonbury with a visit to the quirky Bocabar for brunch and a catch up with a friend who saw through my Facebook check-in that I was in the area. This cosy cafe’ is in the Red Brick Building, on the outskirts of the village. A successful recommendation from a local I met the day before.
Crossing the Channel with Peter Van felt like an emotional goodbye to a big chunk of incredible vanlife memories we shared in “mainland Europe”. Spending the first week in England surrounded by so much healing and spiritual energy really helped me rest and prepare for the upcoming transition from Nomad life to… let’s see what’s next!
