Dod Lane B&B, Glastonbury

There’s Glastonbury history and archaeology, even some ghosts, in this post, it’s not only about Glastonbury’s newest visitor accommodation.

I’m excited to tell you that I am managing One Dod lane, a brand new and beautiful Bed and Breakfast in Glastonbury, which has come about as the result of a creative collaboration with the Town’s newly opened Heart of the Tribe Art Gallery. We are looking forward to welcoming you to come and stay in this stylish modern bungalow, in a prime location for visitors to take in Glastonbury’s most significant sites.

One Dod Lane is owned and has been designed by by Julian Clark, founder of Heart of the Tribe so it has the same aesthetic of clean lines and tasteful decor. The art on the walls is by gallery manager and light painter Kim Von Coels and mural artist Faye Suzannah. The property is managed (and lived in) by me. I’ve helped managed accommodation in Glastonbury in the past and after nearly 30 years in the town I have a good idea of what visitors to the town want and expect. I’ve also prepared an extensive visitors guide to the town that guests can download for free, which tells you everything you need to know about a visit to the town.

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Location

One Dod lane is in a very exciting location! Not only is it a less than five minute walk to the top of the High Street with it’s shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs, but it’s also right on the edge of Glastonbury’s most stunning countryside, with a not too taxing circular walk that takes in many of Glastonbury’s most interesting attractions, including Glastonbury Tor, The White Spring, Chalice Well, the Rifleman’s Arms and the Rural Life Museum. Matt Witt, who organizes regular guided Tree Walks around Glastonbury, has very kindly written about the wonderful trees you will encounter on the way in this post, which also includes a Google map to help you find your way around:

Dod Lane to the Tor Tree Walk by Matt Witt

The Long and Fascinating History of Dod Lane

Dod Lane is one of the oldest streets in Glastonbury, it has has been put forward as being of Roman origin (Rahtz, 1993),but it’s name points to a significance in dim and distant prehistory. I found this fascinating entry on this website:

“We need to note a small street, known as Dod Lane, which becomes a footpath over the flank of Chalice Hill. For some, this street is part of a line that goes over St Michael at Gare Hill and onwards to Stonehenge, but it is specifically its name that is important: Dead Man’s Lane. Paul Devereux has convincingly shown that the mystery of the so-called leylines was, in origin, nothing more – or less – than paths created for spiritual travel (the soul said to be able to travel only in straight lines). Hence, Dod Lane is yet another remnant from a distant past”. 

Which isn’t to suggest that there’s anything spooky about the lane nowadays, although there have been tales of ghostly monks spied at the gateway leading to Chalice Hill. Atasha Fyfe has even suggested that it is Abbot Whiting himself who haunts Dod Lane in this blog post. Perhaps that’s not surprising as, look right down Dod Lane from the B&B and you will be looking straight into the large arched gateway in the Abbey Wall that leads you into Abbey House. (Though sadly you can’t gain entry to the Abbey itself from there). Dod lane would almost certainly have been the main walking route taken from the Abbey to the Tor.

Archaeologists Nancy and Charles Hollinrake have suggested that Glastonbury has “an extensive east-west alignment of churches, chapel and tomb structures, comparable with the situations at Wells, Canterbury and Winchester. This alignment appears to have included the site of St Benedict’s and possibly the lines of Benedict Street and Dod Lane” which rather suggests that Dod Lane may have been intrinsically linked with these hugely significant religious sites in the Town.

Documentary and archaeological evidence confirms that Dod Lane was in existence in the 13th century and 12th century pottery has also been recovered from the gardens of houses along the lane. For more information on Glastonbury’s history and archaeology you may want to look at this excellent document from Somerset Heritage

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We’re Cyclist, Birdwatcher and Walker Friendly

One Dod Lane is cyclist friendly, we’re cyclists ourselves. We can suggest easy cycling or walking routes on the wonderfully flat Somerset Levels, with it’s nature reserves which are a wonderful haven for wetland birds, I’ve created a route on a google map that takes in free attractions around the Town and the Avalon Marshes. Click this link for my writing about the Somerset Levels.

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The Environment is at the Heart of What We Do

The environment is very important to us, the roof of the bungalow is packed with solar panels, we’ve selected appliances with the best energy ratings and we use eco-friendly cleaning products whenever possible. The bedding and soft furnishings were all bought locally and are mostly made in Britain. Let us know your dietary requirements for your serve yourself breakfast, as we cater for ominivores, vegans and vegetarians and can provide gluten free options.

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Our Rooms

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At present we can offer the White Room with a luxurious king size bed available for single or double occupancy. There is a second double room, the Green Room, available for members of the same household only (in order to ensure social distancing). We can accommodate up to four members of the same household / travelling group in the two rooms. You are booking direct so you get the best rate, we are not listed on AirBnB or any other booking service at the moment. 

For everything you need to know about coming to stay at one Dod Lane please click the link below, where you will also find a link to the B&B’s booking calendar, you are booking direct so you’ll always get the best price.

Any further questions please ring us on 01458 835726.

Stay With Us

You can find us on Facebook and Google Maps too.

Why Book Now?

Autumn and Winter are great times to come to Glastonbury, the town is a bit less hectic after the school summer holiday, but the attractions, shops, cafes and restaurants are open and eager for business, especially in these difficult times. Glastonbury is England’s premier destination for Winter Solstice / Christmas shopping, with huge numbers of independent shops full of wonderful unique and often hand crafted goods that make ideal gifts.