The Covenstead

The Covenstead

, Naish House, Magdalene Street, Glastonbury, Somerset.

Glastonbury is renowned as a place of magic, witches, warlocks and legend. The Covenstead plays its role to perfection; on the one hand, a comfortable B&B in an impressive listed building, on the other, a riotous museum of the exotic, the mythical, the novel and sometimes the downright weird.

The location of this Bed and Breakfast is just about ideal, on the main street of the town with beautiful views onto the Glastonbury Abbey ruins and within walking distance of shops, pubs and restaurants. All the sights of Glastonbury are within easy reach: the abbey grounds, Abbey House, King Arthur’s Tomb, the Chalice Well, and if you’ve gone that far (less than a mile) you might as well keep going and climb to the top of the Tor.

The dining room is something to behold with elaborately carved antique chairs, tapestry, rugs and walls covered in curiosities of all kinds. The breakfast served there is equally impressive. Full English breakfast is the default, but vegetarian and gluten-free alternatives are available too. There’s a terrace to sit out when the sun is shining, and a lounge for when it’s not, filled of course with exotic bibelots.

The idiosyncratic nature of The Covenstead extends to the bedrooms with the characteristic of each one revealed in the unusual names. The rooms are also notably spacious and filled with facilities as well as curios: en-suite bathroom, hairdryer, television, tea/coffee maker, wi-fi, even the use of the kitchen for making snacks.

Guests are invariably fascinated by the books, pictures, furnishings and curiosities that fill the Covenstead, but none of this detracts from the B&B’s fundamental role as a comfortable place to stay, in a great location, with friendly and helpful service.