Magical Mystery Tour - UK & Ireland

Planning an enlightening weekend getaway? Kooma 'Spiritual Tourist' Rachel Roberts runs down some of the most spiritual locations to be found in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

You’ve been living underneath a rock if you don’t know about Stonehenge! But although it’s our most feted stone circle, there are many more just as spectacular circles and sacred sites worth a visit. Here’s Kooma’s guide to other spiritual hot spots.

What? The Callanish Stones
Where? Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides

Why? In the half twilight of dusk, the Neolithic slabs cut hugely dramatic shapes against the sky. The avenue of stones inside the circle point to where the midsummer full moon sets. Locals in the Gaelic-speaking community believe that when the sun rose on midsummer morning, the ‘shining one’ walked along the stone avenue, his arrival heralded by the cuckoo’s call.

What? Chalice Well
Where? Glastonbury

Why? It’s one of the oldest continuously-used holy wells in Britain. Our ancestors also believed that the well was a gateway to the spirit world, where the walls between humans and the greater spirit became thinner. Drinking from the well is particularly significant – the water is a symbol of the unbounded nature of the life force.

What? Iona Abbey
Where? Isle of Iona

Why? Dubbed ‘The cradle of Christianity in Scotland’, 200,000 people visit the sacred island every year. The whole isle is drenched in spiritual history – way before St Columba made it his spiritual base in 563, it had a rich pagan past.

What? Dartmoor
Where? Devon

Why? The 370m square National Park is a spiritual tourist’s dream, with over 30 sites to visit. These include Grey Wethers, a pair of prehistoric stone circles, and Childe’s Tombe. Its spooky reputation has influenced many writers and artists over the years. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of The Baskervilles was inspired by sightings of spectral hounds on the moor. It’s also said to be home to much more friendly pixies!

What? The Hill of Tara
Where? Ireland

Why? The place is bathed in feminine energy – the hill represents the womb of Mother Ireland; 142 kings were crowned here. It’s believed that a race of god-like people lived here, hundreds of years ago. Touch The Stone of Destiny they erected, and you will be blessed, according to folklore.

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