In 1986, when he turned 50, peace activist Satish Kumar followed the tradition of his Indian upbringing and went on a pilgrimage, visiting on foot the holy places of Britain: Lindisfarne, lona, Canterbury and Glastonbury (McLuhan, 1996). Contemporary literature on the quest for a magicoreligious experience almost invariably refers to Glastonbury as a much sought after sacred destination. However, Philip Rahtz (1993: 10-11) warns that so much written about Glastonbury is of'dubious value... myth and history are inextricably woven together', and he tries to portray a balanced picture of Glastonbury, which he describes as a'flourishing modern town, beset by industry and tourism'. Thus it would seem that fact and/or fiction are equally important in accounting for Glastonbury's role as a modern. tourist town and pilgrimage centre, both past and present. According to many, Glastonbury is a contested site offering a range of choice from possible multiple experiences to the modern pilgrim-tourist. Molyneaux (1995) sees Glastonbury as a spiritual magnet, based on the location of St Michael's Tower atop Glastonbury Tor on the trans-European St Michael'ley line', a pathway of earth energy and power. Sykes (1993) discusses Glastonbury's connection with the'New Age'movement, as it is a place that many followers consider to be their spiritual home, ranking equally with the prehistoric monuments of Avebury, Stonehenge and Silbury Hill. Taylor and Jones (1997) view Glastonbury as a draw for pilgrims and tourists, regarding it as a place to experiment with various unconventional cultural and religious modalities.