Glastonbury

I'm flagging up mud because the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts is shortly to take place at Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset. Those who have attended in previous years know that, despite its name, the festival is really all about the therapeutic benefits of all-over mud. It's also one of the few weeks in the calendar when wet weather comes into its own. Worthy Farm is a working dairy farm for most of the year, and the input of the output of the cows makes the local soil an especially rich source of nutrients, possibly including minerals and vitamins such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and A, B, and E, etc. Smearing oneself liberally with this mud, intentionally or as a by-product of other activities, may provide a variety of surprising and/or beneficial effects, such as cleansing, exfoliating, smoothing, softening and even toning the epidermis, refining and nourishing skin texture, obscuring if not improving the complexion, removing toxins from the body, and even relieving joint and muscle pain.

Other well-known venues for mud include Cartagena in Spain, Zorritos in Peru, and Calistoya in California, but none are so much fun as Glastonbury. Earplugs and rubber boots are recommended, though not essential..