The ultimate online guide to the very best of Scotland. Clues have been deliberately left at Clootie Well ( duplicated from the Black Isle to Auchterarder for the purposes of the plot ), a place where items of clothing are traditionally left for luck. See also. It’s, er, quite a sight! These would be necessary so they could cross the eventual barricades. 00:00, … Clootie wells (also Cloutie or Cloughtie wells) are places of pilgrimage in Celtic areas. financial benefit of both the church and local economy. Clootie well. to survive what would have been an exceedingly unpleasant ordeal were likely to recover anyway. Isle, the promontory that lies north of It’s easy to find and the circular walk is not long at all. churches. circumstances. The holy well at Munlochy is said to date back to - and probably [6][7] In 1894 Madron Well was said to be the only Cornish well where rags were traditionally tied. A fictional clootie well at Auchterarder features in the 2006 novel The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin, who visited the clootie well at Munlochy on Black Isle before writing the book. Clootie Wells on May 1st , the tradition is to hang a piece of rag or clootie and drink the spring water, make a wish for good health for your self or someone else. The location so impressed author Ian Rankin when he visited it recently that he used it (relocated to near Gleneagles Hotel) in his latest novel "The Naming Of The Dead" Well Outflow from Below, 2007. In Scotland, by the village of Munlochy on the A832, is a clootie well at an ancient spring dedicated to Saint Curetán, where rags are still hung on the surrounding bushes and trees. From the area where you park you walk up between the trees and you see items of clothing and rags tied to the them some with messages written on them. Author Ian Rankin's crime novels are regular features on the U.K.'s best-seller lists. of Tyninghame and Whitekirk, in Here the well was once thought to have had the power to cure sick children who were left there overnight. Share. An alternative tradition suggests that sick children would be left here west, you make your way along a woodland path over the brow of a hill and find As the cloot rotted away, the illness would depart the sick person. (1998) "The Magic of Cornwall" in, Quiller-Couch, M & L, "Ancient and Holy Wells of Cornwall, 1894, p. xxvii, "Wishing Tree on the path to Loughcrew:: OS grid N5877 :: Geograph Ireland – photograph every grid square! Though the plot of the book necessitated a move from Ross-shire to the outskirts of the village of Auchterarder near Gleneagles, Ian does acknowledge the real life inspiration of his fictional Clootie Well at the end of the book, where he recommends it as worth a visit "if you like your tourist attractions on the skin-crawling side." Video footage of Saint Queran's Clootie Well. Additional votive offerings hung on the branches or deposited in the wells may include rosaries, religious medals, crosses, religious icons and other symbols of faith. especially popular during the traditional Celtic festival of Beltane, on 1 May. Pennant toured Scotland in 1769, he recorded seeing holy wells Drive over the Kessock Bridge, take the A832 at Tore roundabout, drive past the famous Clootie Well, through Avoch and Fortrose, until you hit the beach. A Clootie well is a Celtic tradition, usually undertaken by pilgrims wanting to bring good luck and health to their families. which is a stone trough in which water collects. that had been in contact with the ill person to a nearby tree. Clootie wells are wells or springs, almost always with […] Munlochy Clootie Well The ‘Clootie’ Well, Munlochy, Black Isle a healing well at Munlochy was dedicated to St Boniface (or Curidan). The cars were muddy 4x4s, … The good folk of Auchterarder, Rebus seemed to recall, had been vetted under the guise of providing them with ID badges. Clues have been deliberately left at Clootie Well (duplicated from the Black Isle to Auchterarder for the purposes of the plot), a place where items of clothing are traditionally left for luck. And the “Munlochy’s Clootie Well has been a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of years – possibly since the 7th century. The Clootie Well is a rather weird remnant of an ancient tradition once commonly found in Scotland and Ireland, of holy wells to which pilgrims would come and make offerings, usually in … Yet as Siobhan had pointed out, there was an eerie tranquillity to the place. Scotland in about AD620. They would then tie a piece of cloth or "cloot" Today's Clootie Well remains an unsettling place. It is a shrine to St. Boniface and for centuries people have left offerings in the form of items of clothing in the hope for a cure. [2][3], There are local variations to the practice. When used at the clootie wells in Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man, the pieces of cloth are generally dipped in the water of the holy well and then tied to a branch while a prayer of supplication is said to the spirit of the well – in modern times usually a saint, but in pre-Christian times a goddess or local nature spirit. A fictional clootie well at Auchterarder and the one on Black Isle feature in Ian Rankin 's novel The Naming of the Dead. The Clootie well is in Munlochy on the Black Isle in Scotland and has left us with completely divided opinions about it. There is said to have once been a chapel on the site. To reach the Littleburn car park turn right about 2 miles (3.2 km) along this road and follow the … © 2000-2021, Looking at the A good example was at St Mary's, the Parish Church A fictional clootie well at Auchterarder and the one on Black Isle feature in Ian Rankin's novel The Naming of the Dead. be of benefit to them or to others. Pilgrims would come, perform a ceremony that involved The carpark is suitable for bus/coach and has a disabled parking bay. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'undiscoveredscotland_co_uk-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',116,'0','0'])); Over time, most of these holy wells became associated with local would come and make offerings, usually in the hope of having an illness cured. items made of modern synthetic materials that will never rot away. The Clootie Well is a rather weird remnant of an ancient tradition the number of holy wells diminished. Clootie Well! beyond - the time of St Boniface or St Curitan, who worked as a missionary in Reformation of 1560 also (Continues below image...). Presumably any with the physical or spiritual strength car in the purpose-made parking area in the forest a hundred yards or so to the You'll see the brightly-coloured rags near the car park entrance. illegal. Loughcrew is a site of considerable historical importance in Ireland. overnight to be healed. With the arrival of Christianity, the practice was simply adopted to the new The tradition dates far back into pre-Christian times, to the practice of cured. leaving votive offerings to the local spirits or gods in wells and springs. ", Irish Holy Wells – some with rags and ribbons, A mention of the Clootie Well of St Curidan (Scotland), Doon Well, a renowned Holy well in Co. Donegal, Irish Landmarks: The Holy Wells of Ireland. One problem is that many choose to leave The Clootie Weil. circling the well sunwise three times before splashing some of its water on the [5] [6] Alsia Well and Sancreed Well are other Cornish "cloughtie" wells. It is the site of megalithic burial grounds dating back to approximately 3500 and 3300 BC, situated near the summit of Sliabh na Caillí and on surrounding hills and valleys. This does dailyrecord . Dailyrecord.co.uk. It seemed a quirky place to visit. Comparisons of sets of photographs taken in 2007 and 2019 show very many more People are not willing to move these pieces of cloth, as it is said if you take one off the tree where it has been bound you will take on the illness it bears. Half a mile west Those that instead view the clootie as an offering to the spirit, saint or deity are more likely to tie an attractive, clean piece of cloth or ribbon. Rundall, Charlotte (Ed.) In Scots nomenclature, a "clootie" or "cloot" is a strip of cloth or rag. The Clootie Well itself is quite creepy and not actually a well at all – the water runs down the hill and onto something that looks like a small butler sink. As a result it is Copyright Undiscovered Scotland distinctly odd. Clootie Well is situated near Avoch on the Black isle. In either case, many see this as a probable continuation of the ancient Celtic practice of leaving votive offerings in wells or pits. It's the apparent suicide of an MP by jumping from the walls of Edinburgh Castle which brings Rebus off the sidelines, but this is quickly followed by the discovery of clothing at a Clootie Well very close to Gleneagles which suggests that a serial killer is at work. The Clootie Well car park is on your right, about 2¼ miles (3.6 km) along this road, before you reach Munlochy. Clootie Well. Moray Firth to the south and the Cromarty Firth to the north. They are wells or springs, almost always with a tree growing beside them, where strips of cloth or rags have been left, usually tied to the branches of the tree as part of a healing ritual. The Clootie Well near Munlochy, on the Black Isle near Inverness, is part of an ancient tradition of healing. Some call it an eyesore – new and rotting cloth hanging as leaves from branches and trunks. St Mary's, to the great [9], In 2002, the folklorist Marion Bowman observed that the number of clootie wells had "increased markedly" both at existing and new locations in recent years. Wikipedia. Hidden in the woods of Scotland’s Black Isle is a grove of trees covered with rags. In 2002, the folklorist Marion Bowman observed that the number of clootie wells had "increased markedly" both at existing and new locations in recent years. Craigie Well at Avoch on the Black Isle has both offerings of coins and clooties. Ghost of Scots witch captured in terrifying photo at the Clootie Well Ghosts Hidden in the woods, the Clootie Well is a Celtic site famous for its link to an ancient healing tradition. of this junction, the A832 enters a forested area, and as it does, passing OS Grid Reference: NH638538 Author Ian Rankin visited the Clootie … The Munlochie Clootie Well is right beside the A832 Fortrose and Cromarty road, the car park is ideal for visiting the well safely. At some wells the tradition is to wash the affected part of the body with the wet rag and then tie the washing-rag on the branch; as the rag disintegrates over time, the ailment is supposed to fade away as well. offerings, extending much further from the well itself, on the later set. On one hand it appears to me to be a Magical location of hope whilst my husband came away with feelings of despair. THE new owners of Auchterarder’s Craigrossie Hotel have applied for permission to give the building a makeover. [5] Christ's Well at Mentieth was described in 1618 "as all tapestried about with old rags". 15 minutes at most. when Welshman Thomas hanging off the trees and bushes on the south side of the road. Until recently, it was a popular holiday, with an ice-cream van situated in the car park. ground and making a prayer. Well or spring or other small body of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. yourself in a setting that is - especially when the trees have no leaves - A fictional clootie well at Auchterarder and the one on Black Isle feature in Ian Rankin 's novel The Naming of the Dead. Holy well. Drive over the Kessock Bridge, take the A832 at Tore roundabout, drive past the famous Clootie Well, through Avoch and Fortrose, until you hit the beach. focus for a range of alternative views of the world. The well in question is supposed to be a holy spring, and the believers take the journey to dip their ‘cloot’ in the well, and then tie it to a tree branch close by. O poză de ficțiune fictivă la Auchterarder și cea din Black Isle prezintă în romanul lui Ian Rankin The Naming of the Dead. Scotland, practices which echoed the old pagan ways became frowned upon, and Welcome to the little for the local environment: and neither, according to the tradition of In truth, today's Clootie Well has become a sort of all-purpose In just one once commonly found in Scotland and Ireland, of holy wells to which pilgrims In Cornwall, at Madron Well (SW446328) the practice is to tie the cloth and as it rots the ailment is believed to disappear. Culloden, Scotland 1990s. norm: in 1581 an Act of Parliament in Scotland made pilgrimage to holy wells In the heart of Culloden woods near the battlefield is a walled clootie well also known as St Mary's well. [5], In Ireland at Loughcrew, Oldcastle, County Meath (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}53°44′36″N 7°08′03″W / 53.743299°N 7.134040°W / 53.743299; -7.134040) there is a wishing tree, where visitors to the passage tombs tie ribbons to the branch of a hawthorn tree. "tapestried about with rags". Traditionalists dine on cock-a-leekie soup, bashed neeps and tatties ( mashed turnips and potatoes ), haggis, beef or lamb and trifle or clootie dumpling, a raisin-studded pudding. Walk: A right royal romp round Linlithgow Loch ★★★ Start / finish at The Vennel car park (charge), Water Yett, off High Street (A803), 5-min walk west of Linlithgow town centre, G.R. Over time, as the Roman Church supplanted the Celtic Church in Nonetheless the practice seems to have continued in some areas, and Inverness, bounded by the Topics similar to or like Clootie well. In Scots nomenclature, a " clootie" or "cloot" is a strip of cloth or rag. Only a few shoppers and one carpenter who seemed to be measuring windows for protective boards. the well, can it do anything for the health of the individual needing to be : NS 998772 ///water.soulful.skidding.The walk can also be started from other points along the High Street, with alternative parking. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clootie_well&oldid=970857543, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 2 August 2020, at 20:33. The 2018 film The Party's Just Beginning, written and directed by Inverness-born filmmaker Karen Gillan, features the Munlochy clootie well. I had read about the Clootie Well, as one of several Celtic places of pilgrimage, whilst researching the NC500. Walks, castles, gardens, waterfalls, beaches, museums, hidden gems... we've got it covered! Rags, wool and human hair were also used as charms against sorcery, and as tokens of penance or fulfilment of a vow. Clues have been deliberately left at Clootie Well ( duplicated from the Black Isle to Auchterarder for the purposes of the plot ), a place where items of clothing are traditionally left for luck. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'undiscoveredscotland_co_uk-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',117,'0','0'])); Many people still obviously believe that leaving an offering will [10] She added that those engaged in the practice often conceived of it as an ancient "Celtic" activity which they were perpetuating.[10]. served to suppress religious activity outwith a closely defined Presbyterian [1] This is most often done by those seeking healing, though some may do it simply to honour the spirit of the well. In Scots, a “clootie” or “cloot” is a strip of cloth or rag. motorists are treated to the odd spectacle of bits of cloth and clothing Clootie wells (also Cloutie or Cloughtie wells) are places of pilgrimage in Celtic areas. Clootie wells (also Cloutie or Cloughtie wells) are places of pilgrimage in Celtic areas. Visitors would leave a rag offering to the healing spirits and this would gradually deteriorate as the healing magic did its work. Munlochy is the nearest village, one mile away. She added that those engaged in the practice often conceived of it as an ancient "Celtic" activity which they were perpetuating. [4] Popular culture. If anything, the Clootie Well seems to be getting more popular. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. East Lothian. Kat and I stopped off at this famous clootie (or rag) well on the Black Isle on our way to the fantastic Groam House Pictish Museum. Clootie wells (also Cloutie or Cloughtie wells) are places of pilgrimage in Celtic areas. In some locations the ceremony may also include circumambulation (or circling) of the well a set number of times and making an offering of a coin, pin or stone. [2][3], The sacred trees at clootie wells are usually hawthorn trees, though ash trees are also common. Having left your [2][3], At clootie wells where the operative principle is to shed the ailment, and the clootie is thought to represent the ailment, the "offerings" may be grotesque castoffs. Then around about this in all the trees are thousands of cloots. They are wells or springs, almost always with a tree growing beside them, where strips of cloth or rags have been left, usually tied to the branches of the tree as part of a healing ritual. Offerings at the clootie well near Munlochy, on the Black Isle, Easter Ross. Clootie well. [5] A clootie well once existed at Kilallan near Kilmacolm in Renfrewshire. [6] Christ's Well at Mentieth was described in 1618 "as all tapestried about with old rags". At some wells the clooties are definitely "rags" and discards, at others, brightly coloured strips of fine cloth. [8] Rags have only appeared at other Cornish wells such as Alsia Well (SW393251) and Sancreed Well (SW417293) in about the last 30 years. At its heart on the far side of the hill is a spring, below However, this tradition is now in decline although still marked. Author Ian Rankin visited the Clootie Well at Munlochy, on the Black Isle before writing the book. Rub the spring water on to an infected or broken part of the body and believe. year, 1413, no fewer than 15,563 pilgrims visited the holy well at The village of Munlochy sits This well was traditionally visited on the first Sunday in May. astride the B9161 close to its junction with the A832 in the heart of the Black The Party's Just Beginning written and directed by Inverness -born filmmaker Karen Gillan features the Munlochy Clootie Well This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article "Clootie_well" ; it is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. It’s fun having read what other people have written. Share ; By. [2][3], The most popular times for pilgrimages to clootie wells, like other holy wells, are on the feast days of Saints, the Pattern or Patron day, or on the old Gaelic festival days of Imbolc (1 February), Beltane (1 May), Lughnasadh (1 August), or Samhain (1 November).[3][4]. This holy well was dedicated to St Fillan and cloth was tied to overhanging shrub branches. The well is now a trough beside the road into which a natural spring flows.