Tuesday 27 October 2009

the clootie well

A few pictures from the Clootie Well on the Black Isle last weekend. I've passed this many times but this was the first time I've stopped for a proper look. A clootie well in Celtic tradition was/is where people would come to tie a 'cloot' (a rag or a piece of cloth or clothing) from a sick person to the trees surrounding a holy well in the hope of curing their illness. As the cloot rotted the illness was believed to leave the person. This clootie well is very much still in use and there certainly is an 'atmosphere' to this place - albeit somewhat interfered with by the abundance of socks, jay cloths, and synthetic materials hung amongst the branches. If you could ignore that it could almost be quite beautiful. Maybe best not to look too closely.

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