Sacred Celtic origins & concept. Munlochy is a small village lying at the head of narrow Munlochy Bay and just off the line of the A832 from Fortrose to the A9 at Tore. See more » Beltane. 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 the hope of having an illness cured. These are the only two of such wells in Scotland. Clootie Well is situated near Avoch on the Black isle. Beltane is the anglicised name for the Gaelic May Day festival. How lovely. There is no peaceful/spiritual vibe. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The Clootie Well is mentioned by several historical writers and collectors of folklore and tradition. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. They might be in honour of a goddess or water deity or more recently be dedicated to a Christian saint. As always, people have ruined a magical place! By The Newsroom. The concept is that you dip a small piece of natural fibre cloth “a cloot”/small piece of clothing in the water and then hang it on a … Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In the past, it is said that the local Traveller community gathered the rags from the trees to make paper – but no-one now bothers. From US$ 147 /night Select. The centre of Avoch is 1 km away from the Venue. Instead of being a calming site it is littered with grubby clothes- underpants, socks, t-shirts and, now, disposable face masks. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in Australia. Wells such as these exist across the British Isles and generally have their origin in pre-Christian times. Station Apartment 1 - Uk31003 Avoch Villa. Clootie Well: Magical Waters! You will reach Inverness within a 30-minute drive. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. And if people ask why, the obvious answer is ‘why not’. Visited as a young girl and thought it to be a magical place. Waste of time in my opinion. However, this tradition is now in decline although still marked. But the modern world of backpackers and coach tours has taken its toll on Clootie Well in Munlochy, ... Avoch and Knockbain, as well as from further across the Black Isle and Easter Ross. It’s fun having read what other people have written. At some wells one might wash the area to be healed in a cloth dipped in the well, and then it would be tied to the tree and as it disintegrated, so would the healing be affected (I know of wart cures along these lines too - notably a rasher of bacon which was rubbed on the wart and then buried). Download this stock image: CLOOTIE WELL MUNLOCHY BLACK ISLE SCOTLAND GARMENTS AND CLOTHES ON TREES AND BRANCHES THE HILL ABOVE THE WELL - FE4B1A from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. Clootie Well: Bit strange - See 75 traveller reviews, 65 candid photos, and great deals for Munlochy, UK, at Tripadvisor. Having said that, it didn’t feel in any way evil or scary. The Amazing Clootie Well on the Black Isle. Clootie Well on the Black Isle [credit Lizsmith on Flickr] The Ancient Town of Cromarty. Welcome to the Clootie Well! It seemed a quirky place to visit. The accommodation comprises 6 rooms. Sometimes the item is bathed in the holy water then hung up, or perhaps the owner might walk around the well a number of times in a prayerful ritual. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. A wishing well where the currency is cloth instead of coin, a clootie well harks back to ancient Celtic tradition. Such magical belief fed vulnerable human aspirations for good health and happiness in dark times. I am aware that this video is a bit all over the place, but I hope it shows off some of the stunning locations worth visiting in the area! more. In the heart of Culloden woods near the battlefield is a walled clootie well also known as St Mary's well. Rooms. Clootie wells (also Cloutie or Cloughtie wells) are places of pilgrimage in Celtic areas.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.In Scots nomenclature, a "clootie" or "cloot" is a strip of cloth or rag. An historic "Clootie" well, pre-dating the now much more famous Clootie Well at Munlochy. Change ). The principle behind the cloth offerings is that as the cloth rots so does the ailment pass away. It’s basically a. trash heap. Even the trees wore an array of clothing and one item – a teddy bear tacked to a trunk – was a poignant reminder of the sadness associated with this well. I was bitterly disappointed that as usual, ignorant tourists think it’s funny to leave whatever they like in what is a sacred place for many. Like at the Clootie Well, it seems there is an imperative to join in the spirit at such places. An easy quirky spot to visit. 8.0. It seemed a quirky place to visit. Some of you might also be familiar with the delicious old pudding, Clootie Dumpling. Inverness airport is only 29 km away. Arguably at present looking rather more alternative. To reach the Littleburn car park turn right about 2 miles (3.2 km) along this road and follow the … ( Log Out / Avoch is a delightful little village to explore, with a picturesque and busy harbour and attractive seafront where terns nest on rafts in spring and early summer. Clootie Well, Munlochy: Se 75 anmeldelser, artikler og 65 billeder fra Clootie Well, nr.4 på Tripadvisor af 4 seværdigheder i Munlochy. One thing I wanted to do out on Black Isle was visit a clootie well. Download this stock image: CLOOTIE WELL MUNLOCHY BLACK ISLE SCOTLAND GARMENTS AND CLOTHES ON PINE TREES WITH SUNSHINE FILTERING BETWEEN THE TREE TRUNKS - FE49B2 from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. If you do visit, take a small biodegradable rag and join in, or visit quietly and observe others. It’s easy to find and the circular walk is not long at all. Back in the fourteenth century, Andrew Moray, a well-known Scottish patriot, Regent of Scotland, and notably the third husband of Christina (or as I know her – Kirsty) Bruce lived nearby at Avoch. 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Chocolate paired whisky tastings from Gavin's extensive private collection. Clootie is the Scottish word for cloth. This place has been utterly destroyed. Clootie Well: Ancient Celtic Well with healing powers - See 76 traveler reviews, 67 candid photos, and great deals for Munlochy, UK, at Tripadvisor. As well as the Clootie Well in Munlochy there is actually another Clootie Well on the Black Isle, Craigie Well in Avoch, where rag wool and human hair can be found. To me it looked like one of those immigrant camps in Calais. Reminded me a little of my recent visit to a temple in Vietnam where I touched the feet of a giant Buddha statue as I asked for good health for my family and friends. It’s certainly a unique place to visit. Early records of a settlement here are scarce, but it seems likely that some of Munlochy's early growth was to house workers quarrying stone nearby for the building of Fort Georgeon the far side of the Moray Firth in the 1760s. Ormond Castle, the mediaeval stronghold of Andrew de Moray, dominates the bay and provides an excellent walk. Instead there was a strange aura of immense understanding and compassion. We visit Chanonry Point, Cromarty, Avoch and Clootie Well. Someone's even hooked a Halloween doll. Visited with members of North of Scotland Archaeological Society on 9th January 2014. Great 2 reviews. Until recently, it was a popular holiday, with an ice-cream van situated in the … This well was traditionally visited on the first Sunday in May. 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. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Wells such as these exist across the British Isles and generally have their origin in pre-Christian times. 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