Blair Witch or what?

Hello again,

When I was on the Black Isle recently I happened across a strange thing in a small woodland at the side of a road. In the wood it seemed that every twig & branch of every tree had fragments of clothing attached to it. Somewhat freaked out by the slightly scary sight I knew I had to satisfy my curiosity and find out what it was all about.

It turns out that it is called the Clootie Well and the use of clothing is based around a pagan tradition that dates back to AD620. The Clootie Well is basically a healing place used by pilgrims to heal the sick.

The tradition involves circling the well three times at sunrise before splashing some of its water on the ground before making a prayer. They would then tie a "cloot" or piece of clothing (that had been in contact with the sick person) to a nearby tree. The theory is that as the cloth rotted away, the illness would leave the sick person.

Although it looks quite alarming, it is actually rather touching.

Unitl next time...