Two go wild in Cornwall

I’m just back from a very enjoyable long weekend in Cornwall with my son, Will – the main reason for the visit was to see Penguin Café perform at the Minack theatre. This astonishing open air theatre is literally carved out of the granite cliffs with massive views out to the open sea. It was a truly stunning and memorable experience – great weather, amazing setting, a jolly crowd, brilliant acoustics and the band in superb form playing their classics.

Whilst in West Penwith, we obviously had to visit a few holy wells – along with many sites of interest including stone circles, quoits and Iron Age villages.

Holy wells at Madron, Sancreed and Chapel Euny

Some old friends were on the agenda, last visited in 2017. No matter how many times you go to Madron, it’s always magical and compelling, although I have yet to find the actual well which lies somewhere beyond in currently dense swampy undergrowth. This area, complete with rag trees and crystal clear stream, remains powerful and enchanting

The well at Sancreed, also known as Chapel Downs Well, is wonderful – like Madron it can only be accessed via a long walk through incredibly beautiful wildflower-strewn paths. The well is deep and subterranean, quite difficult to actually reach the water which today was strewn with flower petals. Little clumps of moss were pulsating dayglo green. Apparently this well has a high radiation count which can be soporific and trance-inducing which I have no problem believing.

A large rag tree, or clootie tree as they are usually called in Cornwall, stands sentinel over the well. This feels a very ancient place.

We didn’t linger though as two men were drinking and playing music rather furtively in the nearby bushes.

We continued to Carn Euny and meandered around the Iron Age village with its impressive underground fougou. Then we set out to find the well at Chapel Euny. I had forgotten how to get there and we inquired at at nearby house where we fell in love with a teeny and chilled dog called Demelza. Like Sancreed, this well is deep in the ground, womb-like and mysterious.

Once it was renowned for the potency of its cures, the water being rich in iron, sulphates, calcium and arsenic. Like many wells in this area, to ensure a healthy year ahead or obtain a cure, children were dipped into the well three times during May, then passed round the well three times – in an anti-clockwise direction, usually considered very unlucky. Fortunes could also be foretold by dropping a pin in the water, the number of bubbles somehow answering your initial question.

The rag tree was looking particularly enchanting.

St Levan’s Holy Well, Porthchapel

We did visit one new well and this was quite an adventure. We were travelling in a large van and although I am used to small roads in West Cork, I had forgotten how teeny the roads are in West Penwith. Nerve-wrackingly tight at times, the van coped and Will drove brilliantly as we wend our way towards St Levan. Having managed to park without too much stress, we went to the church, dedicated to St Levan.

What a beautiful spot, full of wonders within – I was stunned by the elaborate and exquisite bench ends dating from the 15C and Will was pleased to see a green man peering down from the elaborate celling.

The two fish are especially interesting as they refer to some folklore associated with St Levan – also known as Selevan or Soloman. Being an aesthetic sort of chap, he only ate one fish a day – even on the Sabbath. This horrified a local woman called Joanna who admonished the saint. In return St Levan called her a fool and vowed that forever after anyone called Joanna in the village would also be a fool! Not a popular name here! There’s also another odd story about him catching a small fish, a chad, but he threw it back as it was not big enough to feed his sister and her son who were coming for dinner. Eventually he caught two fish, or possibly three, but as soon as he served them up, the child choked. I’m not sure what the moral of that story is but the two fish are referenced on one of the bench ends, and a tablet on the wall depicts the legend, this time showing three fish.

Emerging into the graveyard, we perused a mighty stone seemingly cleft in two.

This is apparently where St Levan used to preach and one day he smote the rock with his staff and it cracked in two. There is a warning associated with it:

When with panniers astride,

A packhorse one can ride,

Through St Levan’s stone,

The world will be done.

There’s a little way to go yet.

We eventually tore ourselves away and walked along more flower-strewn paths towards the coast and the holy well, also dedicated to St Levan.

As we got closer, Porthchapel Bay opened up below us, the colours rich and glowing.

The well is in a tiny roofless chapel/baptistry clinging to the side of the cliff. The building is made from sturdy granite blocks and was reconstructed sometime in the 1930s.

The well is flush with the ground, enclosed by large slabs.

The water was cold and clear and is said to contain a cure for headaches and sore eyes.

Very rough steps lead down to a cell where either the saint lived, or where pilgrims spent the night, or possibly both. It is literally cut into the cliff, the natural stone forming two rudimentary chambers.

Maybe because it is so exposed or maybe because the area around it is so breath-taking, the well itself didn’t seem to have much presence, unlike the previous wells. Nonetheless, it felt wild and windswept, easy to imagine the fish-eating St Levan living an austere and pious life out here.

We clambered down the cliffs to the beach and ate a picnic lunch, dipping our feet in the very cold water and marvelling at the beauty of Cornwall.

Thanks to Will for his company, driving and photos.