Well Hopper – Exploring the ancient holy wells and healing wells of North Wales

Ffynnon Dderfel, Llandderfel, Bala

I have visited this well three or four times now but never, until now, managed to write down anything about it. I suppose I never fully managed to establish what…

Church Well, Gwalchmai

1 Feb 20205 Feb 2020

The greatest bonus of posting about wells on the blog is the feedback I receive, particularly when it brings new information and new wells. Responses I had following writing my…

Well by Holy Rood Church, Ceirchiog, Bryngwran

16 Nov 201916 Nov 2019

Without its history a holy well is just a well. It is generally supposed that the formal use of holy wells ended towards the end of the sixteenth century with…

Ffynnon y Galchog, Ruthin

3 Nov 201911 Nov 2019

A small waterfall – Pistyll y Galchog - which tumbles to the roadside, disappearing into a culvert, part of which is diverted through an old metal pipe into a roadside…

Ffynnon Gorlas Llaingoch, Holyhead

12 Oct 201913 Oct 2019

Meanwhile, we return to Ynys Cybi, St Cybi’s island or Holy Island. Bingley in his 1798 Tour in Wales notes that the dividing channel between Anglesey and Holy Island is…

Ffynnon Gyngar, Llangefni

28 Sep 201928 Sep 2019

Ffynnon Gyngar lies in The Dingle close to the church of St Cyngar in the centre of Llangefni. The Dingle is a landscaped valley through which the River Cefni flows.…

Ffynnon y Gwaenydd, Chwilog, Llanystumdwy

We have very little source material to draw on for the story of Ffynnon y Gwaenydd which appears to lie beside the Afon Wen as it flows through Cwilog near…

Ffynnon Cybi, Holyhead

19 Jul 201920 Jul 2019

Anglesey's wells seem to have a deep seated problem with transport planners. We have seen previously how, in the mid nineteenth century, Cybi's well at Clorach was seen as surplus…

Book Review – The Living Wells of Wales by Phil Cope

5 Jul 20196 Jul 2019

Last autumn I spent three fascinating days in the company of photographer and author Phil Cope, photographing wells for his new book. Well at least he was photographing, I was…

Ffynnon y Gweithiwr, Cilcain

16 Apr 20198 Nov 2019

I have just finished reading Tristan Gray Hulse's fascinating in depth study of Ffynnon Lleinw near Cilcain, Flintshire which has been serialised over the last few months in the In Search…