Whinfell holy well

... I think ...

Heading home and listening to the radio I was feeling demoralised with the way of the world and so decided to go off piste. There are some wonderful hinterland areas just off the main arteries as I head back and the landscape is reminiscent of Middle-earth.

I remembered that there was a record of a holy well just near Grayrigg and had vaguely committed it to memory on the map so had a roam around. As so often, it's another one of those well mysteries. There is absolutely no record on the OS maps but, quite typically, strange little indicators ... in this case, a curious rectangular piece of land that was too small to be a normal field. There was wet ground below but no sign of any other buildings nearby, just the footpath. I nipped down to snap this which was at the bottom of the field and then back up to the footpath ... it felt like a part of the world where you might never be heard of again if caught transgressing!

With my guilt acting as a beacon a four wheel drive vehicle appeared along the track and a classic Cumbrian farmer and his wife asked if I was lost. We chatted for a bit and I asked if he knew of a well nearby. In broad Cumbrian he said he'd lived there all his life and had never heard of one.

I came home and checked again, looked at the ground on google maps and am pretty sure this is it. It's marked clearly on maps from 1770 to 1839. But that's it ... that's all I can find but from my quick look inside this tin shed it looked as though there was some kind of pump inside.

Another little well mystery under the belt and a handy retreat 'from too much reality'.