I went to the Maughold well in Isle of Man which is regarded as a famous destination for pilgrims in British isles. I have been in Isle of Man for almost 2 years but did not realize there are some religious sites and a holy well in Maughold. Maughold is situated in Northern part of island where there are beautiful scenic beaches surrounded by mountains. It is 3 miles away from Ramsey ( one of major towns in Isle of Man )
photo credit to the author of https://www.isleofmanfilm.com/location/maughold/
I went to Maughold with a couch surfer named Alexy. Alexy has been travelling all over the world and as he was coming to Isle of Man for a few days, I decided to give him a tour around the island. I was searching website of isle of man called Visitisleofman and found out a short video regarding a holy well.
Please click this link to watch the video.
https://www.visitisleofman.com/things-to-do/kirk-maughold-church-p1312271
In 5th century, an Irish prince called Maughold arrived isle of man. He was mentioned as a leader who recruited a group of men to do unlawful things . He challenged St Patrick to cure a dead person. Later St Patrick made a dead person to become a live and also baptized Maughold and his crew. Later Maughold was accepted by isle of man people to become the bishop of the island for his effort in religious transformation.
Maughold well was formed by carving of streams of water collected from mountains to drain into the Irish sea. It is a bowl shaped hollow protected by slabs of stones around. It is not man made well although some amendments were done around to protect the original well . There are legends that some people cure their illness by drinking water from well or applying holy water on their body . A woman eye sight was restored by drinking Maughold water and another woman grew her hair back by applying the water on her scalp.
To go to Maughold well, you need to arrive St Maughold church which is 30 minutes drive from Douglas ( capital of Isle of Man ) . You need to take coastal road to Ramsey and on the way, turn to right side to drive towards Maugold village.
Once you arrive Maughold church which is dated back to 11th century, park the car outside.
Note: this photo is not mine as well and it was obviously taken by a photographer called Peter Killey. ( thanks to Peter in case if you read this post )
The trail to Maughold is on the north eastern part of the church. You just need to follow the trail or foot path. At one point you need to climb down steep . You don’t need to worry as the trail is covered by a thick grass and even if you fall, you will not get injured badly.
The pathway is surrounded by beautiful and blue bells and some wildflowers. And the view is not bad at all.
The well is just immediately above the sea . You do not need physical fitness to arrive there. One the way back will be a bit tiring to climb back. Overall it is less than 15 minutes walk from the church. Even if not for the holy well, the view is worth it. You just need to be careful and do not walk very close to the cliff as it is nearly 20 feet from the rocky ground .
Normally I am not very good with navigation. But I am glad that I went there with a traveler who likes exploring. The world is an open book and you need to turn the chapter everyday to find out more. As usual, I picked up energy whenever I can be with nature. I said a little bit of prayers at Maughold well and I felt like I am healed both physically and spiritually to some extent. I want to encourage anybody out there not to lose faith, especially on yourself.
- Hninn
