Two holy wells, Holywell Bay

The Cornish Celtic Way runs directly through Holywell Bay, a 125-mile route through many sites of Cornwall’s finest natural and built sacred heritage

Highlights

• Two holy wells, possibly dedicated to St Cubert

Holywell Bay has two holy wells to its name. The contrast between them could not be more striking. One sits in the middle of a golf course with a stone surround and cross at the entrance. The other is a natural limestone feature buried deep in a tidal cave, unaltered by human intervention.

The tidal cave is undoubtedly the most striking of the two, a powerful and unexpected place to find in these tall dark cliffs. I visited on a sunny weekend in August, beachgoers walking past in their swimwear as I slipped and yelped in the dripping darkness. Hardly any daylight penetrates this cavern. This ‘well’ is a series of small terraced pools that cascade down one side of the cave, each one gathering a shallow basin of clear water.

One passer-by told me the height of the sand in the cave varies from tide to tide. We could step on to the lowest level of the cascade with ease, but at other times it is a stretch. The cave is also cut off by the sea for much of the time, apart from two to three hours around low tide. One writer on megalithic.co.uk describes the cave well as pagan, a site that has not undergone ‘Christianisation’. This is partly true, but it has not undergone ‘paganisation’ either. It is natural, not man-made.

Celtic Sites and their Saints says both wells in Holywell Bay are named in honour of St Cubert. His name is remembered at the nearby town of Cubert, but other than that we know nothing about him. Some now think it might be an alternative spelling of St Cuthbert, the famous northern saint. Certainly, the second well does have signs of ‘Christianisation’. A medieval stone surround has been built, a sort of roofless chapel with a cross over the entrance. The water flows into a tiny well chamber at the back, with benches on either side and a floor now flooded. The ground all around is boggy, but it is possible to reach the trickling source if wet shoes are no obstacle.

Directions

Holy well beside golf course:

Trevornick Holiday Park, Holywell Bay TR8 5PW

W3W: flushes.ignore.jabs

GPS: 50.3975N 5.1438W

Cave W3W: timer.ghost.nutty

GPS: 50.3877N 5.1336W

Golf course well

Park in Holywell Bay and walk to the beach. Turn right and walk almost to the far end of the bay at low tide, ignoring the first caves you see. About 100m before the end of the bay, after you pass a very short headland, the cave is on the right, a diagonal slot in the black rocks. Check the tide times and visit as the tide is falling or turning, about 2–3 hours around the low-tide time.

The holy well in the golf course is hidden by trees at the bottom of a little gully. The staff at the holiday park that owns the course were friendly and happily offered directions to find it. Park at the Holywell Bay Golf Club, which is signposted on the right as you drive past Trevornick Holiday Park, on the outskirts as you head into Holywell Bay. The park’s website is at www.trevornick.co.uk.