In every corner of Wales one can find a holy well which, according to local belief, is said to possess strange powers. Some of them are classified as healing wells , others are cursing wells, and some even combine the powers of cursing and healing. There are also wells that are said to bring prosperity, happiness and good luck.

Springs are wells in some areas were once believed to be guarded by dragons , serpents, eels and strange fish, and killing or removal of these guardians was followed by dire consequences, frequently taking the form of a mysterious epidemic which swept away whole families.

A comprehensive survey of these Welsh wells was undertaken by Francis Jones, who, in 1950, published his findings in a book entitled ‘The Holy Wells of Wales’. He identified a total of 1,179 wells and found that 437 of them were named after Celtic saints and 369 were said to possess special healing powers.

Despite of snowy weather we decided to explore one of those miraculous wells which is located in small town Holywell, North Wales

We visited the Greenfield Valley heritage park further up near the Greenfield Docks and walked the woodland walk past the old mills situated throughout the valley.

This leads you to St. Winefride’s Well.

Greenfield Valley Heritage Park (Welsh: Dyffryn Maes Glas) is a 70-acre (28 ha) country park in the United Kingdom.

St Winefride’s is a fully described in numerous guidebooks and has been the subject of extensive more scholarly research.

Travel tips: Address: Plessington House, Greenfield St, Holywell CH8 7PN / On the B5121, parking across the road.

Website:

Phone: 01352 713 054 Address: Plessington House, Greenfield St, Holywell CH8 7PN / On the B5121, parking across the road.Website: St Winefride’s Well and Chapel Phone: 01352 713 054

Open daily 9am-5pm (Oct-Mar 10am- 4pm, closed 25-26 Dec). Adults £1 , children 60p, students 20p. Regular services, bathing by arrangement.

You pay in the shop for entrance which cost me £1 for an adult and 60 p for a kid. You then enter a exhibition room which explains the history through pictures and information boards on the walls. The exhibition also includes a number of ancient crutches discarded by healed pilgrims.

An exhibition area has a collection of crutches, left behind by early 20th century pilgrims who had no further use for them once they had bathed in the spring.

There is also the Museum of the Pilgrimage on the site, which also acts as a library for the well, housing documents and records of healings attributed to the well. There is a small display of various items relating to the history of the pilgrimage, although take note this museum is not always open during the well opening times.

From exhibition room you exit out another door and make your way to explore the well and buildings outside, there are an outside pool which runs in side the building to the well.

The healing waters and the shrine of St Winifred

St Winefride’s Well is the most famous of all Welsh healing wells and, according to tradition, the waters have been flowing here for nearly 1,300 years; through the centuries it has been visited by throngs of individuals who regard it as the Lourdes of Wales.