The Priest’s Well

Nearest town:
Ballater (21km ENE)
OS reference:
NO17958437
OS sheet:
43
Latitude:
56° 56' 35.96 N
Longitude:
3° 20' 55.67 W
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The Priest’s Well

thelonious
thelonious Oct 18, 2011

16/10/2011

The Priest’s Well is in the middle of nowhere. South of Braemar in the Cairngorms, but it’s a pretty easy walk to get to it. Car park where Glen Callater meets Glen Clunie. Nice track next to the Callater burn for about 3 miles to the Loch. Walk left round loch till you see the boulder that marks the Well. lovely place anytime of year. Also halfway along Glen Callater near a wood bridge is a hillock where fairies where once seen dancing, if you like that sort of thing.

Folklore

The Priest’s Well
Sacred Well
thelonious
thelonious Oct 18, 2011

‘Lochnagar’ by Alex McConnochie 1891
Passage about the Fairy hillock

“Near the bridge is a round-topped green hillock which, in the palmy days of superstition, was accounted a resort of the ” little folks”. Indeed, Dr. Macgillivray, writing in 1850, says that “on it a man still living has seen fairies dancing, with a piper playing to them “. The usual legend crops up here. On a certain Christmas evening two men proceeding from Loch Callater to Castleton heard beautiful music, and saw the little folks dancing on the hillock. One of the men fled precipitately, but the other stayed to feast his ears and eyes, and Christmas came round again before he was discovered as he had been left — standing, admiring the antics of the fairies. At first he declined to leave, as he ” hadna been there but for an hour or twa”, But he was ultimately rescued from the fascinations of the green-clad folk. ”

Folklore

The Priest’s Well
Sacred Well
thelonious
thelonious Oct 18, 2011

‘Lochnager’ by Alex McConnochie 1891
Passage about the Priest’s Well

“A short path, beginning a few yards East of the keeper’s house, leads to a particularly large boulder by the loch side at which is ” the Priest’s Well “, a small chalybeate spring joining the loch. Of course this well has a story associated with it. According to legend, Braemar, at some remote period, suffered from a frost of longer duration and greater strength than even that wintry district had ever previously experienced. The month of May came, but so hard was the ground that not a plough could enter it. Famine being feared, appeal was made to Phadruig, the priest already alluded to. The good man led his anxious flock to this well, which, being of unusual character, was then esteemed of saintly origin. Like all others in the neighbourhood, however, its waters were fast sealed up, but after repeated prayers the well began to thaw. The first water drawn from it was applied to holy purposes. Mass celebrated, the priest resumed his supplications with the gratifying result that the thaw became general. The mountain on which the lowering clouds, intimating the advent of rain, were first seen, was called Cam an t-Sagairt, the Priest’s Mountain, but in these degenerate days the name has been corrupted to the more common-place, if not euphonious, form of “Cairn Taggart “. Another version of the tradition has it that both priest and people went to Cam an t-Sagairt and remained there until the desired thaw set in. Until a comparatively recent period the Priest’s Well — like many of its kind — had considerable popularity, and the usual offerings of coins, buttons, and preens were thrown into it.”

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