St Cuthbert's Well, Wetheral

or, Fons Sancti Cuthberti

I felt sure Paula had visited this one but have searched and not been able to find it so my apologies if you have already recorded this one Paula.
[Found it later...!! But hope it’s okay to add to the gang anyway]
https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2149608345365905882
And apologies for overlong blip write up.

Strange how various threads come together ....
With a poor forecast today I decided to go up to Carlisle in search of trousers for work. I've already talked about my love of shopping and as I parked up I thought it's a bit like swimming underwater. Take a few deep breaths and 'go'. No joy, however. I can hardly ever find trousers that fit well and since I was younger it has often made me feel that I was 'the wrong shape'. It made me think about conversations that have threaded through this week of feelings of not 'fitting' in. Ian McKellen on the radio about gender fluidity and then a piece on 'From our own Correspondent' on the radio about women and periods in India and how a woman wasn't permitted into the temple to mourn a recently deceased relative because she had started a period and the implication of impurity and her feeling of exclusion. I remembered when I was younger and feeling too ashamed to tell anyone and then even more recently as a young adult in Grasmere being told by a local chap that it was called 'the curse' and it was considered unclean to sleep with a woman at that time (although he was more than happy to be unfaithful to his wife).  

Anyway, this was all on the back of deciding to sweeten the shopping pill by going to see the Percy Kelly exhibition which had been recommended to me by a colleague at work following our conversations in a similar vein. What a fascinating man and a rather sad, lonely end. I was delighted to learn he lived for a while in the purple house in the Newlands Valley. Locals will remember that amazing spot. A wonderful exhibition, well worth seeing. 

Afterwards there was a bit of daylight so I decided to nip to Wetheral to find St.Cuthbert's well and speaking of threads ... I reckon I must have some monkish molecules as I was drawn to yet more cells in the fading light further along the river Eden. I must go back in more light and better weather. I am rather baffled by the location of the well which doesn't seem to connect to anything and is some way from Wetheral priory. I finally climbed the exhausting ‘Ninety-nine steps’ back up to the station...none of your southern thirty-nine steps; they’re proper hard up north.

First extra shows the front view of the well.
Second extra shows the steps down to St.Constantine's cells by the river Eden. The cells were used by the monks at the Priory and offered protection during border raids and St.Constantine apparantly used them when he was in his hermit phase. They even have a fireplace!