Loch Sheanta [Loch Siant] Holy Well or Sacred Spring : The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map:

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Submitted by uisdean on Wednesday, 02 May 2007 Page Views: 18263

Springs and Holy WellsSite Name: Loch Sheanta Alternative Name: Loch Siant
Country: Scotland County: Isle of Skye Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Nearest Town: Portree Nearest Village: Flodigarry
Map Ref: NG471699
Latitude: 57.647783N Longitude: 6.240189W
Condition:

5	Perfect
4	Almost Perfect
3	Reasonable but with some damage
2	Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1	Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0	No data.
-1	Completely destroyed

4 Ambience:

5	Superb
4	Good
3	Ordinary
2	Not Good
1	Awful
0	No data.

4 Access:

5	Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4	Short walk on a footpath
3	Requiring a bit more of a walk
2	A long walk
1	In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0	No data.

3 Accuracy:

5	co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4	co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3	co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2	co-ordinates of the nearest village
1	co-ordinates of the nearest town
0	no data

3

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**Loch Sheanta** submitted by uisdean : The pool into which the spring at Loch Sheanta flows. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Holy Well or Sacred Spring in Isle of Skye

Sacred spring in the parish of Kilmuir in Skye (NG471699). Martin Martin (A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland, 1695) notes that ‘the most celebrated well in Skye is Loch Siant Well. It is much frequented by strangers, as well as by the inhabitants of the isle, who generally believe it to be a specific for several diseases – such as stitches, stone, consumptions, megrim.’ The invalids circled the spring three times ‘dessil’ (ie clockwise or sun-wise) after drinking the water, and made an offering of scraps of clothing, coloured threads, pins or coins. Martin notes that although the lochan into which the spring drains is full of trout, none of the natives would take one; nor would they cut any wood from the copse near the spring ‘for fear of some signal judgement to follow upon it’.

The Rev JA MacCulloch, (The Misty Isle of Skye, 3rd Edition, p 237) comments that the spring, loch, fish and copse were ‘doubtless the relics of some ancient pagan place of worship, taboo to the pagan Celt, except under strict conditions, and whose sacredness has still remained after centuries of Christianity’. The taboo against cutting wood from the copse ‘shows the persistence of the belief in the sacredness of trees’ which were worshipped ‘as the abode of spirits, or were sacred to certain divinities’.

The spring is not now much frequented and, unlike some other sacred springs and wells in Scotland, had no offerings of cloth scraps or coins. It is now hidden in a hazel copse. To find it, take a new-made footpath from a parking place on the east side of the main road from Staffin to Flodigarry just past Digg (NG46936979). Follow the path to its end, from which Loch Shianta can be seen to the north. Continue along the east side of the loch and ford the stream at its far end. Make your way back along the west bank of the stream (which is very muddy) until you see an indistinct path leading up into the copse. The spring is about three yards along the path.

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