It’s funny how Christmas and holidays tend to bring out the worst in relationships, especially those involving your significant other. I am not best pleased when after a long, knee crunching, lung searing climb up a perpendicular hill I reach the top feeling more than a little smug for not having dismounted, only to hear my mobile ringing.

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This turns out to be Nearest & Dearest wondering where I am. It appears he has made a left turn at the bottom of the hill!

Making a big effort to content myself with one scathing remark about bolting into the blue without any consideration for one of less athletic ability, (we are on holiday after all), we consult our map and decide that Seriol’s well is practically within spitting distance. Well it would be if you could spit a mile and a half. Nearest & Dearest’s map reading skills are not quite as good as his ornithological ability. This is further amplified when we eventually pull up at a little stream which I’m assured is the spring that sources the well. Further debate and closer inspection confirms that this is nothing more than a ditch and culvert currently redolent with essence of dead sheep.

We have better luck further on when a pile of broken rocks at the side of the road reveals our spring. I climb down for a better look and managed to make out a thin trickle of water bubbling feebly from the rocky outcrop.

The two great abbots, Cybi and Seriol were supposed to meet daily at this spot, which according to our book, is probably the most sacred place on the island as it is the source of the river Alaw and as such extremely important to the Druids who venerated springs and rivers as well as oak groves. Anyway, the two abbots that later became saints, walked from opposite ends of the island each day to do the things that saints in waiting do and looking at the sluggish trickle at my feet, I couldn’t help thinking that they’d better not bring much of a thirst with them!

Now according to our Mr. Phillips, VM’s bones were finally laid to rest by this well and a stone marks the spot inscribed with the glyph for Virgo which apparently, was often used to denote the Virgin Mary. We have a good poke about and although we found plenty of stones, non are inscribed with anything other than good Anglesey soil and lichen. This is yet another bitter blow and I’m beginning to wonder if Mr Phillips is having us on!

The Well of Nothing Much! Supposedly the site of the last resting place of the Virgin Mary!