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Holy Well of St Cubert (coastal)
The hamlet of Holywell to the east of the village of Cubert might be considered somewhat greedy in that it has not one but two "holy wells".
One is inland (see Link ) while the other is coastal and is the one described here.
Holywell Beach is a good expanse of golden sand to the northwest of the hamlet of Holywell. There are several caves of various sizes in the base of the rocks that form the northern end of the beach.
The most northerly of these caves contains the so-called Holy Well of St Cubert (not to be confused with the inland one which is in the middle of a golfcourse) - and can only be reached for an hour or so either side of low tide - but is worth making the effort to time it right.
The entrance to the cave is marked by green and brown stained rocks where water trickling down has promoted the growth of algae.
The cave then opens up and to the left is the quite remarkable geological feature which is known as the holy well itself. The constant trickle of water through the rocks has deposited layers of limestone in intricately patterned "shelves" with many different colours caused by dissolved salts. On the shelves are several shallow pools of fresh water - presumably the holy water of the well. This first part of the cave is lofty enough to stand up in and to admire the formations. The cave continues a little further but with a much reduced height which would require crawling.
One is inland (see Link ) while the other is coastal and is the one described here.
Holywell Beach is a good expanse of golden sand to the northwest of the hamlet of Holywell. There are several caves of various sizes in the base of the rocks that form the northern end of the beach.
The most northerly of these caves contains the so-called Holy Well of St Cubert (not to be confused with the inland one which is in the middle of a golfcourse) - and can only be reached for an hour or so either side of low tide - but is worth making the effort to time it right.
The entrance to the cave is marked by green and brown stained rocks where water trickling down has promoted the growth of algae.
The cave then opens up and to the left is the quite remarkable geological feature which is known as the holy well itself. The constant trickle of water through the rocks has deposited layers of limestone in intricately patterned "shelves" with many different colours caused by dissolved salts. On the shelves are several shallow pools of fresh water - presumably the holy water of the well. This first part of the cave is lofty enough to stand up in and to admire the formations. The cave continues a little further but with a much reduced height which would require crawling.
by Rob Farrow
Created: Sat, 24 May 2025, Updated: Sat, 24 May 2025
12 images use this description: (all images taken in 2025)
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- Holy Well of St Cubert (inland)
By Rob Farrow. Used on 4 images
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