Call for calm and constructive discussion as anger over Clootie Well clean-up on Black Isle runs deep
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AMID a social media storm of protest over the mystery clean-up of an ancient Black Isle site believed to be endowed with healing powers have come calls for calm.
An online poll run by the Ross-shire Journal in the aftermath of the removal of items left by visitors to the Clootie Well at Munlochy has found 80 per cent unhappy over the clearance with just 18 per cent declaring a clean-up was needed.
The extent of the unplanned clearance of cloots – and much else besides – by a mystery woman shocked some and angered others, some who had made the trip to the site in the hope of healing for loved ones.
It is a treasured childhood memory for many others.
"My opinion is a cloot is a symbol which can be left as a token of the exchange that takes place. People out of respect would leave a cloot.”
Amongst the calmer voices to be heard after the incident is that of Claire Mackay, who has formed a Friends of the Clootie Well group on Facebook. She would like to see constructive dialogue over any future clean-ups that involve local people.
She said: “My views are that this individual shouldn’t have acted so ruthlessly, but that it has opened up an opportunity for a dialogue and some awareness about what is appropriate to leave at the site, and the cultural roots of the historic practices.”
She had been shocked to see face masks in the well itself – a running source of drinking water that some believe to have healing properties.
She said forestry staff do carry out periodic tidy-ups but have been constrained during lockdowns.
She noted items left have included bras and synthetic J-cloths. She said: “For me, that’s a disconnect from the old practice. It’s a case of where you draw the line. My opinion is a cloot is a symbol which can be left as a token of the exchange that takes place. People out of respect would leave a cloot.”
She would like to see four quarterly tidy-ups a year with a dispenser offering biodegradable natural materials.
She’s also interested in producing a children’s book and stoytelling to help generate some positive awareness of the history.
She said: “I think the outrage is that the community has not been involved and someone has taken it on themselves to do this.”
The group can be found on Facebook.
Paul Hibberd, Forestry and Land Scotland regional visitor services manager, said the body is aware someone took it on themselves to clean the site without its permission.
He said: “This site is an important part of Highland history and culture, and we encourage all visitors to be respectful and to leave only biodegradable offerings.”
See comments to our online poll on our Facebook page and feel free to share your own thoughts there too.
Dumpers fly-tip multiple bags of rubbish near Clootie Well on Black Isle
