St Helen's Well, Santon Downham....

"In Thetford forest, not far from Santon Downham, can be found St Helen's Well on the path from that village to the picnic spot at Two Mile Bottom.  The Anglo Saxon church of St Helen once stood on the verge of heathland forty feet above the river and twenty yards from the spring itself although the holy well, which was probably a place of pilgrimage in Christian and pre-Christian times, was destroyed long ago.  In the eighteenth century it was known as 'Tennant's Well' and later as 'Tanner's Well'.  Far below lies the pool surrounded by Hazels which at times dip their branches into the water just as they did in the Irish tales of 'The Salmon of Wisdom', although in our version no Salmon is visible, for the wisdom is to be sought by other means.  To reach the pool from the path there is a gentle grassy walkway to the left, or a precipitous clamber down the side of the quarry on the right.  Once there you are likely to lose all sense of time and emerge several hours later thinking that only minutes have passed.  St Helen or Helen of the Roads (also known as Elen of the Ways) is considered to be one of the oldest native deities.  She is associated with travel, water from her well can be used for magic relating to physical journeys, but also to help with pathworkings and with quests to seek ancient knowledge".  Source:- Pagan Federation of Norfolk

It is indeed a peaceful and lovely spot ....

Ribbons have been tied to one of the Hazels, like those tied to the Holy Thorn on Wearyall Hill.....

Ribbons and offerings ....

I should have a black cat .....

I wish I had known about the 'gentle, grassy walkway' before I tackled the 'precipitous clamber'.... although it was so worth the climb......

Looking down onto the pool from my clamber up the side of the quarry...

The trees standing guard near the pool ....