We pass this milestone and Cornish cross every time we pass the junction at Crows-an-Wra, which is Cornish for witch’s cross, and head up towards Chapel Carn brea, the most westerly hill in Cornwall. 
This plaque beside the gate leading up to the top of the hill tells of the history of the cairn and burial monuments. On 21st June this is the location of the first of a chain of bonfires across Cornwall celebrating the midsummer solstice. But for our visit last week it was dry but with a fresh (cutting!) breeze. After finishing our sandwiches we wrapped up warm, crossed the road from the car park, and set off across gorse and heather moorland to the holy well a short distance from the Iron Age village of Carn Euny.
No one knows how old the tree is, but the many of the offerings tied to its branches are covered with lichen and can barely be distinguished from the tree itself. Mothers used to bring their children to be dipped in the water which was said to have healing powers. People still come to touch the water, leave an offering, and make a wish. The tree is festooned with ribbon, crystals, bits of cloth, keyrings: in fact whatever people have on them and feel inspired to leave, perhaps hoping to return, maybe moved by the evidence of so many wishes made over so many years. We try to get down there at least twice a year. It’s not easy to find or to reach especially after heavy rain when the narrow tracks crossing the moor are ankle-deep in mud and water. But it’s a special place, and the walk across the moor, taking in a view from Lizard Point in the east, past Lands End (and a glimpse of the Scillies on a clear day) round to Godrevy Light in the west make it well worth the effort.
