the pictish well
DUNINO DEN
Dunino village in Fife has been a sacred ritual area for thousands of years.
The path to Dunino Den starts at the Parish church which itself was built on the site of a stone circle. Rocks from the destroyed circle were used in the building of the church and its surrounding walls. In the graveyard there is a 3 ft rectangular stone which has a 17th century sundial carved on its uppermost face. It has become local custom to place a coin on the sundial for luck, and at any given time the upper face is completely covered in weathered coinage.
Follow the path down the side of the church and you will discover a raised rock promontory jutting out over the Kinaldy Burn in the manner of a pulpit. Carved into the solid rock of this natural platform is a circular well which, folklore has it, was used by the Druids to conduct rituals involving human sacrifice. The well was a repository for the victim’s blood and the bodies were thrown to the burn below. Next to the hollowed basin there is also a footprint carved in the rock which hints at initiation into some kind of secret order or perhaps a sign of Kingship.
A series of steps cut from the rock descend through a gorge leading to the Den proper, a natural amphitheatre. On the rock face at the foot of the steps is a Celtic Knot carving. The centre of the Den is marked by a Clootie Tree where pilgrims and travellers have left various rags, candles, dreamcatchers, wind chimes etc as offerings to the spirit of the Den or to ask that a wish be granted. Moving to the far side of the Den, one will find a 10ft Celtic cross carving on the cliff wall and near to that, a Celtic trinity symbol.
a bit o info i discovered aboot a pictish site i discovered while walkin the dugs years ago an went back for a visit this summer..its agreat place an there was some standin stones there as weel but unfortunatly as was so often the case in times when christianity was bein punted aroond scotland there were churches built oan the pagan sites an the auld ways were destroyed forever ..whit a shame…i applied some soft focus tae give it an atmosphere jist in case ye thought i hud made an arse o it
the pictish well belongs to the following groups:
Bits and Pieces , Descriptions, Heritage in Stone, History, ImageWriting (2/24), Mood & Ambience - Strictly Photos, Nature's Reclamation, Scotlands History, The Scots are Coming and Victorian Viewfinders
Chris Clark
fantastic image joak and the narrative is outstanding
joak replied
ta chris i have wnted tae go back for ages!
Martina Fagan
beautiful work love it
joak replied
halo martina glad ye like it pal
Tom Gomez
Nice find joak and great information, I need to go have a look at this …
joak replied
aye there is some great places tae visit there
Tania Donald
so beautiful and mysterious… : )
joak replied
it is a great wee site pal ..i love it
Anne Smyth
gorgous and mysterious and profound
joak replied
hi anne its a braw piece o auld scottish history
tinnieopener
Love the history and the image…..Spot on Mate:o)
joak replied
ta very much guid pal!
Heather Rivet...
well done mate
joak replied
ta heather
Noelene Davies
Gorgeous spot, stunning capture Joak.
joak replied
halo noelene thank you!
Carol Lewsley
wow awesome Joak love the story and photo what a great bit of history to learn about
joak replied
glad ye found it interestin an enjoyed it carol
mrcool
you guys are so lucky to have so much history & to have moste if not all of your sites still intact.
lucky your a GHOST you can just glide down those steps !!
great photy mate.
joak replied
there are a few that could get looked after better pal but we dae no bad
Tiffany Dryburgh
Fab! The soft focus was a clever touch, I think it works really well.
joak replied
aw thanks tiffany.im never sure if im doin the right things!
the6tees
Fantastic shot Joak,
does this mean you are comeing back to eirth???
I hope so!!xx
joak replied
wheres eirth..ive never been there i dinny think so i cany go back
kalaryder
A lovely image and wonderful description to match it.
joak replied
thank you pal glad ye like it
nadine henley
lovely dreamy capture leading us deeper in to the wood, joak
joak replied
hi nadine magic tae see ye..its a drop o aboot 30 feet just over the back so i dinnny want tae lead ye to far in case ye fall over!
Josie Jackson
Wow Joak, this is gorgeous, I love the colours and you sure did give it great atmosphere, looks fabulous, and what a history – what a shame how they destroyed the “old ways”. but so much was destroyed in Scotland, breaks my heart…..
joak replied
and mine pal…cheers
Nelson Campbell
One of the most beautiful photographs I have seen…captures a real sense of history and magic – even if I had to read the accompanying writing.
joak replied
aw nelson thats a brilliant comment thank you so much!
Tainia Finlay
A magical, mystical place joak, your image marries with the narrative so well. Great work mate!!
joak replied
thanks tania ..it has a great atmosphere this place..glad ye enjoyed it
artwhiz47
Well done, friend – a very unusual image.
joak replied
thanks shiela hope i didny muck aboot wi it to much!
Al Williscroft
Wow Joak! awesome image!!
joak replied
hey at awfy much al great tae see ye
dawndavies
beauitful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
joak replied
hi dawn glad ye like it pal
Aileen David
fantastic shot Joak, so ethereal! and what a legend and history behind it!
would it be too much to ask for more pictures from this place? It’s a facinating visual tour :)
joak replied
hi aileen i didny take many more but i will see whit ive got pal so nce o yea tae be sae interested pal
valzart
wooOOT! amazing capture sweetheART ;} smiley hippy hugglez
joak replied
cheers val its a magic place
greenstone
enchanting shot!!!
joak replied
hi greenstone great tae see a new face glad ye like it
debsphotos
I’d never think you’d make an arse of it joak!! lol..Unreal history and fabulous place!!..oh..great image Joak!!l *-)
joak replied
och yer so nice !!..thanks pal
Kelly J
Oh how wonderful this is!! :)
LavenderMoon
What an ethereal and enchanting place… you can actually ‘feel’ it from this photo…. looks like a place shrouded in mist from the surrounding dales and trickling brooks. Great shot of this fern-laced landmark, Joak… quite a mood emanating from it…
joak replied
aw thank you that is exactly whit i wanted folk tae fell…an ta for the fav …..ya wee cracker..lol
greenstone
not sure how to reply yet, instead of comment! but it is my pleasure!!! i see an ancient mask in this shot! hope i dont sound like a freak! gs
joak replied
why wid ye sound like a freak…huv ye read ma rubbish!!!lol…thanks pal for commentin!
Agnes McGuinness
It’s a beautiful capture, joak, and the soft focus works really well. Love the interesting writeup. Reminds me of Holy Wells hereabouts, and all sorts of things hanging on the bushes nearby. As in this case, probably a throwback to pagan times. Thanks for posting this. Agnes xx
joak replied
halo agnes i love this palce and am glad ye like it and ye like ma we soft focus as weel thats magic!
Kasia-D
What a fascinating place. I’ve heard of it but never visited. Thanks for sharing all that information!
joak replied
theres a lot tae see if ye rake aboot pal …cheers
Stephen Thomas
Great Photo!
joak replied
hi stephen mate thank you pal
catherine walker
wow..I love it and the story ..well done it’s a gorgeous photo..and I’d love to walk that path!
joak replied
its a special place an the wee path goes doon tae a wee burn..its lovely
charliethetramp
wonderfull find joak.. youv`e come up with a gem yet again..great image
joak replied
halo charlie ..dae ye mean i huv got other gems! lol..thanks mate much appreciated
JaneSolomon
Stunning image and I love the story! xx
joak replied
hi jane i pinched the story ..lol ..glad ye like it!
salsbells69
Wow Joak..i wish to visit this place one day..your image really is quite endearing and the story behind it even more so. Its gorgeous, so gorgeous i want to see it and walk the path ..awesome.
MarianBendeth
Incredible history there Joak! So pagan and rudimentary but the colours in this shot remind me of a Child’s storybook under the covers…excited to see what happens next!
joak replied
ta for the fav pal..it was a big pictish area this an ye can find lots o things if ye look hard enough…just like a childrens book
restlessd
Beautiful.
♥R♥
joak replied
thank you ..glad ye like it an ta for lookin
Robin Brown
I can see all the fairies Joak, dancing round this wee enchanted spot. Quality shot & historical narrative too. You could rival Tom Gomez with all that info!!
joak replied
na he only goes tae sunny places!
Robin Brown
True but he needs the exposure!!
restlessd
I found you some beautiful music for this one – enjoy
♥Rhonda
joak replied
this is a wonderful peace pal ..these images are somethin else …..
restlessd
Yes, isn’t it just beautiful?
- the video isn’t related but the music is something I could hear when taking my little walk through place this with you (in my mind :o) -Music is such a large part of my creation process it just has to be incorporated. Some may not agree but oh well. . . .
♥z & hugz joak,
Rhonda
Patty Boyte
Really lovely, thanks for the history too!
joak replied
ta for the visit patty great tae se ye an am pleased ye like this
JenLand
Beautiful, magical capture of this amazing place. And, btw, I knew you’d created it just perfectly and hadn’t made an ‘arse o it’! XO
syd baker
Greetings Joak, been a while, but this was quite a pleasure to find and read about, and get a feel about such awesome old times; I’d probably wind up sitting there for days caught up in the vibes of ancient peoples and events, and the mystic traces left behind. Good one!