Tours to sacred sites often include standing stones, stone circles and dolmens, but the “Mysterious Wales, Land of Merlin” tour announced today by Body Mind Spirit Journeys also includes two holy wells. The photograph is St. Seirol’s Well, in Penmon, Anglesey, Wales. The well was built by local monks, and some people believe the waters still have the power to heal. There was an ancient monastery on the site, as well as a 6th century church and another built in the 12th century. The walls near the well are said to be the oldest remaining Christian building remnants in Wales.
On a much more modern note, anyone who remembers the classic ’60s TV mystery series “The Prisoner” starring Patrick McGoohan, will be interested to know this Welsh tour includes the colorfully fanciful Portmeirion, where exterior scenes of the series were filmed.
Although most of the tour focuses on Wales, it does begin and end in England. So not only does this tour include a special private entrance to Stonehenge, it also gives participants the opportunity to explore the Preseli mountains where the Stonehenge bluestones were quarried. Paul Devereux, in his book Places of Power: Measuring the Secret Energies at Ancient Sites reported of a visit to the area by two people who witnessed a vivid rainbow in the sky overhead – during the dark of night!
Perhaps the most photogenic attraction will be the dolmen, Pentre Ifan. This megalithic burial chamber was once known as King Arthur’s Quoit. It is about 5,500 years old, and its capstone weights more than 16 tons. According to local legends, faeries have been seen dancing about it looking like “little children in soldiers’ clothes and with red caps.”
For those more literary minded, the tour also features the ruins of Tintern Abbey, which inspired poems by William Wordsworth and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
The dates for this 10-day program are October 7 to 16, 2012. You can see the full itinerary by following this link for the Body Mind Spirit Journeys tour of spiritual Wales attractions.
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