Drinking from the Chalice Well in Glastonbury (Sacred Spring in England)
The Chalice Well web site says this...
To be at the well head, to drink the water and absorb the atmosphere in the gardens can be a truly inspirational experience.
...which I understand to mean that the water is potable, not a problem. Photos of the well, for example this one...
...show that it has a cover and a grate. So how do you drink from it? Is the tourist meant to kneel down beside the well and scoop out some water in a container? That seems awkward. Or do references about drinking from the well assume that the tourist purchases a bottle from the Trust?
The Wiki entry for the Chalice Well says this about drinking...
When the Well and gardens are closed, it is still possible to obtain water from the well as some of the flow is directed via a pipe emerging through the garden wall in Wellhouse Lane. A similar pipe on the opposite side of the lane provides water from the neighbouring White Spring.
...which means there's an alternative place to drink the well's water. I am not interested in an alternate place because they do not provide the same level of spiritual comfort. Sadly, the Wiki entry does not explain how to drink directly from the well itself. It could mean that the Trust does not sell the water when the well is closed or it could mean that access to the well itself is blocked.
There are lots of photos on Trip Advisor showing some alternate places to drink water from the same spring, but none show a person actually drinking from the well itself.
I called the Trust to ask, but there's no answer.
Question: how does one drink from the Chalice Well?
Secondarily: if one takes an empty bottle and fills it with water from the well, can it be preserved say for several months? Or does the iron content eventually cause the water to become fouled?
My previous questions about sacred springs and wells in England...
Pictures about "Drinking from the Chalice Well in Glastonbury (Sacred Spring in England)"
Can you drink from the Chalice Well Glastonbury?
The colour of the water and the taste according to legend is said to symbolise the iron nails that were used at the Crucifixion. Visitors can still drink the water which is today believed to possess healing properties.Is the Holy Grail at Chalice Well?
Chalice Well is a holy well situated at the foot of Glastonbury Tor in southwest England, thought to be originally the island of Avalon from Arthurian legend, and the site where Joseph of Arimathea placed the chalice known as the Holy Grail.Where does the water from Chalice Well come from?
The water flows red from a natural spring at the foot of Chalice Hill in Glastonbury. It is said to be infused with, or at the very least represent, the blood of Christ: or maybe it was rusty nails from the Cross; you decide.What is the red spring?
The Chalice Well, also known as the Red Spring, is a well situated near the summit of Chalice Hill, a small hill next to Glastonbury Tor in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The natural spring and surrounding gardens are owned and managed by the Chalice Well Trust (registered charity no.The Chalice Well aka The Red Spring
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ngeow Shen Sin, Mikhail Timokhin, José Augusto, Pixabay