The day after my 30th birthday I took a pilgrimage to St Nectan's Glen in Cornwall. It is hidden between Tintagel and Boscastle and follows a winding path along a valley marked by a twisting bubbling stream all the way up to St Nectan's Kieve, waterfall and hermitage.
The kieve is a basin carved out of the rock by a waterfall that has fallen for many years and named after Saint Nectan who settled there in 500AD and built his sanctuary beside the river.
For pagans the kieve is a symbol of mother earth, the womb, a place of healing and rebirth.
My pilgrimage marked out a moment of leaving behind an offering, a wish tied to the clootie tree, symbolised by a small bag containing an acorn to symbolise a seed sown which can grow into something magnificent, a rose petal for love, an amethyst to heal past troubles and protect my future, a worry doll to ask for help dealing with worries, and sparkling 30's to mark the occasion.
I took time to rest at the falls and let the gentle water spray calm and reassure me. Before walking back feeling enriched my the journey.
