The Water Remedy: Folklore, ritual and wisdom — a conversation with author Clare Gogerty

The remedy of water: one author’s path to uncovering her relationship with water

The elemental pull of water is irresistible, whether it’s to bathe, swim, shower, splash about, sail or simply paddle. We are drawn to it not just for pleasure but for its healing and wellbeing benefits. Destinations, from holy wells to mysterious lakes and enchanted rivers, also have spiritual meaning and are shrouded in myths and folklore. 

In The Water Remedy, Clare Gogerty offers a guide to some of the best places in the UK to enjoy being with water, inspiring us to see beyond its day-to-day domestic use so that we can benefit from its spiritual and restorative powers. Discover the difference that our rivers and seas, lakes and springs, wells and waterways can all make to our wellbeing. Here, the author speaks to Guy Hayward of the British Pilgrimage Trust, about the book and her relationship with water, lakes, sacred springs and wells.

The 'Remedy' of Water

Guy Hayward: Why did you choose the word “Remedy” for the book’s title? What do we need to remedy?

Clare Gogerty: In these troubled times, many of us seek solace, calm, and healing. I’ve always been drawn to water—it’s brought me great comfort during difficult periods in my life. When I was struggling personally, I swam regularly at my local lido in North London. Moving through the water felt soothing, and the weightlessness was almost like flying. That experience planted the seed for this book.

Guy Hayward: Actually, water was also what drew me to pilgrimage. For me, pilgrimage is not just about churches—holy wells and rivers have their own revitalising power. 

So what took you from the lido to exploring sacred waters across the country?

Clare Gogerty: I moved to Herefordshire, which is rich in holy wells, springs, and lakes. I began spending weekends seeking them out. Once you start looking, you find more and more. It was that and my love of open-water swimming, which drew me to lakes.

Personal Connection and the Journey to Sacred Waters

Guy Hayward: Did you have any mystical experiences while exploring these places?

Clare Gogerty: Mystical is a tricky word. I haven’t had dramatic, otherworldly moments—but I’ve had deeply reflective ones. One of the most powerful was at a lake in the Welsh mountains. I love lakes in the mountains because you have to climb — it’s a pilgrimage to reach them. This particular one was hidden, quiet, and surrounded by peaks. I walked around it slowly, and while it may not have been mystical in the traditional sense, it was profoundly restorative. That’s what I look for in these places.

‍Guy Hayward: I think ‘mystical’ just means something mysterious, beyond rational explanation. It doesn’t need to be dramatic. It’s that shift out of ordinary experience, the kind that makes you wonder why you don’t do it more often.

Clare Gogerty: Exactly. It stays with you—has a lasting impact. It becomes a place I return to in memory when I want to reconnect with that feeling.

Water and Memory

Guy Hayward: It’s interesting you refer to memory. Water is often linked to memory. I have a friend exploring how water could be used as a memory storage device. While that might sound mystical, many believe water can hold memory, even if it’s beyond current science right now.

Clare Gogerty: You introduced me to Gerald Pollack and his theory of water’s “fourth phase,” which offers a new scientific perspective on its mysteries. There are also thinkers like Veda Austin who speak of water’s hidden intelligence—something we’re only beginning to grasp.

Guy Hayward: Rupert Sheldrake considers Pollack the most important scientist alive, because his work affects physics, chemistry, and biology. The idea of structured water—this “fourth phase”—opens up fascinating questions. Even something as simple as how water travels up trees is still not fully understood. Trees have no heart to pump water, yet water rises to incredible heights.

Clare Gogerty: I think that's what I wanted to emphasise with this book. I wanted to get beyond seeing water as a utility — you know, something we just take for granted — and see its other spiritual and well-being aspects, and also value it more rather than abuse it, as we have done.

Reconnecting with Water

Guy Hayward: You talk about having a relationship with water—can you explain that?

Clare Gogerty: Yes, it’s about building a relationship, not just taking from it. For centuries, we’ve used and taken water for granted. Reconnection means thinking about what we can give back—honouring water as something more than a resource.

Guy Hayward: I sometimes say, when people hug trees, they might ask the tree a question—and maybe it answers in its own slow, Ent-like way (as in Tolkien). The same could be true of water. Whether or not you see it as mystical, you can still ask: What does it reflect back to you? Building that sense of connection dissolves the boundary between us and the non-human world—and we need more of that.

Clare Gogerty: Water reflects the human condition—it has moods. It can be still and calm or stormy and wild. In that way, we can see ourselves in it.

Ritual and Practice at Sacred Waters

Guy Hayward: Your book is very practical—you guide readers on how to engage with water once they arrive. Can you talk about that?

Clare Gogerty: I’m glad you noticed. As a magazine journalist, I’ve always valued giving people something they can apply. Too often, we visit places like waterfalls or springs, snap a photo, and move on. But if you go with intention—even a simple ritual—it becomes more meaningful. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Just taking a moment to honour the water and your connection to it makes the experience deeper and more memorable.

Guy Hayward: Sometimes mystical experiences are most powerful when they’re simple and physical, like placing your hands in the water, or drinking it. 

So, what do you actually do when you arrive at a holy well?

Clare Gogerty: Getting there is part of the experience—it’s a pilgrimage. Once I arrive, I try to walk around the well if possible, slowly and mindfully. Then I sit beside it, take a moment, and connect. I might dip my hands in the water, or soak a piece of cloth and place it on my face. Even just touching the water with your feet or fingers creates a powerful physical connection.

Meeting the Sea: River Mouths and Estuaries

Guy Hayward: What would you do at a river mouth, where it meets the sea?

Clare Gogerty: It depends on how you arrive. Walking a river from its source to the sea is a powerful journey, like a metaphor for life. The small stream grows, meanders, overcomes obstacles, and finally joins the vast sea. That moment, when the river merges with something infinite, can symbolise death, or becoming part of something greater.

I have a particular love for estuaries, those in-between places. When I visit one, I usually pause. I might do a few breathing exercises or simple yoga stretches, take time to reflect, maybe write some notes, or pick up a pebble to remember the moment.

‍Cyclicity, Death, and Renewal

Guy Hayward: I love the metaphor of the river dissolving into the sea—like death, it’s gradual and seamless. You can’t always see the point where one ends and the other begins. It’s a gentle merging. And then, of course, the ocean becomes rain and begins the cycle again.

Clare Gogerty: Exactly. It’s a circular process—just like life. Water embodies that perfectly.

Guy Hayward: That’s also why Eastern philosophies are drawn to the idea of reincarnation. Nature is full of cycles—everything returns in a new form.

Clare Gogerty: Spring reminds us of that. We see life returning everywhere. Water, plants, people—we’re all part of the same life force. We may return in a different form, but we don’t disappear.

Water Folklore and Mythic Beings

Guy Hayward: Water is a helpful way to think about life, bringing the natural cycles into how we live and reflect. And of course, water has long been part of human culture, surrounded by myths and folklore. What were some of the most enchanting discoveries on your journey?

Clare Gogerty: There are so many water-linked folklore characters—perhaps because water is so mysterious. Lakes often conceal what lies beneath, which invites the imagination. One that sticks with me is Jenny Greenteeth, a swampy, witch-like figure said to drag children under to a watery end.

My favourite, though, are the Selkies—seal creatures who shed their skins to become human. They usually prefer their seal form but are sometimes drawn to life on land. Many tales describe female Selkies marrying human men after their seal skins are stolen, leaving them trapped in human form. These stories ask deep questions about identity and belonging—are they truly human or seal? How can they return to who they really are?

Then there are the Kelpies—mystical, shape-shifting water horses that lure people into the sea, never to return. These tales are often dark and tragic, but incredibly powerful. The fact that they’ve endured for generations shows how deeply they still resonate with us.

Guy Hayward: So watch out, you know, if you try and be something you're not, you can come to a sticky end. Having said that, I think they're also showing us how similar we are to water – that we are mostly water, and you know you're taught that at school, and it's not like it's a new idea, but I think it is to real the implications of that are huge. 

The fact that Gerald Pollack says that whilst 70% of our total body volume is water, 99.9% of total molecules in the body are water molecules, and that must mean why the full moon has such an effect on people, because it can move the tides, so it probably can move inside our bodies.

Favourite Places and Hidden Wells

Guy Hayward: You live in Herefordshire, a landscape full of springs and wells. Do you have a favourite?

Clare Gogerty: It’s hard to choose, but one of my most memorable experiences was actually in Ireland, searching for a hidden well. It used to be a pilgrimage site but had become overgrown and was no longer marked on maps. We needed permission to cross a farmer’s field and were guided by someone who knew where it was.

The well was beautiful, carved with images of St. Brigid and John the Baptist, blending pagan and Christian symbolism. Young couples used to l visit it, hoping for help with fertility. We arrived on Lughnasadh and brought Brigid crosses with us, which made it feel especially meaningful.

Guy Hayward: That fits perfectly—Brigid as the Christian form of the goddess Bride, and John the Baptist as a River Jordan ’drowner’. Rupert Sheldrake has a theory that John created near-death experiences during baptisms—holding people under water until they felt transformed, which might explain the depth of their revelations- seeing the light, feeling born again etc.

Clare Gogerty: At the well, we soaked our Brigid crosses in the water, made prayers and intentions. It felt incredibly powerful. What struck me was how the spring was still flowing—clear, alive, and just waiting to be found. That sense of waiting felt profound. (See the video at the end of this article to see how to make a Bride's Cross.)

Guy Hayward: Yes, that's a lovely way of putting it. The water just waits for you.

The Mystery and Power of Wells

Guy Hayward: You say you’re drawn to wells.  What is it about wells that keeps drawing you back?

Clare Gogerty: I think it’s the sense of origin—wells feel like the beginning of things. A spring is water emerging directly from the earth. For our ancestors, it must have felt miraculous: life-giving water simply bubbling from the rock. It’s fresh, vital, and somehow sacred.

Guy Hayward: Yes, they seem to come from the deep, the dark—mysteriously appearing. That makes them feel naturally mystical.

Clare Gogerty: Exactly. I live near the Malvern Hills, where there are over a hundred springs. The water is cold, clear, often drinkable—and life-giving. Being near it, drinking it—it connects you to something elemental.

Guy Hayward: They’re mysterious by default. It’s like water bubbling up from the unconscious.

Clare Gogerty: That’s a great metaphor. I remember a pilgrimage I did with you to Canterbury—we started by collecting water from a well in a castle, carried it with us, and then mingled it with spring water at our destination. That act felt deeply symbolic, like connecting one sacred place to another.

Guy Hayward: It’s a way of bringing nature into sacred human-built space. Also, pouring spring water into fonts along the journey creates a physical thread—your presence leaves a trace, literally, along the way.

Pilgrimage, Ecology, and Mental Health

Guy Hayward: Water is essential to our well-being—physically and spiritually. But in the face of ecological crisis, I’ve often questioned whether pilgrimage is enough. Shouldn’t we be doing more practical things—like cleaning rivers—instead of quietly sitting by holy wells?

Clare Gogerty: But the ecological crisis is also a mental health crisis. Practices like pilgrimage offer people a way to reconnect—with themselves and with nature. That connection is essential for healing.

Guy Hayward: Exactly. Many mental health struggles stem from disconnection—from nature, from meaning. Pilgrimage can help us remember who we are and what we’re part of. It’s not indulgent—it’s transformative.

Clare Gogerty: And we can do both. I support local environmental campaigns, but I also believe these quiet, reflective acts help people value the natural world more deeply. When you feel that connection, you’re more likely to care for it.

In a world that feels overwhelming, we need these moments of stillness. Watery places are ideal for that—they offer space to breathe, reflect, and restore.

And let’s be honest: sitting quietly by a lake or performing a simple ritual—it’s better than doing nothing. It’s active, healing. It has no downside.

Weaving Science, Story, and Style

Guy Hayward: Your book brings together science, folklore, geography, psychology, poetry—all centered on water. How did you manage to weave it all together?

Clare Gogerty: I wanted it to feel like a compendium—something you could dip into and find different points of interest. I enjoy writing that way, mixing forms to keep readers engaged. Lists, place suggestions, stories—it all keeps the texture lively. I come from a magazine background, where features are often an assemblage of different boxes and lists and interesting information.

Guy Hayward: It works beautifully. Nature itself is layered and interconnected—you can’t easily separate it into categories. Your approach reflects that complexity.

Guy Hayward: Was anything particularly difficult to write? What was the most flowing?

Clare Gogerty: Well, the most difficult thing about writing a book is the enormity of the subject, you know — every chapter could be a book. I really enjoyed doing the actual research, getting out into the country, and looking for these places.

Guy Hayward: Were there any issues with the publishers? Did they just get it immediately? Did they understand the water thing?

Clare Gogerty: The publisher is Calon the University of Wales non-fiction imprint. They got it immediately. A lot of the content is about Wales consequently. They were very supportive, really helpful, and I had extremely good editors.

Embodied Experience and Ritual at Wells

Guy Hayward: I love the Zen quote you open a chapter with: “If you want to understand the teaching of water, just drink.” It sums up your whole message—stop overthinking, and just engage with water directly. Put your hands or feet in it, drink it, or dip a cloth in it. Feel it, don’t just think about it.

Clare Gogerty: That’s why swimming is so powerful—you’re fully immersed, moving through it. It’s a physical, all-encompassing experience. Water invites that kind of experience.

Clare Gogerty: I also love the idea of bringing something to a well—a simple offering of gratitude and respect. Your idea of transporting water between places, for example. I like writing the names of people who’ve died on leaves and releasing them downstream. It’s a gentle ritual of letting go.

Guy Hayward: That’s beautiful—letting it flow away. I also loved your list of reasons to visit a well: to make a wish, seek healing, foretell the future, even to curse, or to incubate a dream. The idea of sleeping beside a well to prompt significant dreams is fascinating.

Clare Gogerty: Yes, at St Winefried’s Well in Holywell, Wales, people used to lie beside the water to encourage meaningful dreams. I’m sure sleeping near water has an effect on the subconscious.

Guy Hayward: I’ve heard that water can sometimes sap energy if you sleep over it—I’ve heard that from dowsers. But maybe wells are different, since water rises rather than flows down. We’ll have to leave that to the listeners to clarify!

Carrying Water Forward

Guy Hayward: What do you hope people take away from your book?

Clare Gogerty: I’d love the book to be something people carry with them—in a rucksack or glovebox—and refer to as they visit watery places that hold meaning for them. It’s practical, with lots of suggestions of places to go and what to do when you get there, including the folklore and history that surround them. Some people have even read it cover to cover, then gone back to make notes of places they want to visit. That’s my dream—for it to continue being used and returned to over time.

Guy Hayward: A book that actually gets used is a special kind of book. And for those searching for wells, there are great resources like megalithic.co.uk, and www.oldwells.co.uk, which catalogues wells and springs on Google Maps.

Clare Gogerty: Yes, I may have included them in the bibliography! The Megalithic Portal is excellent. My other passion is stone circles, which I often go off to explore.

Guy Hayward: Stones and water seem connected in some way.

Clare Gogerty: Interestingly, many stone circles aren’t near water. They’re usually high up, beautifully situated, with incredible views—but far from springs or rivers. I’m not sure why.

Guy Hayward: But wells are often encased in stone. And rivers are full of them.

Guy Hayward: Finally, if you had to distil your relationship with water into a single image or metaphor, what would it be?

Clare Gogerty: Probably something as simple as turning on the kitchen tap. 

Thinking about the journey that water’s taken to get there—and all the ways it supports our lives. It’s easy to take for granted, but it’s a daily miracle. Then I’d probably use that water to make a cup of tea—and feel grateful — something as pedestrian as that.

Guy Hayward: That’s a perfect image. Pedestrian is a pilgrim word, after all—everything meaningful begins at foot level.

Clare Gogerty: Exactly. And gratitude is where it all begins.

Guy Hayward: Thank you so much for writing this book. It’s going to help people reconnect—with water, with nature, and with themselves. Hopefully, it will spark a kind of quiet revolution.

Clare Gogerty: That would be brilliant. And thank you for your support—this conversation has meant a lot.

Guy Hayward: Wishing you smooth waters on the journey ahead.

Clare Gogerty: Not turbulent, but flowing—yes, exactly.

How to make a Bride's Cross

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