Clootie wells (also
Cloutie or
Cloughtie wells) are places of
pilgrimage in
Celtic areas. They are
wells or
springs, almost always with a tree growing beside them, where strips of cloth or rags have been left, usually tied to the branches of the tree as part of a
healing ritual. In
Scots nomenclature, a "
clootie" or "cloot" is a strip of cloth or rag.