For a few months I’d been tantalised by an old image of Muswell Hill’s lost holy well – the Moss Well, or Mossy Well, Mouse Well that gave its name to the area. A chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Muswell became a resort of pilgrims after a King of the Scots had been divinely directed there and was miraculously healed by the waters of the well. It is recorded as early as 1112. As I prepared for my quest to find this lost sacred spot, I made hand-written notes in the pub – a fact that ended up playing a bigger role than it should have been when I made a significant error typing them up.
Our walk starts on Crouch Hill, goes down Crouch End Broadway, Park Road, Muswell Hill, Muswell Hill Broadway, Colney Hatch Lane looking for the first Wetherspoons pub, then Muswell Hill Road via Highgate Woods.