Corrany

Water water everywhere

Tuesday 7th January 2014

I received an email from a friend recently with the Subject "Water water everywhere" and I couldn't think of a more suitable title for our walk on Tuesday.  But, at least it was possible to do the walk wearing hiking boots.  The only footwear suitable for Ramsey at high tide last Friday was Wellies!  The Isle of Man Today site even had a video of a man paddling a kayak up Parliament Street.

On Tuesday morning, after a panic - when we saw the ABS warning light had come on in the old Golf while we drove down the glen - and a quick return to the house to change cars, we managed to arrive at the meeting place at the side of the narrow road from the Gooseneck to the Hibernian just before nine o'clock.

We were expecting sunny intervals and high winds as we set out along the track towards Park Llewellyn and the sun lit up the fields on our south-facing side of the Corrany Valley.

Last week there were a series of waterfalls at the side of our route up Glen Auldyn.  This week's walk managed to be wetter.  We even passed a mini-waterfall right in the middle of the "road".

We stopped to contemplate this structure - apparently built beneath the remains of an old stone wall.  Were the openings made to allow sheep to pass through or just to let water drain from the field above?  We need little mysteries like this to keep our minds occupied while we pick our way around endless puddles and loose stones in the track. 

As we approached Park Llewellyn we stopped to watch an incredible aerial display.  Two ravens were soaring overhead, gliding on the strong air currents and occasionally folding their wings back and diving through the air.  It was quite magical.

After passing the desolate old ruined farmhouse, we had to decide whether to head up to the hills or down to the mines in the bottom of the valley.  Dorothy said "Mines" and we were happy to agree and avoid the even stronger wind further up the hillside.  Last time we visited the mines, in March, we endured fog and slushy snow - so a bit of wet didn't seem too bad in comparison.  But it was advisable to walk over the grass at the side of the track most of the way.

It was quite tricky getting past this puddle and I waited, camera at the ready, hoping for an action shot of Dorothy toppling into the water - but she didn't oblige.

According to a map in a booklet "Industrial Archaeology of the Isle of Man", there are three old mines in the Corrany Valley   . . .  the East Snaefell Mines, the North Laxey Mines and the East Laxey mine.  Judging by the map in the booklet, I thought that the first old mine that we approached could be the East Snaefell Mines - but according to another source . . .  "EAST SNAEFELL (Also known as North Laxey, North Great Laxey) lead, zinc and silver mine 1856-97 at head of Cornaa Valley. Very significant remains at SC428890; main shaft to 171f, excellently preserved processing area."  It is very confusing.  To confuse the issue even more an IOM newpaper article mentions "The Glen Cherry Mine, a little further down the same valley . . . "  After checking as many sources as I could find, I have come to the conclusion that all the old mine workings that we examined must have been part of North Laxey Mines.  Now I just have to look up some of the old terminology and find out what a circular buddle looks like!

I walked into one of the ruined buildings.  It might have been a house or shelter for the miners because there was an opening in the wall above my head - for a fireplace to heat an upstairs room.  Someone had taken advantage of the opening to build a very secure nest.  It must have belonged to a big bird - maybe even the ravens that we were admiring earlier.

I climbed down to the edge of the pretty babbling brook that runs through the disused mine workings.

I wanted to take a photo of this old retaining wall on the far side of the stream.

There were more interesting structures a little further downstream.  A series of three chimneys and supports for pump rods as well as more buildings. 

The chimney nearest to the river had an opening at the base and a channel running down towards what could have been an engine room and/or wheel casing.  I wish I could find more information about these old ruins.

We turned up hill before we reached the Glen Cherry mine and the East Laxey Mine because we wanted to walk past Keeill Woirrey which is the scene of William Kennish's Manx version of Gray's "Elergy  Written in a Country Churchyard".  It is a remote keeill surrounded by a small graveyard.  The graves are marked by plain slabs of slate but a couple of simple engraved cross slabs were found at this site and are now in the Cross House in Maughold churchyard.

I asked the men to stand near the keeill to show how small the building must have been.  Trevor was walking in to pose for me - but I don't do posed photos.  Then Tim joked that I hadn't shown his best side - so I cropped him out of the photo!

We continued up the hill, aiming for a gate onto the track near Park Llewellyn.  There was quite a deep ravine to cross.  Trevor took the direct route to the top - straight through a gorse bush.  But I chose a slightly longer but less prickly path.

On the way back to the cars, we encountered very stupid and stubborn sheep.  It was trapped between the stone walls either side of the track and kept running ahead of us.  Trevor tried to sneak past it to chase it back behind us but it persisted in panicking and rushing ahead.  So Trevor very nobly climbed into the field above the track ran across the field and managed to climb over a wall back onto the track once he was past the sheep.  Tim and I waited to see whether we could divert it through a gap into a lower field when he chased it back up the track.  It was a bit like the TV series "One man and his dog".  Our version was one man (plus his wife) with Trevor playing the part of the dog!  The strategy worked.  The sheep ran towards us and we managed to get it through the gap into the field.  It had thoughts about coming out again but I waved my stick around and finally it caught sight of some mates in the far corner of the field and trotted off happily.  Dorothy regretted that she didn't think of taking an action shot of our efforts.


That was the last of the excitement.  The lower Corrany Valley looked very green and peaceful as we neared the end of the walk.