Isle of Man - Countryside - Inland
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Countryside - InlandThe rich variety of landscapes presents the island as Britain in miniature - from the steep wave-lashed cliffs of the south to the flat plains of Ayre in the north.The glens of the island are quiet green havens. The rushing waters of the steep glens were put to good use for milling and the extraction of minerals by water power. There are a number of very steed, thickly wooded, ravine like glens with no roads. These glens are found in the main on the East coast and mostly between Douglas and Ramsey. The West coast glens are generally of a more gentle nature often leading down to sandy beaches. The mountain glens are very spectacular with streams and rocky pools. The rugged and wild centre of the island, its mountains and moorland, are best explored on foot and it is easy to travel off the beaten track and away from the crowds. Large boulders, deposited by glaciers during the last ice advance, litter much of the upland areas and heather, ling, fern and gorse are in profusion. Lower down there are quiet, sheltered lanes lined by foxgloves and wild fuschia. The occasional bleat of a sheep or the song of a bird are the only sounds while the salt-laden sea breezes set the tall grasses in continuous motion. The four mile climb to to the summit of Snaefell, the Island's highest mountain, is a must for all visitors. The slow and gradual ascent along the side of Laxey Glen allows views of the famous Laxey Wheel, now restored and a reminder that in years gone by Laxey was a centre for lead and zinc mining. Workers from Cornwall moved in and the Lady Isabella wheel was constructed in 1854 to pump as much as 270 gallons of water a minute from mines which were as deep as Snaefell is high. The mountain offers views unequalled within the British Isles. To the east there rises the dark mass of the English Lake District, to the north are the rolling hills of Galloway in Scotland, to the west lie Ulster's Mountains of Mourne, to the south west are the Wicklow Mountains in the Republic of Ireland while to the south is Snowdonia in Wales. Five countries seen from one small island set aside from them all in the Irish Sea. More information:
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