Beary

Not a bad walk, but . . .

Monday 29th October 2012

 

    I spent most of last weekend worrying about weather.  After reading the various weather forecasts over the weekend for Monday, and watching the rain pouring down all day on Sunday, I wondered whether we might have been a bit overambitious in planning a long hike from Tynwald Mills.  The early forecast on Monday was still a bit iffy, predicting scattered showers and sunny spells in the morning, clearing in the afternoon.  When we left home at twenty past eight (after a very welcome extra hour in bed because of putting the clocks back) the weather didn't look too bad but I still thought an abbreviated walk might be a good idea - in case the threatened showers were heavy or prolonged. 

 

    We met Dorothy and Trevor in the car park and set out up the road past the shops and then climbed up the rocky track on the west side of Beary Mountain towards an area known as the Dowse - the name of an old farm on the slopes of Beary which has all but disappeared.    The first part of the steep, stony track follows the boundary of Ballig Plantation.  We stopped for a short rest and I took a photo of this larch.  I remember being taught about deciduous and evergreen trees at primary school and being told that conifers are evergreen.   It was only when we moved to the Island that I found out that there is an exception . . . larches turn gold in autumn before losing their needles.

Further up the path we could see the damage done by the recent heavy rain.  Tim took this photo which shows why we spent most of the walk looking down at the ground, to avoid tripping over stones or stepping in holes or puddles, instead of admiring the views.

But there were some lovely scenes to enjoy when we stopped for a minute or two to get our breath back.  I liked this lonely little cloud (or wisp of mist) floating over St John's with Slieau Whallian in the background.  It was a slight consolation for missing a photo opportunity on the drive down to Tynwald.  As we drove along Lezayre Road there was a thin band of early morning mist hovering just above the ground over the fields and under the old trees at Ballakillingan.  It looked very atmospheric but sadly it isn't a good idea to stop a car on a busy road to take photos.

When we reached the point where our path met the top of Mill Road, which leads down to the main Peel to Douglas road near Greeba Bridge, we stopped to discuss our options.  I suggested walking down Mill Road and then walking along the old railway lines and Brack a Broom Lane but Dorothy looked reluctant to give up the idea of a longer walk.  Trevor tossed a coin and the shorter route won - but Dorothy looked so disappointed that we ignored the verdict of the coin and headed uphill en route to Rhenass and the Little London Road. 

 

It was very quiet up on the hill.  The only sound was the babbling of the water running down little channels that had been eroded near the path.  We headed down a track through forestry land into the dip between Beary Mountain, Slieau Ruy, Cronk y Voddy and Sartfell and then turned down a footpath towards Ballasayle.  The going was very wet underfoot and I was worried about the route through the farm which is usually churned up by cattle.  Fortunately It wasn't much worse than it is in dry weather . . . but it wasn't much fun picking our way down the rough path at the top of a bank - the official "footpath" resembles an overgrown swamp, blocked with gorse and rushes.

 

When we approached the old ruined farm buildings at  Ballasayle, the track improved and we came across a field of Highland cattle.

I think a group of mad, puddle-dodging hikers was the most interesting thing to pass their field all day.  A few drops of rain started falling and my camera was safely packed in a plastic bag. Tim took this photo of the inquisitive beasts.

Having made our way through the farm, the next obstacle was the ford at the Rhenass River.  The stepping stones were almost under water but fortunately a kind man, who was building an extension on the nearby farmhouse, said that we could walk through the building site and cross their bridge.

 

After crossing the river, most of the route back to the cars was along minor tarred roads, but we still had one steep climb from the Rhenass valley up to the Little London Road.  I stopped for a rest and took another photo of Ballasayle from a different angle, with the forestry track down the lower slopes of Beary Mountain visible in the background on the right.

As we reached the Little London Road, the view changed and we could look north towards the outline of the mountains in the Scottish borders.  The zoom effect makes them look even closer and more impressive.

 

Regarding the rest of the walk (down the Little London Road to cross the main road at Cronk y Voddy and then along the Staarvey Road) . . . the less said the better.  We were tired after hours of rough walking and the rain which had avoided us for most of the morning arrived.  Also we were walking along tarred roads and Alexander had to be on the lead in case of speeding cars.  Now Alexander doesn't like walking on the lead and he doesn't like the rain.  So he wasn't a happy chappie.  At one point he looked so miserable that Tim picked him up and carried him for a bit.  But he cheered up when the rain stopped we let him run free for a while as we walked down the track towards the Poortown Road.

Nearly back . . .  and St John's looked very pretty in its autumn setting.

 

So, all in all, not a bad walk . . . but it would have been even better if it had been a bit shorter and a bit drier!

 

PS  Poor little Alexander was very tired on Monday evening.  He lay on a mat in the kitchen and only had enough energy to open one eye when I spoke to him.  We wondered whether we were expecting too much of him.  Four hours of rough walking, without even stopping for a tea break because it was too wet, is tough on a small, plump, elderly dog.  Happily, the next morning he was fine - full of bounce and trying to boss his bigger brothers again.