Manx Waterfalls

The Manx glens, the valleys carved out by the timeless flow of streams or rivers, are a prominent feature of the Island landscape and many contain beautiful waterfalls of differing sizes and shapes.

Early tourists in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries praised their picturesque and romantic beauty. Glen Maye in particular was singled out for its ‘very romantic and beautiful cascade, which leaps down the neighbouring mountains, till it approaches a steep perpendicular rock; from whence, with much rapidity, it throws itself into the vale below. The fall is from a considerable height; and its picturesque beauty, and wild melody, receive an additional effect from the solitude of the surrounding scenery’.

The ‘quiet rural beauty’ of Laxey Glen was also singled out as charming by these early tourists, though it was the clear rivulet pouring over jutting rocks and large boulder stones below the main road, the Laxey Quarry Falls, that caught their admiration, not the national glen above the main road visited today.

The opening of the Manx Electric Railway in the late Victorian period allowed visitors to 'Manxland' to easily reach the glens along the east coast. Here Ballaglass is perhaps the archetypal example of a Manx glen. Its rocky stream bed descends through wooded hillside, the river now gushing, now slowing in pools. The waterfalls are relatively low and gentle; paths follow and cross the stream on the descent. It is said to be the locals' favourite glen, with some justification.

Dhoon Glen, also on the east coast, is much more challenging, being steep and deep, but the magnificent waterfall, the Inneen Vooar (the Big Girl) is reward enough. One of the highest falls on the Island at over 40 metres (130 feet), it splits in two over the rock face and falls in ribbons to a large pool in a cavern-like glade of ferns and moss. The path and stream continue down to the shingle shore guarded by impressive jutting rocks. Victorian visitors came in by boat in their thousands to see the waterfall.

In a more secluded inland location on the west coast is dramatic Spooyt Vane (White Spout), the highest waterfall on the Island, at around 50 metres (164 feet), a torrent of water falling through a narrow gap in the rock walls in several drops, the lower drop spreading across the rock face before plunging into a deep pool from which the beautifully clear water flows gently out, curving round a pebble shore when the season is dry. The semi-circle of rock walls enfolding Spooyt Vane are green with spurge and many different kinds of fern. Access is by kind permission of the landowner.

In the Victorian visitor boom, many of the glens were 'improved' to provide refreshments and entertainments, as well as the experience of exploring natural beauty. Dhoon was one and Glen Helen, in the centre of the Island, was another. Extensive tree and ornamental shrub planting was carried out and it was converted to public pleasure grounds with swings, croquet and skittles, with an entrance fee of 4 old pence (2p in today’s money). Fishing was one shilling (5p) extra. Here visitors could also enjoy the spectacle of the long narrow ribbon of the Rhenass waterfall from both above on a long-gone bridge and below before repairing via winding paths and rustic bridges to a picturesque Swiss chalet to take sustenance.

Nowadays the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture is responsible for managing the Island’s 18 National Glens.  Its proud association with these popular venues extends back more than 70 years. The Department continues with a rolling programme of maintenance and access improvements.

The seclusion of many of the glens provides some of the most enchanting woodland walking you will find anywhere, with the reward of one of the most mesmerising sights of nature, a waterfall in full flow.

Tracey Dean

Manx-born Tracey has lived and worked in the Isle of Man as a graphic designer for over thirty years, and is also a self-taught oil painter specialising in landscape and floral paintings.

Her love of walking and the outdoors takes her all over the Island looking for inspiration for her detailed, realistic oil paintings in which she captures the natural beauty of this wonderfully varied landscape. Tracey has shown her work in joint and solo exhibitions on-Island and her work is held in private collections around the world.

She has designed various stamp issues for Isle of Man Post Office over the years and her paintings featured in the Harbour Lights issue showcasing the small pepper-pot lighthouses around the Island.

Since one of her first paintings of her mother’s garden included a rabbit hiding amongst the trees, there’s been one in every painting ever since!

Susan Jellis

Susan’s Cumbrian parents were long-time residents of the Isle of Man and she and her own family have spent a great deal of time on the Island over 45 years. Exploring the glens at different seasons is still a favourite pastime. After a career in language reference publishing with Cambridge University Press and Bloomsbury Publishing plc, Susan took a postgraduate Diploma in Garden History at Birkbeck University of London, following her lifelong interest in gardens, landscape and their cultural development.

She writes garden-related and historical articles for various publications and contributed for some years to the original Manx Life. She is the author of The Magic of the Manx Glens and of two books with Manx interest, Southbound to the Sunshine and Looking for Eliza, in addition to Bloomsbury’s Squares and Gardens. She chairs several garden history and garden Friends associations. When not talking or writing about, or photographing or guiding in, gardens, Susan can be found … gardening at home in Saffron Walden, near Cambridge.