What else might you conceivably do on a very very wet day when it has been raining for hours? Spend hours over your Sunday lunch, watch a box set, snuggle up around a warm fire? I chose to don my waterproofs and go for a walk down Glen Maye on my way to Peel for the annual Friends of the Cathedral Choir service.
It really was raining cats and dogs and I suspected the paths and steps would be very slippery, especially as they would be strewn with autumn leaves, so rather than take the direct route into the glen I took the road that bypasses the main beauty spot and takes you towards the beach. Even this was tricky to negotiate in places with massive puddles and streamlets meandering down the road.
What a joy to enjoy this area and have it all to myself – I can’t imagine why! – and to see the swollen river rushing down little alley ways and bubbling furiously over rocks and stones. Having reached the beach and already soaked I didn’t hang around and went back to join the track that goes into the main glen. There were a few places where the waters were more gentle and every now and again it would surprise me with sudden spurts and mini waterfalls that are never usually present.
The autumn leaves lying on the path were beautiful. Most of the leaves had left the trees, leaving the canopy more open to the sky, and allowing the rain to tumble through more easily. This is only a short walk, gradually going uphill, and I could sense a build up of water as I heard the rush of water falling in the distance. Turning the corner, I was at the Glen Maye waterfall, looking resplendent and owning the place. I have never seen it so full of water and I stood there mesmerised watching it pounding down over the rocks and creating a misty haze over the pool. It was stunning. This was definitely the way to encounter the waterfall, starting low with expectation building up as I walked though the glen.
From here, it is just a short climb up to the car park. I am always surprised by the contrast of the beautiful tree-laden glen down below and the stark car park just 50 metres above. When you are down there it is as if you are in a different world, but you very rapidly come out into reality.
Gill's Isle of Man Walks 