Ballaglass Glen

Ballaglass is one of the gentler national glens, a broad wooded valley on the Cornaa river with paths on both banks and footbridges across, and in late April and May the floor of it is covered in bluebells thickly enough that the ground reads blue between the trees. Remains of a nineteenth-century lead mine sit at the upper end. The electric railway has a halt right at the entrance, which makes it one of the easiest glens to reach.

History

The glen, 6.4 hectares in the parish of Maughold, is one of the Manx National Glens. In the 1850s and 1860s the Great Mona Mining Company ran a speculative mine in its river bed for copper, lead and zinc, with a large wheel above the waterfall, and the remains of its stone buildings survive (Wikipedia, Ballaglass Glen).

What's there

• The bluebells - the floor of the wood covered blue in late April and May.
• The river paths - walks on both banks with footbridges between them.
• The mine remains - nineteenth-century lead workings at the upper end.
• The railway halt - the electric railway stop at the glen entrance.

When to go

Late April and May for the bluebells, which is the reason most people come. The glen works year round for walking. Autumn colour is good in October.

Good to know

Outside the bluebell weeks it is a pleasant wood rather than a destination. Paths are muddy after rain. There are no facilities at the glen.

Nearby

Dhoon Glen is south, and Maughold is north.

Key facts