This cache is hidden at one of the most inaccessible old ruins on
the Isle of Man – the site of old slate quarry workings at
the foot of Sartfell in Glion Kiark (“Glen of the
Grouse”). While clearly visible when looking approximately
South-East from the TT Course half-way down Barregarrow Hill (at
N54° 15.756’ W004° 34.846’), access on foot without
crossing private farmland is quite a trek.
This quarry originally employed about twenty
quarrymen, many of whom were Welsh, who came over to the Island
following the closures of quarries in their homeland. It closed in
about 1874 due to the poor quality of the slate and the buildings
subsequently fell into disrepair.
The ruins are those of the blacksmiths shop,
stables, a pay office and accommodation for the men. Though the
roof and the upper floors are long since disappeared (the materials
removed for re-use elsewhere), the walls and even the fireplaces
and chimneys still stand today. The belfry at the end of building
deceptively gives it the appearance of an old church. In fact, the
bell which it once housed was used to signal the beginning and
ending of the mens’ work shifts, which ran day and
night.
Sudden collapses at such quarries were
commonplace, and the quarry at Glion Kiark was no exception. Local
folklore tells how one night the quarry manager found that that
there had been a landslide in the quarry and he feared all the men
were buried. He hurried back to Barregarrow for help, only to find
the men there safe and well. They told him that on this particular
night, they had gone to the quarry to begin work and heard a child
crying out on the hillside above them. Regarding this as an ill
omen, they returned home. Possibly they had heard the sound of the
rock movement before the collapse.
A little further up the glen, you can also still
find the ruins of the old explosive magazine (N54° 15.579’
W004° 34.059’).
Stout hiking boots are strongly
recommended.
The cache is a regular-sized camouflaged lock
‘n’ lock style box containing log, pencil and several
small items, with plenty of space for trackables.
Have fun!
