← Places

Cronk ny Arrey Laa

Place

Cronk ny Arrey Laa ('Hill of the Day Watch') is a 437-metre hill in the island's south-west, the second-highest in that part of the Isle of Man after South Barrule, whose steep western face plunges directly into the sea in a dramatic cliff. Its name recalls its use as a Viking-era lookout post watching for raiders approaching by sea; it is also the highest point on the Raad ny Foillan coastal footpath, a stretch Manx National Heritage calls 'amongst the most spectacular to be seen anywhere in the British Isles.' Carnivorous sundew plants grow on its boggy slopes, and nearby lie the ruins of an ancient keeill and burial ground at Lag ny Keeilley, used for burials until around 1800. Local folklore also credits the summit's daybreak light with signalling herring fishermen to shoot their nets (confirmed via Manx Notes and Queries, 1904); a separate tale of a giant hurling standing stones is often linked to this hill but per A.W. Moore's own Folk-lore of the Isle of Man (1891) actually belongs to Balla Keeill Pherick near Colby, a different location with similar terrain.

Sources

  • Wikipedia
← Back to Places