Ward & Lock's descriptive and pictorial guide to the Isle of Man ...

—;;—Skye Hill— KirJc Andreas, d-c. 161" I have lived with the stranger, and drauk of the rHIs,AVtiich go warbUng their music on loftier hillsliut I never forgot, in rejoicing or care,The mouldering hearth and the hills of Leznyro."Having regained the high road, and passed the foot of SkycHill, we notice a gate on the right of the road, which givesaccess to the fine old mansion, Balla Killingan, which issurrounded by tall trees, in which " the rooks do dwell."We are now wdthin a mile or so of Eamsey, and in themidst of sceneiy which an enthusiastic native of the islanddeclares " reminds mo strongly of that on the banks of theTweed, especially near Peebles ; it is every bit as beautiful "—a verdict on which a jiatriot from the "land o' cakes''might perhaps be incUned to join issue with him. But bothviews are charming; so we will leave them to decide theknotty point as to which shall have the preference, andhasten to Kaiusey, well pleased with our excm-sion, but sufficientlytired to make home welcome.TO KIRK ANDREAS AND BACK.In starting on this excursion, we leave Eamsey by theroad which branches out of Parliament Street at its west endand leads up Bowriug Eoad, through the northern subiurbsof the town, passing St. Olave's Cliurch on the right, andthe Windmill on the left. The road at first is somewhattortuous, but we soon reach Thornhill, where we turn to theright. We keep straight on up Dlioor Hill, where an excavationhas been made to ease what was otherwise rather asteep climb. The locality would seem to have been a ratherimportant military position in the stirring old times in thehistory of the island, judging from the funereal urns andother relics met with in the course of the work. Beyond thehill, the road lies through a well-cultivated district. Wesoon reach four-cross-roads, one of which—that to the leftwould enable us to make a detour, and inspect the fort atBallachm-ry on our way. postpone But we that till ourreturn fromKirk Andreasand go straight on, past the Wesleyan Chapel at BaUaJcaneen.We make for the Grosvenor Arms, a hostelry whichaffords "accommodatiou for man and beast," and at whichthe specialities of the island may be had in their usual perfection,and then sally forth to look about us. We naturallyfirst visit the Chiorch, to which the parish owes its name,and the tower of which has been our landmark, from the11