Garff

IsleOfMan SheadingsAndParishes-enGarff is one of the six sheadings in the Isle of Man.

It is on the east of the Island and consists of the parishes of Lonan and Maughold, the village of Laxey and the district of Onchan. It is also a House of Keys constituency (excluding Onchan).

The new local authority of Garff follows the Keys definition comprising Lonan, Maughold and Laxey by combining the three former authorities for those regions.

Garff Comissioners are now the largest authority by area on the Island.

Maughold

Maughold Parish is in the north of Garff. It comprises a stunning and varied landscape with the mountainous heights of North Barrule dominant to the west and spectacular coastal scenery along its eastern shores. The National Glens at Dhoon and Ballaglass provide splendid woodland walks alongside tumbling rivers and breathtaking waterfalls.


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Laxey

Laxey village is on the east coast of the Isle of Man, and is otherwise landlocked within Lonan Parish. Its name derives from the Old Norse Laxa meaning ‘Salmon River’. The village lies on the A2, the main Douglas to Ramsey road.


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Lonan

Lonan is in the southern part of Garff. The parish extends from Port Groudle in the south to the Snaefell mines and Brandywell Corner (on the TT course to the east of Beinn-y-Phott), a distance of some six miles or 10 km, and contains an area of 15 square miles (39 km2). It is an upland district, being hilly and barren, and dropping sharply into the sea, with the exception of a few small deep, sheltered glens.
The highest point in the parish is Mullagh Ouyr (near Snaefell) at 491m or about 1610 feet. Its coastline is high and rocky, and broken by several headlands and small bays. The main headlands are Laxey Head, and Clay Head; and the bays are Bulgham Bay, Laxey Bay, Garwick, and Port Groudle. The only significant valleys are Laxey Glen, famous for its romantic beauty, extending from the Snaefell mines to the sea and Glen Roy, which leads into Laxey Glen at Laxey village.
The parish church is at Boilley Veen. It was built in the 19th century as a more conveniently located substitute for the ancient structure of St. Adamnan’s Church.

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