Glen Helen - Glion Lammal

Glen Helen (Glion Lammal) is on the Western side of the Island, on the Isle of Man T.T. (motorcycle) Course and 4 miles from the town of Peel (Manx: Purt ny h-Inshey). The glen has two rivers flowing through it, the Neb and the Blaber. There are a variety of mature and impressive trees in the glen including sequoia, thuja, spruces, Douglas fir, oak, sycamore and beech. Three quarters of a mile into the glen is the Rhenass Waterfall. The name of Glen Helen was adopted in the 19th century and is thought to have been taken from Greek myth to reflect the beauty of the location.

The glen has a children's play area, public toilets and disabled facilities. Access is by car or bus. There is a large car parking area at the entrance.

Our Visit

When we visited on an Autumn day and we walked up to the Rhenass Waterfall and sat on the benches provided. It was very peaceful and the sound of the water crashing into the pool at our feet was quite hypnotic. We walked on up the narrow path past the waterfall that takes you out of the valley to the hills above. Most people stop at the waterfall and then make their way down the path on the opposite side of the river. We loved the way that the footbridges crossed high over the tumbling stream below. When walking down the glen on the left side of the river there is a wishing stone where you place your hands on the stone and make a wish. Always finish your wish with a thank you to the glen and, of course, keep your wish a secret!

At the bottom of the glen opposite the Swiss House Restaurant is a tree with a plaque adjacent to it. It was planted by the world famous woman aviator Amy Johnson.

Amy Johnson

Amy Johnson is a world renowned woman aviator. She planted a tree in Glen Helen, Isle of Man on 17^th April 1933 and the tree and plaque can be seen opposite the Swiss House Restaurant in the Manx Glen.  In the 1930s, Amy Johnson broke a number of flying records. In 1930 she was the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia. In 1931 along with Jack Humphreys they became the first to fly from London to Moscow in one day. They followed this by flying across Siberia to Tokyo achieving a record time for a flight from Britain to Japan. In 1932 Amy Johnson flew to Cape Town in South Africa from London in record solo time (a record she recaptured in 1936). A flight from South Wales to the United States of America in 1933 with her then husband Jim Mollison almost ended in disaster when a shortage of fuel resulted in a crash landing in Connecticut. The couple were given a ticker tape parade in New York's Wall Street. In 1934 they flew from Britain to India in record time.

Amy Johnson flew with the RAF Air Transport Auxiliary in the Second World War. On January 5^th 1941 flying in adverse weather conditions she veered off course and ran out of fuel. Although reportedly having bailed out from the aircraft a rescue did not succeed and her body was never found.