Trewlawny 250th Anniversary

NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2020 11 O FTENREGARDEDas Jamaica’s most inhospitable region, the Cockpit Country is a hilly and dense area with limestone denuda- tions traversing three parishes and covering over 500 square miles. The so-called‘cockpit’are causedbecause limestone, which is predominant in the area, does not retain water. Rainwater, therefore, percolates downward through cracks and fis- sures, creating in time a landscape of pits and valleys. Below the surface of the Cockpit Country are hundreds of rivers, streams and caves, providing some of the best spelunking oppor- tunities in the Caribbean. Most of the Cockpit Countrywas a strongholdof the Maroons from the 18th century, when attacks by the British forced ex- slaves touse the harsh terrain to their advantage.TheCockpit Country is still home to one of the most important Maroon communities in the island – the townof Accompong in theparish of St Elizabeth. FAMOUS FOR: The Cockpit Country has the high- est diversity of plants and animals anywhere on the island. It is a gold- mine for birdwatchers, plant lovers and scientists with a sophisticated knowledge of the various species and a determination to withstand the humidity, the mosquitoes and the other harsh physical conditions that have kept the region free of large-scale human settlement for centuries. DON’T MISS: Clarks Town is the last major town in the northern Cockpit Country, but there is a little-used road that runs from the town through the west- ern edge of the Cockpits ending in the Albert Town area. This is an exquisitely scenic drive, as the road winds through the tiny communi- ties of Kinloss and Barbeque Bottom, cutting through some of the most remarkable geological formations in Jamaica. The road is rarely used, and there are patches that run through completely uninhabited areas. Along the way are some of the most re- markable vistas, and if, instead of driving, you walk the length of the road, you will be sure to see many rare animals and plants, including hundreds of orchids growing wild on the sides of the hills. Taken from visitjamaica.comwebsite TRELAWNY 250TH ANNIVERSARY Bats huddle together on a section of the ceiling inside the Rock Spring Cave in South Trelawny, which forms part of the Cockpit Country Adventure Tours Tour of the Printed Circuit Cave in Spring Gardens in Albert Town, Trelawny. The Cockpit Country Falmouth, Trelawny, photographed on August 8, 2003. Falmouth, once a thriving seaport for sugar, has a history dating back to 1770 and was designated Jamaica’s 7th Resort Area after Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Negril, The South Coast, Portland, and the Kingston Metropolitan Area.