Daraine Luton, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
Stunning views from Holywell Park. -Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
WATER seeped out of my nostrils on to my lips, but I cannot say what it tasted like. It was too cold for that sense to work.
What I do know, however, is that I would go back there, as long as it is not very misty. Nature cannot be more beautiful.
Welcome to Holywell, a recreational park in the Blue and John Crow Mountains.
Holywell, which is the ideal spot for admirers of Jamaica's indigenous species of birds, flora and fauna, is a must-see for nature lovers.
Last week, in the height of a cold front, The Sunday Gleaner braved the weather and ventured into a misty haven - a slight taste of a white Christmas. A senior park ranger jokingly said this time of the year may be the best to visit Holywell.
"I think now is the best time to come here so you get to feel the nice weather," Herma Nathan, station chief at Holywell remarks.
But Ms. Nathan could not have been serious about that "nice weather" as she too shivered.
a blessing to the eyes
One thing is certain though and it is the beauty of Holywell. On a fair day, which is very often, Holywell is a blessing to the eyes - a treat to the body and mind.
Situated some 3,200 feet above sea level, Holywell is a one-hour drive from Papine in St. Andrew. The winding road which takes you past Strawberry Hill, Irish Town, Hardware Gap and the Jamaica Defence Force training base at Newcastle is best managed by four-wheel-drive vehicles but cars mount it.
Damion Crawford, project manager of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Project admits that driving uphill may be a deterrent to persons driving to Holywell but says a New Year's present is in the making.
"We are trying to make it the ultimate group space for families and groups. We have realised that some persons do not have access to vehicles, so we will be implementing a bus system starting January," a shivering Crawford discloses.
The bus system, he says, will see persons being transported from a central location in the Papine area
to Holywell and back, all this at a cost of $600. This system will operate on the last weekend of every month.
Also on the horizon in January is a plan to add other recreational activities to the menu Holywell now offers. Among these is a plan to introduce horseback riding through the mountain under the shelter trail, and the installation of a slide at the playground for children.
When these additions are made to the park it should make the already comfortable and scenic environment a worthwhile venture. After all, persons can walk the trail, sing with the birds, gaze at nature or just sit back and inhale air that has not been altered in quality by industrialisation.
Ms. Nathan, who knows every square inch of the 25-acre park, having been a ranger there for more than 11 years, has recommended that "everybody should come and enjoy it".
"We make sure that the visitors are OK , we educate them about the park and the things here. We take them on trails and should anything happen to them we are able to assist, as rangers are trained in First Aid.
Persons often flock the Park on weekends; some spend a few hours and others just stay in the cosy cabins on the property, which cost just a few hundred dollars per night. Inside these wooden cabins, cold temperature is not a problem as they all have fire places. Don't believe it? Well, go see for your self...everything.
But don't all rush to sort out that back pack. Before taking that trip to Holywell, you have to promise to help preserve its natural beauty. When you travel, obey mother nature's rules; take nothing but photograph, kill noting but time, leave nothing but footprints.
Send your comments to: daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com
