Moon Author's Review
The interior of St. James, St. Elizabeth, Manchester, and Clarendon parishes is rugged terrain, much of it forming part of Cockpit Country, which blankets pitted limestone hills full of caves and underground rivers. As the impassible interior descends to the sea, ridged hills taper down around lush valleys, which have proved some of the most fertile in Jamaica. The Y.S. and Appleton estates remain prized lands. The Nassau Valley, where Appleton Estate is located, is still heavily planted in sugarcane to feed the healthy rum business.
From Maggoty the main road (B6) heads east, skirting a large wetland area fed by the upper reaches of the Black River before rejoining the main south coast "highway" (A2) just east of Santa Cruz. From Balaclava, a turn to the north (B10) leads deep into the interior to Troy and then Warsop, passing by Ramgoat Cave before hitting Clarks Town, Trelawny. North of Clarks Town the road emerges on the coast in Duncans. For extreme adventure-seekers, the Troy Trail is a challenging traverse of the most rugged part of Cockpit Country. The trail is best accessed with the help of a guide, which can be set up through the Jamaica Caves Organization (info@jamaicancaves.org, www.jamaicancaves.org).
Hiking excursions in the vicinity of Accompong can be arranged by contacting Maroon Colonel Ferron Williams (cell tel. 876/850-9567).
