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Jamaica The Cockpit Country |
Call well ahead to arrange a guide, which is a necessity here. | |||
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On a visit here, you may see hawks, parrots and red-crested woodpeckers in the trees. Avoid the green plant with serrated leaves called a "scratchbush;" it will leave you itching for days. The Cockpit Country is a good area for long pants. One of the best places from which to explore the area is Accompong, located just north of Maggotty. To reach Accompong, take the main (A2) road and turn north at Lacovia to Maggotty. Just beyond Maggotty you should begin seeing signs to Accompong, located to the north. If you're traveling independently, call ahead to Mr. and Mrs. Harris Cawley (876/909-9222), the former Maroon colonel at Accompong who will arrange for a guide. Try to give him several days notice. If you plan to camp, you may need porters to carry food and equipment. The cost for a guide is modest. In addition to several day trips, 2 trails about 8 miles long cross the Cockpits and reach elevations of 3,000 feet. These tracks are not regularly used and they can be quite overgrown, requiring some machete work. Progress is about only 1 mile per hour because of all the up and down walking--no possibility of going straight as the crow flies. The trails go from Quickstep to Deeside and from Windsor Cave to Crown's Land and onto Troy. |
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