🏔️ Shekerley Mountains

The Shekerley Mountains are a low mountain range in southwestern Antigua. The range contains all of the highest peaks in Antigua and Barbuda. There are several peaks that are higher than 100 metres, including Boggy Peak, the tallest. The mountains are the centre of a cultural region known as Round South, and they extend across three parishes– Saint John, Saint Mary, and Saint Paul. The mountains are sparsely populated, with about one-thousand people living in the chain's various communities, most notably in John Hughes. The mountains contain many valleys, including Christian Valley, Orange Valley, and Dark Valley. Historically, many of the island's sugar estates were located in the mountains, although few slaves escaped to the region due to legends of a "boggy man", this being the origin of the name "Boggy Peak". While the origin of the name Shekerley is unknown, it is probably based on a proper name in common with much of the island's other geographic names. It used to be referred to in the possessive form "Shekerley's Mountains" on many maps from the island's early colonisation.