We could not have wished for better weather on our Saturday walk. It was warm and sunny, if a little misty. 11 of us set off on the tram up to the top of the mountain, where it was somewhat breezier than down below in Laxey. The moors were wetter than we were expecting and care was needed going down to Black Hut. Crossing the road a strong boardwalk has been created over the bog, one of the best I have ever seen. We paused momentarily to watch a female damselfly lay her eggs in the water. It was a short uphill walk and then we had the splendid views of the Conrhenny valley with North Barrule and its associate hills on our left (after moorland photos). It was beautiful. We decided not to do the higher ridge walk over heather, which in hindsight was a good thing as a few people were wearing shorts and one person’s shoes fell apart. Not that it was easy walking on the lower track as it is very stony and uneven. One of the party said that this had been a nice grass track in the past, but has been destroyed, I guess, by the motorbikes and cyclists that are allowed on this path. It was a steady walk down to Laxey, past King Orry’s graves and back to our starting point at Laxey railway station. A very memorable and happy day, with good friends, who I will dearly miss.
The Monday walk was a different affair altogether, with absolutely pouring rain. My camera and phone stayed firmly in my rucksack the whole way. Fortunately, it was only a short 3 mile walk, but even so, those of us who did venture out thoroughly enjoyed it. We looked at the different vegetation and vistas and we had a jolly good natter. The heritage trail from St Johns to Peel (it starts at Douglas) is of course flat and relatively wide, which makes it easy to communicate. The path is ‘wearing’ in well, after its overhaul a few years ago, when it was very hard underfoot. It is more pleasurable to walk on now, and of course, around the Raggatt is is beautiful.
As I had mis-guessed the length of the route, thinking it was 5 miles not 3 miles, we arrived early at Peel, which gave me time to say goodbye to Lara at the Manx Wildlife Trust and to get a coffee before the rest of the party arrived for lunch. Our small number of 4 then swelled to 10. They were certainly drier than we were, but everyone was very happy. We had a super meal at the Marine Hotel. Everything was cooked to perfection and served in good time.
This was a different, but just as enjoyable way of saying cheerio to yet more friends. I shall have some very fond memories of my last few days on the Isle of Man and I thank you all, and those who couldn’t attend, for making my life here on the island so happy.
So, this is me signing off from the Isle of Man. Once I am established in England I shall revamp the blog and have sections for different areas of the country and abroad. I was walking in the uplands of Norway recently and that was truly spectacular…
Hallelujah – she’s been on a walk at last, I hear you say. Well actually, I was in the Lakes a few weeks ago, just over the Easter weekend, and I did a couple of absolutely delightful walks, one up the precipitous Cats Gill, which was quite taxing for an oldie like me, but quite exhilarating too, and another long and lovely walk between Skiddaw and Blencathra. I had lost a bit of confidence for walking on my own, but these two days thoroughly revived me.
Today, back on the Isle of Man, I ventured to the middle of the island, to Crosby (though, for some reason my car decided that I should go via Foxdale, so I was a little late starting!). I plenished my stocks with a £3.50 excellent meal deal from the Coop and started up the lane, a route I know well. At the top of the lane, the path becomes the Millenium Way for a short distance. It is a steady climb, not just this bit, but for a full 3 miles until you reach the junction on the ridge walk. It is not a difficult walk but it is a little cumbersome as the cows and bikes have churned up the path quite a lot so I was often on pats of muddy grass rather than a path. Ahead of me was a guy on a bike and I did wonder how he was coping. I eventually found out when I caught him up. I don’t think he was particularly enjoying his bike ride but I assured him it would get better when he reached the top.
It was fairly dull day at this stage, although visibility was reasonable and I could see all the big hills and as I reached the top of Slieau Ruy, having traipsed first over Larghee Ruy, the vista of the whole of the south opened up in front of me. Langness looked like a little squiggle or an afterthought to god’s creation, and I did think it might entirely disappear with climate change.
After from the biker I didn’t see a single soul, not even in the distance. The ridge walk is only short, about 2 miles, though on another day you could take in Colden to extend time at the top. After Greeba Mountain, the only sensible way down in through the forest. The descent is not great. It looks as if the path has been ‘repaired’ but it is full of small stones of different sizes and the gradient is quite steep, so this was not particularly pleasant. Far easier to walk on the heather, but I didn’t do this. I was glad to reach the edge of the forest after about 15 mins. This is then a very pleasant walk on soft turf in the quiet eeriness of the forest. I had made the decision that I would take a detour from the forest and cross the small stream and follow an old road back to Crosby. I enjoyed the stream – it was in full pelt and there were some stepping stones which were fun to cross. It is a permissive path, but obviously well used.
However, I missed the connection with the road beside the house, indeed I never even saw it, but no matter I continued on the permissive path which was absolutely delightful. The gorse was in full bloom and the path went over grassy fields. This did mean, though, that I ended up back on my original route. Looking at the map, and previously, on the way up, I had noticed another path going to the outer edges of Crosby, so of course, I had to try it. This is an old road, no longer used, and it was a joy to walk along, so my misdirection early on was of no consequence. The flowers were beautiful in the hedgerow.
This is fairly long walk of just over 8 miles, with 1600 ft of ascent /descent. It took me 4 hours, but if you decide to do this, I would allow 4-6 hours on a nice sunny day to stop and admire the countryside. I parked opposite the bowls club in Crosby on the lane by the stream. They are free toilets at the bowls club situated between two blocks so you don’t need to go inside. There is a Costa beside the Coop, so you can get a welcome drink after your stride out, if you so desire.
I was out today with a small explorer group from the island, having been enticed by the title “Caves, Cakes, Coffee and Reindeer” walk or something like that. Don’t get ahead of yourself, we have no reindeer on the island; our host had very ably made some buns to resemble reindeer, it almost being Christmas, and very successful they were too.
I can’t tell you too much about this walk as our host, Andy, wants to keep his ‘secret places’ secret for others to explore and to this end, the hidden places should remain hidden. However, it is no secret to say that we parked at Kallow Point in Port St Mary on an extremely blowy day to start our walk. When we arrived, it looked as if it was already high tide as the waves were crashing about the shore, but high tide would still be a few hours away.
We walked towards Perwick and along the shore, scrambling over rocks where necessary and where we encountered a stranded and decidely dead Porpoise, having got beached in the massive overnight tides. It otherwise looked healthy, but the rocks round here can be treacherous as you can see in the photos. I won’t be giving too much away by saying that there are a few caves along this stretch of the coast, but you won’t find them unless you do a bit of adventuring. Similarly, there are some hidden beaches, and again, you won’t find them by sticking to the coast path. Unfortunately, the weather was just too windy to risk going down to some of the secluded beaches, which would have required fairly steep and rocky descents whilst fighting offshore winds, so we satisfied ourselves with knowing where they are for another time.
Our host was very knowledgeable and pointed out different types of rock, provided us not only with cakes and coffee but scavenged sea spinach from the cliffs encouraging us to taste a morsel of this salty herb. There was plenty of sea glass amongst the pebbles that interested some and some fascinating patterns in the stones, one in the shape of a cross on all sides. He told us about a hidden lake, so hidden that it is impossible to find unless you have a boat, so please don’t go looking for that! If you fancy a walk with a difference, they have a website and a FB page with details of forthcoming outings: https://www.facebook.com/happyexploreriom/
To finish, here are a few photos, none which should give away too much 🙂
This was intended to be Port Erin to Castletown, but I really hadn’t thought it through; not only for the distance, which would have been 12 miles, but for the difficulty of the task. Hold on, you say, I’ve walked that many a time without any difficulty. True, I would reply, but not in winter when we have had weeks of rain. I hadn’t given this latter thought any consideration as I set out yesterday morning, to do the first walk in well over a year that I have been able to do entirely for myself with no hidden agenda.
It was slightly warmer that it had been, with no rain forecast and not particularly windy, so I was expecting great things. My first photo shows Port Erin looking its glorious self as I headed down Dandy Lane. The light was lovely, with the sun peeping out from the clouds, highlighting different parts of the cliffs, and in my first photograph the tiny lighthouse. My expectations were dampened as soon as I reached the coastal footpath. There was literally a torrent of water hurtling down the footpath and surrounding cliff as if there was no tomorrow. I just stood and stared it for a while; in all my times of walking this route, I have never seen anything like it. Don’t get me wrong, it was never going to prevent me carrying on, but what a sight. I could see a lady on the road below thinking I was absolutely nuts! It’s a good job none of my friends had been able to join me on this occasion, as I imagine some at least would have turned back.
It took a little negotiating. The photos don’t show full amount of footpath under seige. The rocks and steps were slippery and in places there really was no foothold on dry ground, but I got through and remained surprisingly dry. Above the wall, the stream was still gushing down but at least it didn’t trouble me any more. I guessed that there would be more of this to come, but I was wrong. Yes, there were some very wet and boggy patches but where I had to cross streams, they were perfectly passable. In some ways, the narrow paths were the worst, as they were slippery and uneven. But, what does all this matter when you stop and take a look at what is around you. The light was stunning, giving me my own personal light show, as it lit up different sections of the countryside as I went past. Looking down at my feet, there were three varieties of fungus competing with the grasses, moss and ferns for space.
I arrived happily at the Sound, but didn’t stop until I reached the next headland, Spanish Head. The climb up wasn’t bad at all, the footholds not too muddy, but now the footpaths did become very muddy and awkward, with deep puddles that were unavoidable. And still, I had seen no-one to spoil my enjoyment of the countryside, and indeed this continued to be the case until I reached the Chasms Cafe (5 miles into the walk). People often walk from Cregneash and Port St Mary up to this very special place, so it was unsurprising that I met two couples at this point. I sat in the shelter and had my coffee. Looking out to sea I could just see Anglesey in the distance. The routes down from here have lovely views of the south from Port St Mary to Castletown and beyond, but the walking is not comparable with the terrain I had just been walking on. Given that I have a jippy left knee and sciatica in my right leg, I thought enough was enough and there really was not a lot to gain by continuing on past Port St Mary. I could have shortened the route home by going up through Glen Chass or across the golf course, but I satisfied myself that I wanted to see the village and then take the back route home.
Total distance: 8.5 miles; 1352 ft of ascent; 1434 ft descent.
I have such a lot of nice photos from this walk, I have created a slide show for you. I had intended to edit a couple of them, but my computer won’t let me, so you have the raw versions.
My left knee pain seems to have resolved itself, but if anyone has any home remedies for sciatica, which has been plaguing me for a week now, do let me know!
It seems a long time since I posted here! I don’t know what it’s been like where you live, but we seem to have had constant rain since July here on the Isle of Man, with only brief respites in between deluges. When we do have nice days, and they do occur sometimes, I am usually busy working. So, it was a delight to get out and up to Ramsey to do a recce of a very short morning route I am leading in 10 days.
This 2 mile stroll is our build-up for our U3A Walking Group’s Christmas meal. We are having an afternoon walk later after our slap-up meal. Indeed, this will be my last walk for the U3A as leader and organiser of this group as I have decided to stand down. Parking at Milntown, it is easy to cross over the road and walk down Gardener’s Lane before turning onto the old railway track and heading east towards Ramsey. In the past, this must have been an attractive stroll, but the first half of it goes between newly constructed houses, and it is only when it reaches the outskirts of Poyll Dooey that the old track regains nature on either side of the path. The walk starts at the very end of the track, where it joins a road where you can see the river on the left. The views of the river are beautiful in both directions. It is a tidal river, constantly bringing crustaceans and worms into the mudflats that are exposed at low tide. The mudflats then turn into a salt marsh, an unique specialised environment that allows grasses and herbs to grow that cannot grow elsewhere. This in turn encourages a variety of wildlife that can feed off this specialised turf and soils. It is also beautiful, and unexpected being so close to the town.
There is a variety of paths through the Nature Reserve, which is a recent creation. It was formerly an old tip, as recently as 1988. It just shows what can be done with a bit of imagination and dedication. It is a small area of only 12 acres but it packs plenty into it. The woodland is still quite scrubby, with the exception of the Secret Garden area that has been specifically planted with a variety of trees. Some parts are protected and therefore inaccessible; imagine, if you were to come back in 50 years I think this will be a very special place.
I followed narrow footpaths over the salt marsh so that I could follow the river as much as possible. Please try and avoid walking all over it and keep to the side as much as possible. Dogs are allowed, but better not to let them dig up the area. There is plenty of room for them to be off the leash in the woods themselves. It is not long before it is necessary to go into the woods and you will find yourself at the wooden footbridge, where there is usually a mass of ducks, geese, swans and the like. Today, they sounded just like a load of girls giggling in the playground. They were very funny. In the sheltered areas, especially in winter, you may be lucky enough to spot a kingfisher, a species which is declining on the Isle of Man, so if you do see one, please let the Bird Club know.
Crossing over the bridge you can walk a short distance westwards to admire the river and distant views; the river may contain trout and salmon as well as all the bird life. Further along is a mass of reeds, where I imagine birds nest or gather material for nests. It is not possible to go further in this direction but it is still worth a look before retracing your steps over the bridge.
It is possible to take a different route back to the start through the woods, going past the impressive 6 bedroomed Poyll Dooey House. This is entirely surrounded and hidden by the nature reserve, and part of the house goes back to the 17th century. If you do an online search you will find photos of the interior and exterior on the deanwood.im website. How the other half live… These buildings comprised one of the original quarterland farmhouses – a quarterland being a unit of farmland, usually arable land. Its boundaries would have extended all the way to the Ramsey to Ballaugh road in ages past.
From here, it is simply a matter of following any path; you cannot go wrong. They all take you back to the railway track one way or another. It is worth visiting this area during the different seasons and noting down what different birds you see and hear, and perhaps bring a picnic in the summer months. And don’t forget to visit Milntown itself – the house and gardens are open most of the year and they serve great lunches and afternoon teas, and the gardens are a delight.
Ever a favourite of mine, I never tire of walking up South Barrule. This is really my first venture out since Covid, and I am still struggling a little with chest and sinus problems but I am over the worst. This is a walk I am leading on November 6th for the IOM U3A and looking at the forecast for the next 10 days that expects nothing but rain every day I had to take advantage of a gloriously sunny and relatively warm day to get out and do my recce.
I parked at South Barrule plantation, by the Coffee Cottage, a cafe that is open every day. The car park was very busy with horses and trailers, but I managed to find a spot. The walk starts directly south from the car park. There are numerous tracks through the plantation, so it is important to start on the right one! At the start there is a junction of tracks and you need the track to the right leading uphill; it turns left after a short distance. From there, you follow your nose for some time, keeping right at any junctions, and not veering onto any lesser obvious paths at this stage. The track was quite wet in places, not surprising after all the heavy rain of late, but it is a good wide track, which means you can have a good natter as you are walking along. Continuing on, you will reach a point where the track goes clearly downhill. You can go this way, but I prefer to take the right fork, still a good track, that keeps you higher up and avoids going downhill to go back uphill again. From here you will contour round the southern edge of South Barrule with super views of the south as it all opens up and there are fewer trees. There is also a map board just where the land open up more, which will confirm you are on the right track.
The main path continues on until you join the Bayr Nr Skeddan path. My walk eventally does go off on a side track which then turns into a footpath. This was very wet and muddy today, and if you prefer, you can stay on the main track until you hit the Whisky Run (Bayr ny Skeddan) lower down. My route is more interesting and you remain high up and come very close to where you start the ascent of South Barrule itself. I found that I soon forgot about all the mud as I entered the moorland. The views to the west and south are amazing; you can see the Langness, Castletown, Calf of Man, Cronk Ny Arrey Laa, the Rushen Valley (another of my favourites), Peel and further north all the time you climb up the mountain. I should know by now, having climbed this many, many times, that when you reach the top, you get another surprise as the northern hills come into sight in a spectacular and unexpected way. Maybe I forget because quite often the weather isn’t good enough to see them!
If you haven’t been up South Barrule before, it’s worth taking your time to look for the “Round Table” – nothing to do with King Arthur but a 3500 year old Bronze Age burial mound with its head chopped off. This is a heather covered mound to the left as you start up South Barrule. You can walk around the perimeter of the ancient iron age fort, 22000 sq ft in size, which contains many of the original stones – but imagine it considerably higher. How impressive would that have been. Equally, there are granite stones scattered around, which would have been brought here from one of few areas that contain granite on the island, probably Foxdale in this instance. There are also depressions in the ground, sometimes filled with water, the remnants of roundhouses, where people lived around 500BC. Culture Vannin has an aerial view of the top of the South Barrule, if you look here:
Having taken time to enjoy the view and take in its history, we now start the gentle descent, beginning on a clear path northwards. This gets narrower and narrower until eventually, as we have to negotiate a path back to South Barrule plantation, we will be walking on a map bearing and walking over peat, grass and heather (not much gorse here) for about 15 minutes until we reach the boundary fence of the plantation beside the quarry. If you are walking without a compass, you will need good visibility. There is a small mound beside the quarry on the left, and the trees begin just to the right. There is also a sign clearly visible, so head in that direction. There is a rickety stile just to the right of the quarry before the land rises to the right, and the lone tree is a good marker.
Crossing the stile, this leads to the quarry tracks. It is worth a quick detour to have a look at the quarry area itself to see how large it is, then returning to your path, you will see an imposing mound of logs, even larger than when I last went. There is a track leading from these to the right; start to take that track but turn immediately left down a grassy, stony and possibly wet track. Another path will come in from the left, which you ignore. Just a few yards down the track after this junction keep left on the high ground and you will see that a dry path then detours down into the plantation. This is a delightful little path and you can hear the water cascading down the hillside in a mini waterfall, and the area is green and pleasant. It finishes right in front of the Coffee Cottage, so why not stop and have a coffee? To get back to the car park, whilst still in the forest take the footpath on the right through ‘Go Ape” and it brings you out where you started (alternatively walk along the road).
This is a fairly gently walk. The early part through the plantation is mostly flat with a few yards of gentle uphill here and there. The bulk of the ascent is the climb of South Barrule itself, but it is not especially strenuous and it is a fairly short distance to the top; it will take you no more than 30 mins to reach the summit. It is grassy and there are no really steep parts.
Distance: about 5 miles; Ascent total 1040 ft; descent 1079 ft. If you take the lower track avoiding the muddy footpath, this will add another half mile or so on to the walk and about 100-200ft more ascent.
You know how writers and walkers all say that no two days are the same at the same location, well this is certainly true of this walk. Last week I was here with my grand-daughter, Emily, and the tide was satisfyingly in; yesterday, the tide was interestingly out, carving out a completely different landscape.
I was doing a recce for a walk from Castletown. If this is a walk you are planning to do, don’t take your car into the main streets and car parks of Castletown as there is only 2 hr parking. Instead, take the road to Derbyhaven and park either along the prom, or in one of the free car parks on just the other side of Hango Hill (above), opposite King William’s College. I had taken the train, so was walking from the station. However, I would recommend this walk to start at the first car park after Hango Hill. It is only a short distance back to explore this ancient monument before retracing your steps to start the walk.
As you can see from the photographs, if the tide is out, you can walk along the beach. Even so, there is a grassy footpath from the car park which is good to follow. It bypasses Derbyhaven and the start of the golf course, making a more interesting start to the walk. There are a few pebbles on the path as these are constantly thrown up by the sea, but it is easy walking. Eventually you reach the small lane and you are obliged to walk along this most of its way, but no more than half a mile or so. It is very quiet and there is lots of vegetation, birds and butterflies to look out for. You will pass the stone bird water trough commemorating one of the island’s principal ornithologists and you will very likely see Egrets or Herons perching on the rocks around here.
A little further along is the main car park for Langness and it is here where you enter the reserve itself, the paths taking you round the very tip of Langness. To your right, you will see strange rocks of conglomerate, arches looking as if they will collapse at any moment and notice areas of unconformity where millenia of rocks have miraculously disappeared. I am no geologist, but this area is described in many of our local books if you wish to find out more. If you are feeling adventurous you can scramble about on the rocks to the west as they dip and turn, but take care, not just of your footing, but make sure that you don’t get cut off by the tide, unless you want to join the shags and cormorants on the very last morsel of rock remaining at high tide!
Tide inTide outFun on the rocks
The path takes you around the lighthouse, where you can take a look at the old foghorn. This is the most southerly point on Langness. It is a good stopping point for lunch, which is exactly what I did yesterday. As I sat muching away I heard the lamenting sound of a seal and got out my opera glasses (yes I know, proper binoculars would be so much better, but these fit into a side pocket). There they were, some lumbering about on the rocks, others swimming in the sea. As I continued on the eastern side of Langness there were even more seals. They do seem very big this year.
Most southerly pointLangness LighthouseHerring Tower
The eastern side has a different feel to the western side. The terrain is soft underfoot with more varied rocks landward and more gullies with sharp upright rocks on the seaward side. There is gorse and heather setting off the herring tower, and as you walk the mile or so towards the golf clubhouse you get amazing views of the range of hills all the way from Bradda Head to North Barrule. The path eventually goes onto the golf course itself, so keep towards the edge. There is plenty of room to walk beside the course rather than on it. However, to get to the clubhouse you do need to cross it for about 50 yards, so watch out for flying balls.
The golf club welcome visitors and the food is always tremendous so don’t be shy about calling in. The rest of the walk takes you around the glorious bay of Derbyhaven and then back along the road for about half a mile to the car park. There are few places like this on our island, and I thoroughly recommend it for a morning walk, a lunchtime walk, or an afternoon walk. Keep in mind, it can be very blowy as it is mostly flat with just a few humps and hollows. You will also be walking in a southerly direction so the sun can be a problem on the odd occasion it shows itself.
The total length of the walk from the Hango Hill car park is about 5 miles.
This is one of my favourite walks. It has such variety and breath-taking views. We began by walking through the Kerroodhoo plantation, which is a very pleasant path, keeping ourselves in the dappled shade as we made our way downhill. There were a couple of obstacles, such as steeply dropping paths and streams to cross but nothing too daunting. Towards the bottom end of the plantation a new woodland of deciduous trees is being created whilst the everygreen Norway Spruces are being removed as part of a community measure to improve the environment. The idea is to create more diversity and provide better habitats for three b’s – birds, bees and butterflies. New trees being planted include Birch, Oak, Alder, Hazel and Ash, all native trees that have been grown locally. It will be interesting to watch this develop in future years.
Reaching Barrane and its chattering ford, we soon found ourselves crossing over meadows strewn with flowers to greet the footpath on the coast above Whitesands. Niarbyl lies in the distance and the white cafe stands aloft, although it has been closed as a cafe for a while and no-one knows when it is to reopen. The path southwards is not seemingly part of the coastal footpath route but is perfectly accessible and provides a super lunch spot where you can sit on rocks, watch the butterflies and listen to the birds circling overhead, all the time gazing wistfully into the distance at the towering cliffs of the southwestern part of the island.
After lunch we followed a grassy but uneven track with overgrown bracken for the next mile of so. In places, it is a little exposed as the cliffs fall away into the sea. We met a lady and her dog from Arnside who had never visited the island but was now smitten by it, as we all are. It was a little tricky crossing the swollen stream at Glion Mooar, and then we had our main uphill section of 300ft or so. We took it steadily, stopping to look at the wild flowers, or to admire the beautiful common blue butterflies that were darting here and there, or just stopping when we wanted a rest.
When we reached Eary Cushlin house a few of us were pleased to remove ourselves from that environment as we were being bitten by midges and such like. It was then a flat walk along the track back to the cars, but not before we stopped to admire the glorious heather on the Dalby Nature Reserve. We had had a wonderful day and enjoyed each other’s company. Distance: 4.25 miles, 935ft of ascent and descent.
I ventured out on the first sunny day I could find to do a short recce of an optional extra I was intending to offer on our next U3A walk. Lag Ny Keeilley, the home of a long gone hermit was my destination, and I was starting from the ‘car park’ at Cronk Ny Arrey Laa. I don’t propose to give you a full breakdown of this walk as I shall write it up another time, with a better map and possibly an alternative end-section, but most of this walk is absolutely stunning, especially if you did it as I did, first thing in the morning, before other people have got out of bed.
Having said that, as I started walking down the lane, I bumped into a man with his grandson picking bilberries. There are heaps of bilberries on this island. I did pick a few myself just to check what they were like. I walked down until I reached the footpath sign leading into the Dalby Nature Reserve, only I turned left instead up and over a stile onto the moorland on the lower edge of Cronk Ny Arrey Laa. The light was wonderful and the wild flowers were in abundance, making this a joyous walk. I walked alongside the wall, slightly uphill, until I reached the path leading down from Cronk Ny Arrey Laa, and followed that to Eary Cushlin. This path is becoming worn in places so do take care.
The path to Lag ny Keilley goes to the left in a southerly direction skirting along the bottom seaward edge of Cronk Ny Arrey Laa. Ignore the footpath sign to the right unless you want to visit the waterfall and have a steep climb back up the hill! Our path continues for about 3/4 mile hugging the coastline. It is not particularly exposed but neither is it a particularly easy path. You need to be sure-footed as it is uneven in a number of places and there are gaps in the path on the seaward side, so you may lose your poles if you are not careful. But, it is passable with care, and if you do trip you will get a soft landing :-). It is also very wet in places, made worse by the constant rain we have had recently. There is a bench if you want to stop and enjoy the views, which are spectacular. I sent a Whatsapp to my children with a couple of photos, saying that people go on holiday to get views like these, and here they are on my doorstep.
There is also one rather large boulder you have to navigate, but otherwise it is a narrow packhorse track, going steadily downhill. Before you reach Lag Ny Keeilley, look out for the Holy Well, which no doubt kept the hermit going with a constant supply of fresh water. I didn’t go down to the site itself, but I did take a photo. It looks rather uninspiring from a distance, but it is interesting when you get there, and imagine the life that was lived here, and the visitors it has seen. You can learn more about the site here : https://culturevannin.im/exploremore/places/lag-ny-keeilley-717214/ and here: http://early-med.archeurope.com/british-isles/the-celtic-church/lag-ny-keeilley/
It is a steady climb back to Eary Cushlin. The remaining section is on a stony road up the hill. Altogether this was a 4 mile walk, with 1000ft of ascent, which completely surprises me. I have checked the ascent on a couple of maps and it appears to be correct, but it is not at all difficult.
I shall not include this on my next U3A walk but instead I shall offer it as a separate walk sometime in the future, and maybe include Dalby Nature Reserve which will make it an even more interesting walk.
Below are some examples of the uneven path:
Update: Monday 7th August – found a tick embedded in my leg this morning, despite being fully covered from head to foot during yesterday’s walk. Am awaiting advice from dr as previously I became very ill following a tick bite. So, do be careful if out around bracken this summer. These tiny pesky creatures sit atop grasses and such like looking for passing prey. If you do find one on you, use a tick remover and seek advice sooner rather than later.
I have walked this route many times before, but not usually in this direction. It is so convenient to get the steam train from Port Erin to Port Soderick and walk into Douglas from there. I found this alternative route very pleasing and in many ways it affords better views walking from North to South and then back to Douglas.
I commenced the walk at the Arch on Marine Drive. If you are visiting /using a car, there is plenty of free parking just the other side of this arch. Before that, parking is limited to 2 hours on the road. The first section is about 3 miles, along an old road so very easy walking, or also suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs. You get fantastic views of the twisty rock formations and in places you can divert from the road onto grassy areas where you can rest awhile and look at the views or try to catch a glimpse of a passing porpoise (they are quite common here). On a good day you can see all the way down to the Langness peninsula.
Marine Drive stops just short of Port Soderick, and there is a lovely stopping point overlooking the bay if you have time to stand and stare (or eat your packed lunch). There are choices just beyond this point. Port Soderick Glen is very short but always lovely, and new paths have been created, so it is worth a walk down to the bay and up the Glen. You can then either retrace your steps to the top road or continue westwards on the road and catch the steam train back to Douglas.
The route I was doing fell short of this latter option, and I did not venture down to the beach but instead hiked up a grassy track that leads over the track of the steam train and follows alongside it to the village of Port Soderick. Here you get completely different views, with glimpses of the northern views and hay-stacked fields or simple grass meadows. As a bonus, you may well meet some donkeys who will be keen to say ‘hello’, but please do not feed them as they are on a special diet.
This path terminates at the old Castletown road, where we turn left and walk from a short distance a little uphill until we cross the road and take an unmarked footpath (it is on the map though) to another footpath junction. This is a delightful tree-lined path all the way downhill, and as you walk it you feel the centuries of feet that have trodden this route before. It leads to the real Fairy Bridge, which is slightly off the path. Once you have gone over the footbridge over the tiny ford, take a left immediately into the woods and follow the informal track and you will soon spot the bridge. But don’t stop there. It is interesting in itself, but take time to go over the top and down the other side. There is an area like a platform nestling beside the stream, which is relatively wide at this point, and you really do get a sense of fairies dancing in the shrubbery.
Back on the main track, this continues all the way to the main road. There is no way of avoiding this, but it is only necessary to walk on for a short distance before we turn off and walk alongside Middle river. I just love this tiny, unexpected area of wilderness. It is sandwiched between Pulrose Golf Club and a set of unattractive warehouses on an industrial estate, but these are totally masked by trees and shrubbery. At the end of this section, you do have to walk for about 50 yds through this industrial estate before turning right on the Nunnery footpath, another gem you don’t expect in an industrial setting. This follows beside the main Douglas river and you may be lucky enough to see a steam train go overhead or a kingfisher darting about the river.
The last section is unavoidable road walking into Douglas, but it is not altogether unattractive, and just a little further along, you arrive at the Marina. There are plenty of cafes along the side of the marina where you can take a rest before the final short uphill section back to the car. This, too, has its rewards as Douglas Head has amazing views of Douglas and the northern hills. On the way there, you may be fortunate as I was today to see the new boat, the Manxman, in the harbour. I can’t wait to have a ride on that massive beast 🙂
Total distance: 8 miles, but with shorter options at various places. Total ascent: 564 ft; total descent 814 ft
Walking with Gill 