Port Erin to Peel

Friday 25th April 2025

I was not feeling great at the start of this day and the weather had deteriorated in sympathy with light rain falling as I made my way through the streets of Douglas on the Isle of Man and caught a bus to take me to Port Erin where I had been the day before walking along the coastal path, Raad ny Foillan. My plan was to continue along that path on the most strenuous section even though I wasn’t feeling great, so I first reversed my steps of the day before and soon I rejoined the coastal path on a road that descends to the deserted Fleshwick Bay where I found a path that climbs steeply up the hill while behind me were misty views back over Port Erin and towards the Calf of Man. The terrain was heather moorland, which will be spectacular in August when the heather is in bloom, but was not at its best in this murky weather in April. The rain had eased but the same cold, easterly wind that had plagued me all week continued to blow while the path was so narrow I felt like I was walking on a tightrope, constantly crossing my legs in front of each other with every step, which wasn’t helping my knee pain that had appeared the day before. Eventually I reached the top of Lhiattee ny Beinnee and descended the other side to reach a road where a car park provided me with a place to stop and have an early lunch.

My progress slowly continued in the misty weather conditions past Burro Meanagh and up to Cronk ny Arrey Laa, which is the highest point on the Raad ny Foillan coastal footpath and why this is considered to be the most strenuous section, though it was not particularly difficult for me, even in this weather. With these strong winds, the top of the hill felt a bit like a mountain, but it is nowhere near as high. A path heads west towards the coast from the large summit cairn and trig point that took me past a memorial, but soon came to nothing, forcing me to retrace my steps past the cairn and onto a path that initially led me down north east before bending right to slowly descend all the way down to the coast. Eventually I crossed a stream where wild flowers reminded me that throughout my crossing of these two hills I had seen little variety in the moorland vegetation, so they were a welcome change. The terrain was now more interesting as the weather improved with the hazy views on the hilltops now replaced with stunning views along the coast under brightening skies. With Niarbyl Bay ahead of me I slowly began to enjoy this walk as I made my way across the slopes and down to Creggan Mooar where the sun briefly came out.

All too soon I reached a road where I turned inland and away from the beautiful coastline while the sun also disappeared, never to be seen again by me on the Isle of Man. The road brought me into the village of Dalby on the A27 road where my route continued beside the main road north until I reached Ballachrink where the trail descends to the coast, bypassing Glen Maye, but I hated to miss out on this valley so I stayed on the road until I reached the village where I could turn down into the valley. This was a delightful place overflowing with wild garlic, but I soon realised I was heading upstream rather than down so I retraced my steps and after some confusion I eventually found the right path that led me down into the stunning ravine where a small waterfall rewarded me for my efforts. Excellent paths provided me with amazing access through this beautiful narrow valley until I reached a sign that indicated the Raad ny Foillan coastal path does actually go through this valley. I eventually realised that the trail ascends through Glen Maye and then returns to the coast high above the northern side of the glen. Even though the lower part of the glen was less appealing for me, because of a lack of trees, it was still a fabulous place to walk through and soon led me to the coast where I had to climb ridiculously steeply up the cliff face until I reached the path on the northern side of the glen and back on the route of the Raad ny Foillan. Lesson learnt and if I ever do this path again I will know which way to go.

Beyond there I followed the path which hugged the coastline above precipitous cliffs and was a pleasure to walk along, so it was a pity the weather had deteriorated. With spectacular views before me towards Corrin’s Tower and behind me along the craggy coast, the sensational path led me around the many secluded bays and inlets before finally taking me around Peel Hill and down into the town which had lain hidden behind the hill. My first view of Peel was not pleasant being of the industrial west end dominated by the power station, but soon the rest of the town emerged and I descended through woodland to the river and into Peel where I caught a bus back to Douglas. This was another odd walk with the first half over the hills being rather dull in the misty weather, but it improved with the weather as I came back down to the coast, including that amazing moment when the sun came out. The following day the weather was even worse and since I needed to catch the ferry in the afternoon I decided to travel on the steam train again and not do any walking. In Port Erin I had a look around the railway museum and then caught the train back to Douglas before catching the ferry home. This was an amazing week with the highlight being the abundance of wild flowers that I saw everywhere, particularly wild garlic and bluebells thanks to the warm spring that had brought them to flower several weeks early so I could enjoy them during a late Easter. This was a fabulous week and with so many things to see and do on the Isle of Man I need to come back again so I can take in the many places I didn’t have time for.

Port St Mary to Port Erin

Thursday 24th April 2025

With a sense of déjà vu, I made my way back through the streets of Douglas on the Isle of Man, to the railway station where the day before I had been told that no trains were running. Fortunately, they were on this day and I got onto the packed train, getting off at Port St Mary and immediately I noticed that it was very cold due to a strong wind that would come to dominate this walk. By this time most of the morning had already gone as the train had not left Douglas until halfway through the morning, but I didn’t let that worry me and joining the Raad ny Foillan, I made my way through the town along the coastal path, though I had some difficulty following the poorly signposted trail through the built-up area. Views across Port St Mary Bay teased me about the section of coastal footpath that I had skipped since previously following the trail to Castletown, but there was nothing really spectacular about it since the underlying rock in that part of the Isle of Man is limestone. I’m sure it would have been an interesting walk upon closer inspection, but with a limited time on the island I needed to prioritise where I was walking. For this day I was heading to the south west corner of the Isle of Man where the dramatic coastline that I had seen earlier in the week continued, starting with an exploration of the scenery around Kallow Head and Perwick Bay before a stretch of inland road walking led me back to the coast. 

I had now reached the Chasms, which is an area where landslides have exposed some very deep fissures in the rock that were fascinating to explore and peer into the dark crevices while being careful to not get too close to the edge. Eventually I emerged safely from the Chasms and returned to the coastal footpath which led me a bit further inland, around Bay Stacka, where I stopped for something to eat. Afterwards, I made my way around Black Head and Spanish Head where, on turning north, I was hit by the full force of the cold winds as I headed uphill passing a cairn before finally beginning to descend steeply, sheltered from the winds and with the island, Calf of Man, now in view across the Calf Sound. After my lonely walk from Port St Mary, I felt rudely interrupted by the sudden intrusion of a large number of people wandering around the car park and outside the visitor centre at the far south western corner of the Isle of Man, so I dashed past as quickly as possible to get away from them and continued along the coastal path. I planned to catch the train back to Douglas that left Port Erin at four o’clock, so I was keeping an eye on my projected arrival time, but the rough terrain so far had put that back and soon I would be projected to miss my train so I quickened my pace despite the dramatic scenery around me, which clearly warranted my lingering and spending more time to take in the gloriously rocky terrain. 

Eventually I decided I was wasting my efforts and reined in my mad dash to take a more leisurely pace and enjoy the walk, despite the strong head wind. However, since I was now walking on grass, without even trying I was able to maintain a brisk pace that soon saw me gain on my projected arrival time. The path led me along the dramatic coastline with tantalising views ahead of Milner’s Tower, which sits on Bradda Head across Port Erin Bay and eventually I began to descend finally reaching the road that encircles the bay and the sandy beach at Port Erin. A complex network of paths crisscross the northern slopes of the bay, but many of them were closed, which I found disappointing as it reveals that they were not being properly maintained and I was unable to determine which paths carried the coastal footpath. Some of the paths were lined with abundant displays of wildflowers that had me mesmerised even though those paths were dead ends, which was also frustrating as I was short of time. Eventually I began to ascend steeply towards Bradda Head and the tower which had been in my sight for the last hour. Since I was still trying to catch that train at four o’clock, I didn’t divert to the foot of Milner’s Tower but kept to the path that follows the coast slowly climbing to the top of Bradda Hill.

The strong wind continued to push me back as I slowly pushed on up the hill along the path that clings to the edge of steep cliffs that fall precipitously down to the sea far below. I was thankful when I finally reached the top of the hill, but I didn’t stop and quickly made my way down the increasingly steep path on the other side, which was a challenge for my aging knees. For some reason, on this walk my knees had begun to hurt, despite not doing so earlier in the week while on the Isle of Man. I was relieved when the gradient eased and I was able to follow an easy path that heads south back to Port Erin where I reached the station in plenty of time to catch the train. This was a funny walk that was restricted by the railway timetable and challenged by painful knees, a varied path and concerns about getting back to Port Erin in time to catch the train. Perhaps I would have appreciated it more if I had caught an earlier bus to provide me with enough time to take a leisurely walk and enjoy the stunning surroundings that I was often in too much of a hurry to appreciate.

Dhoon Glen and Ballaglass Glen

Wednesday 23rd April 2025

At the start of another day of good weather on the Isle of Man I made my way through the streets of Douglas to the railway station where I hoped to catch the steam train south, however when I got there I was informed that the trains were not running that day. It was clearly displayed on the timetable but I hadn’t noticed, so I changed my plans and caught a bus heading north getting off at Dhoon Glen. I had decided that my primary goal while on the Isle of Man was to visit the wooded valleys that the island has in abundance and so if I couldn’t visit the ones to the south then I would look north and soon I was walking through gorgeous woodland underneath a vibrant fresh growth of leaves, but then I was stopped by a closed footpath. I had come across this problem on my walk the day before in Molly Quirk’s Glen and so, not wanting to cross the barrier, I turned right climbing up onto a path that skirts around the edge of the glen, slowly heading towards the coast with views across the trees to my left before finally I descended steeply to the coast at Dhoon Bay where I now had views of the craggy hillsides that fall precipitously down to the sea either side of the beach. I fully expected to have to come back the way I’d come, but the path that follows the stream back up the glen seemed to be open, no barrier was blocking my way, so I headed back along the bottom of the valley.

 

 

A dramatic path took me up the glen, crossing the stream many times, while wood anemones and celandines decorated the floor and I had to duck underneath the occasional fallen tree. Eventually I reached a tall waterfall that was sadly greatly depleted in water due to the lack of rain this spring, though the moss lining the back of the falls was appealing. A large tree lay fallen at the base of the waterfall and storm damage could be seen in many places, though nothing so far to warrant the path closure. From the base of the falls I made my way along a path that climbs steeply up the hillside and soon I came across a tree stump that had fallen across the path, completing blocking it and was definitely the main reason why the path that had been closed. Carefully, I made my way precipitously around the blockage and continued along the path passing the stone housing for a giant waterwheel and another fallen tree stump, though nowhere near as difficult to go around and finally returned to the barrier that had blocked my way earlier, but now I was on the other side. I don’t know when this storm damage was done but it was frustrating that nothing had seemingly been done to clear it. 

 

 

On emerging from the glen I joined the route of the Raad ny Foillan coastal footpath on a minor road and soon came across a closed road due to tree work, so I turned around and headed to the Glen Mona Hotel where a footpath took me down to the road on the other side of the closure and through Glen Mona. The road was too heavily enclosed with trees to provide me with a view of the valley so I just continued along the peaceful lane until I reached the car park at the end, at Port Cornaa, where I found a beautiful, tranquil spot, free of worries or people that provided me with a place to unwind, basking in the sunshine while having my lunch. I was reluctant to leave this beautiful valley where many wild flowers decorated the floor, but eventually I followed a track that gradually climbed the side of the valley until I reached the village of Cornaa where I left the coastal path and entered Ballaglass Glen, which was an utter delight. Rocks dominated the valley while excellent footpaths lined both sides of the stream providing ease of access to enjoy the whole place and leaving me in a daze as to which path to take and whether to run around on all of them like a little child. I was enthralled by the sight of it all, loving every moment, but all too soon I reached the top where a halt on the tramway is situated with a tram scheduled to soon arrive.

 

 

I had nothing else planned for this day so I made a quick decision to get off the tram at South Cape, near Laxey, and follow the coastal footpath south, which soon brought me onto Laxey Beach. It was lovely to walk across the sand, but all too soon I had to climb back off and, although there is a path, it is difficult to find and I couldn’t find it until after I had climbed up the rocks. This brought me onto the busy main road where a hair-raising walk eventually brought me to the outskirts of Bladrine and a path that led me down to Garwick Bay. The subsequent walk back up Garwick Glen was too short to compensate and from then the Raad ny Foillan took a tedious course inland until it eventually reached Groudle Glen, which I had visited the day before, and where I caught a final tram to take me back to Douglas and the waiting horse-driven tramway that I couldn’t resist riding. This was a great day that showed the Isle of Man, in my opinion, at its best from gorgeous wooded glens to tranquil, secluded bays. Sadly, it also showed some of the problems I had been encountering on the Isle of Man with closed paths and a coastal footpath that fails to keep to the coast. The highlight was the many wild flowers that I kept finding with so many bluebells that I was becoming blasé to them all and hardly noticing when even more cropped up. It was a shame I only had a week on the Isle of Man to enjoy it all.