What to do on the Isle of Man

What to do on the Isle of Man

This Crown Dependency with its dramatic coastline, mountains and eighteen national glens offers a fantastic mix of outdoor pursuits, stunning beaches and unique natural beauty. With a diverse variety of family attractions, an eclectic mix of sporting and cultural events and delicious local food there is plenty here for everyone, including four smaller islands to explore for the serious island bagger. Here are some of our favourite things to do in the Isle of Man.

Walk the Isle of Man Coast Path

Best glens and waterfalls in Isle of Man

Spectacular glens and waterfalls

There are eighteen mountain and coastal glens spread around the island. These havens of natural beauty and tranquillity are characterised by tumbling waterfalls, deep river pools and lush vegetation. Glen Maye, noted for its picturesque waterfall and fern-filled woodland, is one of the most beautiful. Located in the village of the same name about five kilometres south of Peel it can also be reached via the Raad ny Foillan.

One of the island’s most popular natural wonders is Spooyt Vane, a waterfall at the end of a gently babbling stream through Glen Mooar. Surrounded by ferns, moss and tall, old trees creating a leafy canopy above with ruins of an ancient chapel to explore, it can be found just south of Kirk Michael. Glen Helen, one of the island’s best-known glens, is on the western side of the Island, north of Ballacraine on the famous TT Course. It is a long, wooded valley with two waterfalls, the most dramatic is the Rhenass Waterfall, surrounded by sequoia, spruce, fir, oak, sycamore and beech trees.

There are plenty of paths and footbridges around the glen, making it an easy one to explore. One of the largest waterfalls on the island, Dhoon Glen’s ‘Big Girl’, is forty metres high and set over two levels in a secluded cove at the end of a steep valley. It is popular for its amazing rugged beauty, which also makes it one of the tougher glens to explore as some of the paths are rough or involve steep climbs. There is only one glen in the mountainous centre of the island, Tholt-e-Will Glen, nestled between Snaefell and Sulby Reservoir; its steep-sided valley follows the meanders of a mountain stream.

On the east coast Ballaglass Glen, just to the north of Laxey, is a good one for children. A sculpture depicting a wise old man, who is known as the Wizard of Mann, as well as the miniature fairy house and access to the glen on the Manx Electric Railway, makes for a fun visit. In the same vein, just north of Douglas and the first stop on the Manx Electric Railway, Groudle Glen is charming and the miniature Groudle Glen Railway is fun to ride.

For something completely different, The Chasms are a striking series of huge fissures cut deep into the cliffs along the island’s south-east coast near the village of Cregneash and can be reached via the Raad ny Foillan from near Port St Mary. For the adventurous, local companies offer gorge scrambling to get more of an adrenaline fix from these natural wonders. www.gov.im/categories/leisure-and-entertainment/walking/national-glens

Ayres National Nature Reserve

This vast expanse of shingle beach and sand dunes on the north-west coast from Smeale Beach to the Point of Ayre Lighthouse, the northern point of the Isle of Man, is a wonderful place to walk, watch gannets, seals and porpoises. There’s a small visitor centre with a car park in the middle of the reserve with three marked nature trails that wind through the marram dunes and on to the heath with its extensive lichen flora to discover.

www.mwt.im/nature-reserves/ayres-visitor-centre-and-nature-trail  

Explore Niarbyl Fault

The Niarbyl Fault is an exposed section of the Iapetus Suture, a fault caused by the collision of two ancient tectonic plates – Avalonia on which present-day England is located and Laurentia which contains North America and parts of Scotland – that extends across the Irish Sea. The fault is visible close to the shoreline downhill from the Niarbyl Cafe and Visitor Centre in Niarbyl; you can place each foot on different rocks derived from two separate continents. The area also offers a hidden bay and dramatic coastal path with views across to the Mountains of Mourne in Ireland on a clear day and along the Manx coastline to the Calf of Man. One of the fishermen’s cottages here was used as Ned Devine’s cottage in the 1998 film Waking Ned.

Discover Douglas

The pretty capital of this tiny island nation sits on the shore of a beautiful bay into which the River Douglas flows. It is an easy town to walk around, including a three-kilometre promenade with excellent views of the harbour, bay and the Tower of Refuge on its tiny island. Attractive buildings line the streets, such as the Legislative Building, home of the Manx parliament, and the Villa Marina and Gardens, which hosts regular outdoor concerts. The Royal Hall and the excellent Gaiety Theatre are great venues for operas, shows and music. Some of the very best views on the Isle of Man can be enjoyed from Douglas Head, a rocky outcrop overlooking Douglas Harbour and accessible through the ornate gate of historic Marine Drive. Here you’ll also find the famous Great Union Camera Obscura, which uses natural light and a series of mirrors to project images of the surrounding area on to the darkened building’s walls to stunning effect. The Douglas Head Lighthouse, built in 1857, is a significant landmark on this headland and easily accessible by a public footpath. Other notable landmarks include the William Hillary Statue, a tribute to the founder of the RNLI and a long-time resident of the island. There is a wide range of other tourist attractions from horse-drawn trams and Victorian steam train journeys between Douglas and Port Erin, to great pubs, restaurants and cafes to sample the local food.

Port Erin

The picturesque resort town of Port Erin lies at the head of a deep bay in the shadow of 116-metre-tall Bradda Head. It’s the terminus of the Isle of Man Railway from Douglas. The coast here is a great place to walk with some of the island’s wildest scenery. The sandy beach within the harbour, lovely parks and gardens, cafes and restaurants and watching the spectacular sunset over Port Erin Bay make it a popular destination with locals and visitors alike. Look out for the commemorative plaque to Fletcher Christian, who instigated the famous mutiny on the Bounty. To the north of the bay, there are walks from Bradda Glen along the coast path to Milner’s Tower, atop of Bradda Head, for incredible panoramic views across to the Calf of Man.

Snaefell and the mountain railway

Snaefell is the island’s highest mountain at 621 metres above sea level. On a clear day from its summit you can see the so-called ‘Seven Kingdoms of Man’ – the Isle of Man, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Heaven and Manannán (the sea). Using the clear footpath from the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road, the summit can be reached in around forty-five minutes. The seasonal Snaefell Mountain Railway offers an easier route. This Victorian-era electric train departs from Laxey reaches the summit in about thirty minutes. The Snaefell Summit Restaurant offers stunning views at the top.

www.manxelectricrailway.co.uk/snaefell

Watch the world’s best motorbike race

The Isle of Man TT Races are the reason this island is famous worldwide. The annual motorcycle festival is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world, with over two hundred and fifty rider fatalities since the early twentieth century. It brings huge tourism to the island for two weeks in May and June every year along with funfairs, beer tents and an electric atmosphere. The race is run on a time-trial format on public roads and consists of one week of practice sessions, followed by one week of racing. It has been a tradition for spectators to tour the sixty-one-kilometre TT Course which climbs to a height of almost four hundred metres and traverses over two hundred bends on motorcycles during ‘Mad Sunday’, an informal and unofficial sanctioned event held on the Sunday between practice week and race week. The current lap record has an average speed of 217.989 kilometres per hour.

www.iomtt.com

Isle of Man TT Race

World Tin Bath Championships

Every July in the World Tin Bath Championships, over one hundred competitors race around a 400-metre course in Castletown’s Middle Harbour in ‘strictly regulated’ and sometimes less than seaworthy old tin baths. Competitors come from as far away as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and the USA to compete, often in fancy dress ranging from pirates, captains, ducks, gorillas and Vikings to nuns and American presidents. Organised by the Castletown Real Ale Drinkers Society the race was started in 1971 and all the money raised by the event goes to local charities. There are plenty of activities for spectators to have a good time too. www.facebook.com/WorldTinBathsChampionships

Crab sandwiches, ice cream and beaches of Peel

Peel’s golden and gently sloping sandy beach is set in a beautiful bay, bounded by Peel Castle and Peel Harbour on one side and red sandstone cliffs on the other. This north-west-facing beach has some spectacular sunsets over Ireland’s Mountains of Mourne. The hidden gem of the beautiful, pebbly Fenella Beach is just west of the road across to Peel Castle. Going to Peel isn’t just about beaches though and enjoying a crab sandwich or ice cream here epitomises summer on the Isle of Man for many locals. Peel is the island’s main fishing port, so the crab here doesn’t get much fresher. The ice cream from Davison’s Ice Cream Parlour includes all the usual delicious flavours along with the weird and wonderful. From iron brew and smarty pants to jellybean and blackcurrant and liquorice, they have thought of everything and are always experimenting with new flavours.

Isle of Man local food

Stargazing in the Isle of Man

Home to twenty-six UK Dark Sky Discovery Sites, the spectacularly starry skies of the Isle of Man are some of the darkest skies in Europe. One of the best places to stargaze is the small pebble beach at Port Soderick, south-west of Douglas. Another good spot is The Ayres at the northern tip of the island where, under the right conditions, it is also possible to see the northern lights. If the weather isn’t great an alternative is the planetarium in The Dome, Douglas. Now with state-of-the-art immersive digital media technology it was originally launched as a secret cinema and is located in the Nunnery Estate’s stables block.

Isle of Man dark skies

Spot basking sharks and dolphins in the Isle of Man

The Isle of Man is one of the best places in the British Isles to see basking sharks. From May until August these incredible marine animals can be seen feeding within one kilometre of the south and south-west coasts and can be spotted from many points on the island’s coast path. Also, keep an eye out for Risso’s dolphins with their distinctive blunt heads and white skin.www.manxbaskingsharkwatch.org

Isle of Man Basking shark spotting

Debate in the world’s oldest continuously running parliament

The Isle of Man has its own independent parliament; its members are elected to the House of Keys instead of the UK’s House of Commons. Their former meeting place, at Tynwald Hill, is on a hill thought to be made with soil from all of the Island’s seventeen ancient parishes. At the Old House of Keys in Castletown visitors can participate in a debate on the hot topics of the day. On Tynwald Day, the national day of the Isle of Man which falls sometime in early July, you can watch the formal ceremony on Tynwald Hill. The sitting includes the reading of the island’s new laws in both English and Manx and proceedings also include the chance for protesters to present petitions to the Lieutenant Governor. Based on Norse traditions, the event has been marked on the island for over one thousand years.

www.manxnationalheritage.im/our-sites/old-house-of-keys  

Sample the national dish

In 2018, Manx queenies were crowned as the Isle of Man’s new national dish following a public vote. The juicy, delicious queen scallop was a clear leader. In second place was chips, Manx cheese and gravy; then Manx kippers. Previously the traditional national dish was priddhas an’ herrin – a meal of boiled potatoes and steamed herring. There is plenty of other great local food and drinks to try including Isle of Man Creamery cheese and butter, Ramsey Bakery bread and the local Bushey’s ales – probably best supped in the Rover’s Return, an authentic Manx boozer in Douglas.

Explore the islands off the Isle of Man

There are several islands off the coast of the Isle of Man that can easily be explored.

St Michael’s Island

St Michael’s Island, or Fort Island, is worth the trip for its remote beauty and wildlife and to see one of the best viewpoints in the Isle of Man; the views extend across the bay to Derbyhaven, along the coastline to Santon Head and west across the island to Bradda Head. The ruins of two ancient buildings here are also fascinating to observe.

The older building is a stone-built, Norse-Celtic chapel, dedicated to St Michael and dating from around the twelfth century. It is now roofless and consists of just four walls and a bell turret. The other building is a fort that dates from 1645 and was built during the English Civil War to defend Derbyhaven, which was then a major port, from the forces of the Parliamentarians. Towards the end of the eighteenth century the fort served as a lighthouse.

The island is the site of two great battles for the control of the Isle of Man in 1250 and 1275, when England, Scotland and the Manx were fighting for control of the island. The Manx won the first battle, but they lost control to Scotland in the second.

Today the island, which has a high point of seven metres, is a sanctuary for birds and other wildlife, including seals. The buildings are closed to the public, though there are a number of walks which allow visitors to explore the surroundings. The island lies to the east of Derby Haven Bay and is approached by road via Langness and accessed by an extremely narrow road along a causeway.

St Mary’s Isle

At high tide you’ll see the fortress-like building known as the Tower of Refuge rising directly out of the sea across Douglas Bay; at low tide you’ll see the long, menacing reef of rock, known as St Mary’s Isle, or Conister Rock, on which this structure is built. The tower had no military or defensive function and was built to indicate the presence of the dangerous reef below and to provide shelter to the crews of the many vessels that were wrecked nearby.

The best-known wreck was that of the St George in 1830 when the Douglas lifeboat rescued all on board. William Hillary, who lived in Douglas and was the founder of the RNLI, was a member of the lifeboat crew that rescued the crew of St George. Afterwards, he had the idea of building a refuge on Conister Rock. Today the tower is owned by the RNLI, and proudly flies their flag. It is possible to walk to the island, which has a high point of four metres, from Douglas on low spring tides.

St Marys Isle

St-Marys-Isle-by-Gregory-J-Kingsley-CC-BY-SA-3.0

St Patrick’s Isle

Outside Peel Harbour and linked to the mainland by a narrow causeway, the rocky St Patrick’s Isle, which has a high point of twenty metres, is home to Peel Castle. The island has sheltered Christian missionaries, Viking warriors and kings, while the castle has been a royal residence, centre of government and military stronghold. Constructed originally by the Vikings in the eleventh century, the castle is an impressive feature and its extensive grounds and ancient ruins are fascinating to explore. Listen out for ‘Moddey Dhoo’, a black dog with fire-red eyes that is said to roams the halls, and for the old tales of the site being a possible location of the Arthurian Avalon. Seals and basking sharks are often spotted along the coast nearby. www.manxnationalheritage.im/our-sites/peel-castle

Visit the Calf of Man

Located off the south-west tip of the Isle of Man, the Calf of Man is an island famed for its rugged wild beauty and birdlife. Owned by Manx National Heritage and managed by the Manx Wildlife Trust, the island has been a bird observatory since 1959 with wardens resident from spring to late autumn. Around thirty-three species of bird breed here annually and it is located on one of western Britain’s major migration routes. Breeding seabirds include Manx shearwater, kittiwake, razorbill and shag. Other species normally observed on the island include peregrine falcon, hen harrier, chough and raven. The island has a high point of 128 metres. The Calf has an interesting history and evidence of the once thriving community includes the two lighthouses built in 1818, a recently decommissioned modern lighthouse building built in 1968, a mill and a smithy. Signs of earlier habitation of the island range from prehistoric worked flints and early Christian graves, through to defences dating from 1651 until 1713, such as the gun emplacement on the Burroo. The bird observatory has space for up to eight visitors in basic self-catering accommodation which can be booked through Manx National Heritage. Boat trips to the island leave from Port St Mary and Port Erin. www.manxnationalheritage.im/visit/stay-with-us/calf-of-man-bird-observatory

Calf of Man,

Calf-of-Man-Isle-of-Man22-by-Travelling-Britain-is-licensed-under-CC-BY-SA-4.0

Kitterland

Sitting between the Isle of Man and the Calf of Man in Calf Sound, this Manx National Heritage-owned islet is full of bird and marine life. There are several stories linking the island with Celtic mythology, and with the Vikings, including the death of the Norwegian Baron Kitter, but today it is best known as a hotspot for seal spotting on the wildlife watching boat trips from Port Erin. Access is not permitted but it can be readily viewed from the Isle of Man’s coastpath.

Kitterland, Photo by Richard Hoare