Isle of Man Coastal Path - A Walker's Guidebook

The coastline is of exceptional beauty. The 96-mile Raad ny Foillan path encircles the island taking about a week; the Herring Way (Peel to Castletown) and Millennium Way (Ramsey to Castletown) are also described. Splendid scenery, glens, coastlines, wildlife, fishing ports and havens.

How to get there

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has regular sailings from Heysham and Liverpool to Douglas, and from Belfast and Dublin to Douglas (summer service only). Car parking is available at the dock.

For details of timetables and fares consult the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (tel: 08705 523 523; online: www.steam-packet.com).

• All boats are drive on/off car ferries.
• Bicycles are transported free.
• Dogs are allowed, and a dedicated area of the lounge is set aside.
• Trailer caravans are not permitted on the island without a permit. Self-propelled motor caravans are welcome, as are tenting campers.

By air there is a daily service to Ronaldsway from the following airports: Belfast City, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bristol, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, London City, London Gatwick, London Luton, Manchester and Newcastle. Note: there is no service into London Heathrow.

The coastal footpath is within a mile of the island’s airport (tel: 01624 821600; www.iomguide.com).

The Best Time to Walk

Everyone hopes for good weather, and you can increase your chances to some extent by looking at the past meteorological reports (see also ‘Climate’, below). May and June stand out as the months with a good sunshine average and little rainfall. The holiday season begins in June and is virtually over by mid-September, yet in the middle of the season I met very few people on the footpath, except around the Sound Cafe where tourists were taking the air within sight of the car park. Most walkers that I met were Manx and were pleased to see a ‘foreigner’ enjoying their coastline. Spring brings flowers to the glens and migrant birds to the beaches. Late summer glows with the dwarf gorse in flower, heather in bloom and sunsets on the west coast that make an extra amble around in the twilight worthwhile.

If there is a time of year to avoid it is late May, early June and early September: the weeks of the motorcycle and car rallies. At these times the ferries, accommodation and campsites are fully booked. The closure of roads for these and other events does not inconvenience the Raad ny Foillan walker, but the Millennium Way and the Herring Way will be affected.

Having said all this, I walked the Millennium Way in the first weekend of the TT practices. I met one other walker, a small group of scouts cooking bacon and beans, and a horse rider. I camped in delectable surroundings and the weather was superb.

A provisional list of events for the year is published by the Isle of Man Department of Tourism and Leisure (tel: 01624 686766; website: www.gov.im/tourism; e-mail: tourism@gov.im; Weather Check: 01624 888300).