Isle of Man Coastal Path - A Walker's Guidebook
Isle of Man Coastal Path
Price
£10.00
Castletown to Port St Mary
Distance: 6 ¾ miles
Maximum height: sea level
A very easy and fast section. Road walking gives way to a track with views back to Castletown, Derby Haven and Langness Point. From Scarlett Point a smooth grassy path is on gently shelving turf along the low rocky shoreline. This is part of the Scarlett Nature Trail.
The extensive seascape panoramas are captivating and continually changing. The coast from Langness to Spanish Head and the Calf of Man is on view. There is a stretch of road walking from Poyllvaaish to Rhenwyllan, then a good footpath and the firm sand of Chapel Bay lead to Port St Mary.
The Route
The focal point of Castletown is the market square. Its historic charm is renowned as a film setting, and in 2003 electric streetlights were replaced by gas lamps and antique bicycles, brooms and wheelbarrows prepared for the filming of Five Children and It. Leave the square by the south-west corner. The road soon divides, and on a ‘no through road’ signpost the Raad ny Foillan waymark will be seen.
The coast road is then followed. On the shore there are more birds to be seen. Look for herons, almost invisible, patiently fishing. There may be other waders and the goldeneye – a neat little black-and-white duck, the male having a black-green head, the female a chestnut; they look as though they are wearing a woolly balaclava. The coast road soon turns left to a track along the edge of the bay towards Scarlett Point.
The water-filled quarry on your right was once a major industry. Limestone for building was loaded into ships from the jetty, the remains of which are on your left. The quarry closed at the end of the 19th century after supplying stone for the southern branch of the Isle of Man Railway. As you pass the quarry, spare a moment to look at the fine view of Castletown. Opposite the southern end of the quarry, at sea level, are three limekilns. It is well worth the scramble down the slope to view these. Take care, they are being eroded and recent stonefalls have taken place. The small isolated building was the gunpowder store.
Back on the path is the Scarlett Visitor Centre. There is a nature trail round Scarlett Point – in fact you have already walked some of it. The small booklet published by the Manx Conservation Trust is full of information and is excellent value. It is available from the centre or from the local Information Office.
Just beyond the gunpowder store the limestone slabs were split and intruded to give a dolerite dyke. This is now being eroded by the sea. The path passes the old lighthouse. Limestone-loving flowers grow. Those willing to tolerate the salty atmosphere – thyme, sea thrift, bird’s-foot trefoil, stonecrop and sea spurrey – can be seen. As you progress along the rocky shore views open to the west. On a clear day you can see the old Chicken Rock Lighthouse 6½ miles away and the Burroo Rock, the large rock with the natural arch off the southern tip of the Calf of Man.
As Port St Mary and Spanish Head come into sight a stile and a waymark confirm the way.
Scarlett Point takes its name from Skarfakluft, the Norse word meaning ‘cormorant’s cleft’. The most southerly rock of the point is the Stack, its basalt ledges being a favourite perch for cormorants, shags, auks and gulls.
Scarlett Point was also one of the ‘Day Watch Hills’. Documents from the Scandinavian period of 1627 tell of the duty of Ward and Watch. Men were obliged to report from sunrise to sunset ‘For serious duty and properly armed’.
Continue along the path, perhaps making brief excursions to examine the lichens which grow on the rocks (see section on Plants, p.23). Poyll Vaaish Quarry and its workshop are soon passed on the right. Poyll Vaaish means ‘Bay of Death’, said to be due to the black marble of the sea bed.
The limestone of this quarry has been metamorphosed (heated by volcanic contact) three times. Today it is cut and polished for fancy goods and paving stones. Stone steps of Poyll Vaaish marble were the island’s contribution to the building of St Paul’s Cathedral. When the steps became worn they were retired to an upstairs gallery.
After passing the workshop the path changes to a track. Ignore a signpost showing a footpath returning to Castletown over the fields. Go straight on through the farmyard and onto the road (w/m). This road soon joins the main road from Castletown to Port St Mary. Turn left towards Port St Mary (w/m). A section of road-walking is now necessary, but it is not as tedious as may be suspected. The pavement is on the seaward side, and extensive views and, perchance, a performance of water skiers enhance the plod. At the pub where the Colby road turns right a major fault line changes the strata and the Barrule slates appear once more.
Continue past the road branching right to Port Erin, and at Rhenwyllan look for a waymark where the footpath turns left. The footpath passes by a group of pretty cottages, then after rounding the point you can choose to walk along the beach or on the pavement round Chapel Bay to Port St Mary. The town clings to the hillside and a flight of steps leads up through gardens to the town. To continue the Raad ny Foillan stay at sea level, and after passing through the gardens a raised walkway leads past cottages to the picturesque harbour.
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