Isle of Man Coastal Path. Aileen Evans
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.
A provisional list of events for the year is published by the Isle of Man Department of Tourism and Leisure (tel: 01624 686766; www.visitisleofman.com; IOM Met Office Weather Check: 0900 624 320).
Accommodation
Current lists of hotels, bed and breakfast, hostel accommodation and campsites are available from the Department of Tourism and Leisure. They have prepared a list of accommodation near Raad ny Foillan specially for the walker (see Appendix D: IOM Coastal Footpath accommodation list).
There are commercial walking companies that will arrange your accommodation and transfer luggage for a self-guided walking tour. Visit www.macsadventure.com; www.celtictrailswalkingholidays.co.uk or www.isleofmanwalkingholidays.co.uk.
Campervans and motorhomes are welcome all year round but caravans require a valid permit from the Department of Infrastructure. To obtain one submit an e-mail to [email protected] including dates of arrival and departure, purpose of visit and where the caravan will be sited. Permits are issued only for events, staying up to three weeks on an approved campsite.
Parking
If you have a vehicle obtain a free parking disc from the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal, or on the Steam Packet ferry. These are also available from Post Offices throughout the island.
Public transport
Tel: 01624 662525; www.visitisleofman.com; www.gov.im/categories/travel-traffic-and-motoring/bus-and-rail/. Journey planner and timetables tel: 01624 662525.
The Isle of Man is well served with public transport. Bus routes, an electric railway and a steam railway cover the island.
The Isle of Man Passenger Transport publishes a booklet of official timetables that is available from the Information Bureau at the Douglas Sea Terminal, at any bus terminal, and at local Tourist or Commissioners’ Information Offices. It is useful to obtain this timetable before planning your trip as, for example, the circular routes from Ramsey via Jurby, Bride, Smeale, Andreas and Jurby may influence your choice of accommodation.
The Manx Electric Railway is a familiar sight
Tickets described as ‘inter-available’ can be purchased for bus, train and tram travel. These can be bought from retail transport shops in Douglas, Peel, Port Erin and Ramsey, or you can pay on the bus in the usual manner. Explorer tickets may be purchased on the island or in advance for unlimited travel by bus or train for one, three, five or seven consecutive days.
The steam train runs from Douglas (Bank Hill Station is at the southern end of the harbour) to Port Erin. The whole line is within easy reach of Raad ny Foillan. Stations along the line are: Port Soderick, Santon (by request), Ballasalla, Ronaldsway (by request), Castletown, Port St Mary, Port Erin. Trains run from March until November.
The electric railway runs from Douglas (Derby Castle Terminus is at the northern end of the promenade) to Ramsey. There are numerous request halts along the way, the main ones being Groudle, Baldrine, South Cape, Laxey, Dhoon, Ballaglass, Ballajora and Ramsey. The electric railway runs from March to November.
From Laxey Station the Snaefell Mountain Railway makes the journey to the summit from March until November.
Bus services are more frequent in summer, May–September, when numerous routes criss-cross the island. All the towns and large villages are on a bus route, and special services run in the summer to Cregneash and The Sound from Port Erin.
There is another form of public transport which you may find irresistible if you have blisters on the last lap – the horse-drawn trams clip-clopping their way along Douglas promenade!
Horse-drawn tram on Douglas promenade
Climate
The climate of the Isle of Man can be summed up as being milder than that of its UK neighbours. The influence of the surrounding relatively warm sea is the major factor. In winter the temperatures seldom fall below freezing. The 42 degrees isotherm, after passing through the Isle of Wight, swings northward to capture the Isle of Man. In summer the sea exerts a cooling influence and the island enjoys the pleasant gap between the 58 degrees and 60 degrees isotherms. The annual amount of rainfall on the coastline is 30–40ins per year, most of this falling in the winter months. As can be expected, it is heavier on the mountains. The wind often lifts the clouds over the coastline, leaving it dry, while inland the hills are swathed in cloud. The prevailing wind is south-west. This is a consideration in planning your route. If you tackle the walk clockwise the length of the west coast will put any breeze at your back, then as you turn the Point of Ayre to come south the cliffs and mountains will provide shelter.
Another facet of the weather is the sea mist. The air over the sea can be saturated with water vapour. A drop of only one degree in temperature can result in the condensation of suspended vapour causing mist in the surrounding air. Thus mist can roll in from the sea with little warning. Douglas can be covered in mist while the rest of the island is bathed in sunshine.
The Isle of Man has an excellent bonus to offer. The clean air of the island supports 500 varieties of lichens to testify to its purity.
Tides and times
Isle of Man Coastguard, tel: 01624 661664
The sea makes such a major contribution to Raad ny Foillan that it is to your advantage to learn a little about its ways. Things that seem obvious and familiar to those fortunate enough to live near the sea may be amusing, but could soon become alarming to those who make the odd visit to the sea and are not familiar with its various moods.
The tide flows up the Irish Sea in a northerly direction, bending round the Point of Ayre to take an easterly direction along the Galloway coast. The ebb flows at 2½ knots from Galloway south back down the Irish Sea.
The tidal flow reaches Liverpool at roughly the same time as the Isle of Man, the tidal differences in time and height on Liverpool being shown in the table on the folowing page.
The times and heights of the tides for Standard Port – Liverpool can be found easily in the national daily newspapers or by studying one of the nautical almanacs.
Ballaugh Beach and Jurby Head
The tidal stream changes direction every six hours. The ebb usually runs longer than six hours, while the flood runs slightly less than six hours, low tide being 6hr 10mins after high tide. This results in advancing the time of high water and low water by ¾hr every 24 hours.
At Point of Ayre: beyond the foghorn the tide race is in full ebb
The strength of the tidal stream varies daily because of the position of the moon. The tide height and range is greatest at spring tides. Spring tides occur two days after new and full moons; neap tides fortnightly halfway between spring tides, two days after the first and last quarters of the moon. Spring tide height at Liverpool (MHWS 9.3m) is considered high at 9 metres but twice a year makes 10 metres. This is a result of the influence of the sun and the moon, and occurs at the vernal equinox (21 March) and the autumnal