Isle of Man Coastal Path. Aileen Evans

STAGE 1

      Douglas to Castletown

      At first glance a 3-mile walk round the Marine Drive may not be your idea of an unspoilt coastal path, but do not judge hastily. In a few minutes Douglas has dropped below and the Marine Drive is revealed as a road halfway up a 200ft cliff where man has failed to tame the elements. The tarmac, sprinkled by rocks from above and sprayed by the sea from below, holds a few motorists in search of ‘a bit of fresh air’ and the Raad ny Foillan footpath. The impressive facade is merely a hollow memorial to man’s grand intentions to run a tramway. If you arrive on the overnight boat, the dawn over the sea, the rosy surf and the morning cry of the gulls will launch you on your way in worthy style.

      The wide seascapes from the Marine Drive are rivalled by the position of this airy road, as it threads its way across the formidable cliff face until the cliffs lower and Port Soderick is reached.

      A shady glen leads inland from Port Soderick to a stretch of just over a mile on country lanes. Return to the coast is by the fields where the clifftop path is narrow, overgrown in places, but sound underfoot. The unspoilt coastline gives a feeling of remoteness. It is rocky with high cliffs and deep zawns. Spectacular views lie in every direction. After Cass-ny-Hawin the cliffs lower to shelving rocks and the walking becomes easier as the path widens.