The Isle of Man!

Coastal Path Day 6: Peel to Kirk Michael,

Go to: Day 1: Douglas to Castletown, Day 2: Castletown to Port St Mary, Day 3: Port St Mary to Port Erin, Day 4: Port Erin to Dalby, Day 5: Dalby to Peel, Day 7: Kirk Michael to Point of Ayre, Day 8: Point of Ayre to Ramsey, Day 9: Ramsey to Laxey Day 10: Laxey to Douglas.
Starting again with a shot of Wendy Ann in Peel harbour; because in the distance, along the edge of the cliff, is the early part of today's route.
Peel itself is a fine little town with some good shops and narrow streets. It is also quite well off for good eating establishments from cafes to pubs!
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Peel Beach - not looking its best in yesterday's rain! Normally this is a beautiful beach...
..like this - with the sunlit cliffs towards Jurby Head disappearing into the distant haze!
Then there is this magnificent "beach view" of Peel Castle!
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Or just go in for a quick paddle!
To continue with the walk, lets go up the ramp and follow the next stage of the coastal path which heads off just after the last building you can see (where there is a handy cafe!).
Having ascended the cliff by an easy path, this is the rewarding view back at the bay.
This is the nice tarmac path that starts us today - winding along the top of the cliffs above the sand.
Near our early morning cafe in Peel today we came across this rare Yamaha XV750.
I couldn't resist photographing it because, as visitors to my motorcycling page will have noted, I've got one too :-)
As we continued the weather improved gradually giving us ever better views back at Peel Bay.
Here we are looking back at yesterday's route. We were round the far side and over those hills.
And all the way round there! You can just make out the lifeboat station and the outer harbour wall.
Submerged by today's high tide, this is another former swimming pool just round the first cliffs from Peel Bay.
Around Traie Fogog (and the site of a former war-time internment camp) the tarmac disappears and we are back on the ground. Still good walking and, yes, that dot on the next headland is another walker on the path.
Just past where we saw that walker (a dog walker incidentally - not a purposeful walker :-)) we reach LhoobYReeast and continue with a bit more upping and downing and winding around the top of the cliff.
Then we turn inland and walk up the small Ballagyr Glen.
Looking back, although this is a very small glen, it gives a fine opening onto the blue Irish Sea.
At the top of the Glen we turn left onto the road for about 3/4 mile until we reach St Germaines and turn left onto a disused railway. This was the old route from Douglas to Ramsey which shared the Douglas to Peel line, almost to Peel, and only deviated a couple of miles short. It then followed an exciting coastal route for a few miles northward before turning to cross the island again at the northern foot of the mountains.
Only a few yards along we reach the former St Germaines Halt - now a private dwelling.
For the most part this was good walking - only spoilt in short sections by excessive wetness! Sadly, rather than restore the old railway drainage - which is presumably just blocked or damaged - the authorities have chosen to put in new drainage chanels or piping which seems rather inappropriate somehow. Anyway, here at Knocksharry we can take a look back toward Peel and St Patricks Isle.
A straight, but rather damp, section of railway near Buggane Mooar.
ooking back at a fine preserved bridge near Ballanayre.
Looking forward at Ballanayre we enter a fine cutting - which was unexpectedly dry!
At the end of the cutting, this is Lady Port. Here a section of the trackbed had obviously subsided/slid down the slope a few feet - but seems to have been stable for a while now.
From the same point, looking back is another headland.
A little further on is this derelict linesman's hut.
Followed by this footbridge over a somewhat damp cutting - despite new drainage!
Still around Lady Port is this picturesque glen. The road is high up the valley as we cross over a short embankment.
This is the view down to the sea from the same embankment.
Near LagDhoon we pass under the main road via what at first appears to be an old bridge - surmounted by a girder bridge?
Looking back all becomes clear. Due to road widening/realignment the original bridge has been superceded by an armco tunnel. Its a shame the opportunity wasn't retained to keep this viable for any future railway restoration - of which talk is occasionally heard.
Near Ballaquine we have to take a momentary detour down onto the road and up the other side - because the bridge is gone!
Near Glen Beg appears to be a standing stone - but our maps gave no clues to this one.
Reaching Glen Mooar, the path takes another descent as we reach another missing bridge. This was one of a number of trestle bridges (of which few photos exist) which spanned the glen on the ivy-covered stone piers that are barely visible here.
Viewed from below, it all becomes a little clearer.
What a fine site it must have been to have had trains up there!
Although the coastal path does not take this route, there is another path that continues northward along the railway trackbed - rejoining the coastal path at Glen Wyllin.
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This fine ivy-covered bridge is on this section.
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The last section of this track gets very narrow and damp before springing out into Glen Wyllin and over another former girder bridge. The campsite shop has some good old photographs of trains crossing there. Fantastic - almost not of this country - more like some of the little railways in the north of India somehow.
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Glen Mooar itself is very pretty and we walk down a narrow road which crosses this ford.
This is the view looking back up the glen from near the sea.
Looking back down the beach from the mouth of the glen, we can see back to Peel.
To the north is our way forward and, in th distance, we see Jurby Head - part of the next day's walking.
Approaching Glen Wyllin another look back to Peel. This beach is actually very fine. We walked it when the tide was only just starting to fall and so the excellent sands are hidden below thewater
At the entrance to Glen Wyllin our path along the beach was blocked by this heap of stone. The tide was being slow to fall - especially with a strong onshore wind - and so we climbed over the stone.
This glen was surprisingly calm after the foreshore. On the left is a fish farm but after the first curve in the road becomes very attractive.
A last look back at the rocky pile (part of cliff defences we assume) and we can see the waymark sign for the coastal path.
At Glen Wyllin we rejoin the railway. This is looking back in the direction of Peel across another missing trestle bridge.
This is from the same vantage point looking down the glen to the sea.
This is also from the same point but looking to the north. Note the crossing gates in the distance!
Arriving at the crossing gates we find there is only one. Just beyond is the former Kirk Michael station - now the local fire station!
Also here is the sign which explains it all.
Go to: Day 1: Douglas to Castletown, Day 2: Castletown to Port St Mary, Day 3: Port St Mary to Port Erin, Day 4: Port Erin to Dalby, Day 5: Dalby to Peel, Day 7: Kirk Michael to Point of Ayre, Day 8: Point of Ayre to Ramsey, Day 9: Ramsey to Laxey Day 10: Laxey to Douglas.