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TOWNS & VILLAGES -
Isle of Man |
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You may view the information for ALL the locations in this area
by clicking HERE (the page may be very large) or you can view your
preferred location from the list on the left.
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Close to Ronaldsway Airport,
Ballasalla is another picturesque resort which
contains the ruins of the Abbey of St Mary of
Rushen, founded by the Viking king Olaf in 1134.
It fell into neglect following the dissolution of
the monasteries but still has its 14th
century Monk’s Bridge. Two other Viking kings of
Man, Reginald 11 and Magnus, are buried here.
The folk of Manxland have an
abiding passion for local mythology and at Santon
you will find the Fairy Bridge; any local gent
crossing it will almost certainly doff his cap in
deference to the Little People living below.
An aviation museum adjacent to
the airport tells the story of the island’s
aviation history while Ballasalla is the starting
point for a number of walks up to the Silverdale
pleasure park and Glen.
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A sleepy village on the north
western coast, Ballaugh is best known for its
hump-backed bridge. Apparently it has proved the
downfall for some TT riders, though there is a pub
here to help them drown their sorrows. The
village’s name possibly derives from Bal-ny-laghney
(Homestead of the Curragh) or Bal-laff (The place
of Our Lady). Just 10 miles from bustling Ramsey,
its oldest 18th century church, St
Mary’s, was rescued in the 19th century
when it was re-roofed and altered. More recently
it has featured in films.
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TT race at Ballaugh
Photo: IOM Tourism |
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This charming town of swaying
palm trees on the south coast is easily recognised
by its harbour and the medieval castle which
commands the area.
It was the island’s capital
for hundreds of years until the parliament moved
to Douglas in the 1870s and retains its Parliament
Square while Parliament House is now the town
hall.
Today it is home for several
small museums and is also close to the island’s
main sailing centres. |
Castletown beach, harbour
and castle
Photo IOM Tourism |
Built from limestone, Castle
Rushen commands the town, having also served as an
asylum, prison, Parliament House and the Court of
Justice (which it is today).
On Castletown’s doorstep is
the untamed wilderness of the Langness peninsula,
but it is also within easy reach of major Isle of
Man heritage attractions such as The Nautical
Museum, Old Grammar School, and the Old House of
Keys.
Just beyond Castletown is
Derbyhaven where the first Derby horse race was
inaugurated to encourage local horse breeding by
the Stanley Earls of Derby, Lords of Man. The
course itself has been subsumed by King William’s
College, founded in 1830.
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This tiny community was
‘saved’ for posterity by the Manx Museum who
took it over and to maintain the island’s
fascinating traditions.
It
is maintained as a ‘living’ folk
museum, a project which began with the opening
to the public of Harry Kelly’s cottage in
1938. |
Harry Kell's Cottage
Photo IOM Tourism |
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Ploughing with horses at Cregneash - Photo IOM
Tourism |
Today
the museum includes many other buildings as well as much
of the surrounding area where
traditional activities and crafts are
displayed |
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Lying on the east coast and
the island’s capital, Douglas is an interesting
combination of Victorian grandeur and impressive
21st development. Not only is it the seat of the
Manx Parliament but it is an important offshore
commercial centre boasting a galaxy of pubs,
restaurants, golf courses, family attractions,
quality shops, casinos, amusements and nightlife.
The backdrop to its
crescent-shaped promenade is stylish new
architecture in the shape of the Villa Marina and
Gaiety Theatre complex. A more traditional aspect
is the use of horse-drawn trams. Dating from 1876,
the trams are the oldest in the world and offer
two-mile tours of the prom in the summer months. |
Douglas Bay - Photo IOM
Tourism |
From Douglas tourists can
explore the entire eats coast, utitlising both
old-fashioned steam and electric railways, car and
cycle hire, buses and boat trips. You can even
travel to Laxey and thence to the summit of the
island’s highest mountain, Snaefell.
The Isle of Man Steam Railway
is the longest narrow-gauge steam line in the
British Isles while the Manx Electric Railway runs
for 18 miles from Douglas to Ramsey.
The award-winning Manx Museum
is the perfect starting point to discover more
about Manx history through ‘The Story of Mann’
which looks back over 10,000 years.
Family attractions include the
Superbowl, Noble’s Park, Tot Lot, Jungle World and
the colonnaded Villa Marina Gardens, complete with
Victorian bandstand, which were donated to Douglas
by Henry Bloom Noble.
The Douglas to Peel Heritage
Trail travels 10 miles along disused railway lines
while Douglas also offers superb leisure
facilities at the National Sports Centre which
has, among other things, pools and slides
(including an eight-lane competition pool), indoor
flat green bowling, sports hall, squash, athletics
and an astroturf pitch and outdoor arena.
Abbeylands Equestrian Centre
and GGH Equestrian Centre cater for horseriders.
The Victorian Gaiety Theatre
has been fully restored and is one of best
surviving examples of a Frank Matchman theatre.
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Well-known as the ‘Luxuriant
Glen’, west coast Glen Maye boasts a spectacular
waterfall and the Mona Erin wheelcase, the remains
of mining which took place between 1740 and 1870.
The glen leads to a pebbled beach – home of hawks,
fulmars and other sea birds.
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A pretty village, Greeba has
two chief claims to fame – its castle which is, in
fact, two castellated houses (built in 1849 and
designed by John Robinson) and one of its former
occupants, the writer Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine.
The so-called castle stands at the foot of
beautiful Greeba Mountain. Caine, who was born in
Cheshire in 1853 to a Manx father and a Cumberland
mother, spent much of his childhood with members
of his father’s family in Ballaugh and became the
best-paid novelist of his day in the late 19th
century. He moved permanently to the island in
1894, initially renting the castle. After moving
to Peel he later bought the castle and lived there
until his death in 1931. A true Victorian
celebrity, Caine’s fame put Greeba on the tourist
map.
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The small village of Jurby was
dedicated to St Patrick and has clear links with
the turbulent history of the Isle of Man. Its
church – Kirk Patrick – is a stunning landmark of
this part of the coast. Building began in 1813
using material from an earlier, adjacent church. A
porch houses a collection of crosses, including
Sigurd Cross, while a Norse burial mound in the
churchyard is a reminder of pagan times.
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Kirk Michael is a quiet
coastal village north of Peel on the west coast.
Its Gothic-style Parish Church holds the island’s
largest collection of Norse crosses while the
churchyard holds the graves of a number of
bishops.
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A gem of a holiday
destination, east coast Laxey has a small stone
harbour and was once a bustling fishing village.
It was also famous for its lead mining and the
mine’s huge pump wheel – named Lady Isabella after
the wife of the Lieutenant Governor of the day –
has become something of a Manx icon. It has a
diameter of 72 ft and once pumped 270 gallons of
water a minute from a depth of 100 ft.
Laxey is the starting point
for the mountain railway which climbs 2,000ft up
Snaefell mountain and is also a stop on the Manx
Electric Railway.
With its small stone harbour
and annual carnival, this is a traditional resort
and its gardens are laid out on the old washing
floors of the now-defunct mines.
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Laxey Wheel - Photo IOM
Tourism |
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Typically Manx, Maughold is a
dramatic district near Ramsey, set between high
mountains and the coast. It was named after the
Celtic saint Machaoi and may have been the main
pre-Norse religious community on the Isle of Man.
Its church – one of the oldest on the island – was
the site of an ancient Celtic monastery. The
crosshouse in the churchyard contains almost a
third of the pre-Norse cross slabs on the island.
There are also the ruins of three keeills
(chapels). |
Maughold - IOM Tourism |
A number of streams flow from
Maughold’s higher lands into the ocean and the
spectacular Maughold Head derives its name from St
Maughold, or Machutus, who landed at its foot
towards the end of the fifth century before taking
up residence in a local cave. Iron and copper
mining took place from medieval times to the last
century.
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A suburb of Douglas, Onchan
has the dubious distinction of once being the home
of William Bligh, commander of HMS Bounty and the
main character in the infamous ‘Mutiny on the
Bounty’.
The visitor has a surprising
variety of attractions, from seaside amusements to
golf and sport. Onchan Park and Stadium has tennis
courts, bowling, motorboats, karting, squash,
mini-golf, stock car racing and a children’s
playground.
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Onchan Park - IOM Tourism |
Nearby are the beautiful glens
of Groudle, Molly Qiurk’s, Calvary and Lourdes.
Groudle – a deep, mile-long valley enclosed by
slate cliffs – has a woodland waterwheel and the
restored Groudle Glen Railway, which is operated
by volunteers.
A pretty dwelling known as
Molly Caroon’s Cottage is tucked away in Onchan’s
Church Road – a fascinating reminder of how Manx
folk used to live.
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Situated on the west coast,
Peel has three reasons to celebrate its history –
its kippers, its castle and its cathedral. With
narrow streets and a fine beach, it once stood at
the heart of the island’s fishing industry and is
known as Sunset City because on some summer
evenings the fading sun casts a crimson glow over
the water all the way from Ireland.
Peel’s ‘city’ status stems
from the fact that it has a 13th
century cathedral on St Patrick’s Isle – joined to
the town by a causeway – with a roofless church
and a round tower beside it. |
Peel Castle - IOM Tourism |
St Patrick is thought to have
stayed here in 444 AD when, so legend has it, he
made his momentous decision to ban snakes,
converting pagan Manxmen to Christianity.
Neolithic flint weapons have
been discovered here as well as the basis of a
Viking palace. A replica of a Viking longship can
also be viewed in a building at the harbour.
Ruined Peel Castle – also
sited on St Patrick’s Isle – was built by the
Lords of Man in the 14th century but
fell to the forces of the English Parliament
during the Civil War – the first time it came
under siege,
Perhaps Peel’s main claim to
fame is its famous smokeries from where visitors
can purchase a Manx kipper or two.
A major attraction here is the
House of Manannan Heritage Centre which uses
audio, video and state-of-the-art display
techniques to show how early Celt and Viking
settlers shaped the island’s past.
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Possibly the Isle of Man’s
most popular family resort, the former fishing
village of Port Erin is a southern terminus for
both the steam train and national bus services.
Bradda Head and its landmark
Milner’s Tower offer remarkable views of the
nearby Calf of Man and on a clear day even
Ireland’s Mountains of Mourne may hove into view.
Boat trips from Raglan Pier offer a less energetic
way of exploring the poignant coastline.
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Port Erin Harbour - IOM
Tourism |
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With inner and outer harbours,
this is the island’s key sailing and watersports
centre. A crescent-shaped beach and the fine blue
waters of Chapel Bay act as focus points for the
many visitors who love being beside the sea. Close
by are the living folk museum village of Cregneash,
which provides an insight into the life of 19th
century Manx crofters, and the Sound Visitor
Centre. |
Port St. Mary Harbour - IOM
Tourism |
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To the north east of the
island lies Ramsey on a shallow bay running from
Maughold Head to the Point of Ayre. Once noted for
its shipbuilding prowess it is the second largest
town on the Isle of Man with its own, distinctive
sense of the bygone.
With a splendid
harbour, Victorian pier and long sandy beach it
exudes nostalgia and is linked to the capital,
Douglas, by the coast road, the mountain road and
the Manx Electric Railway.
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Ramsey - IOM Tourism |
Mooragh Park is 40 acres of
gardens with a 12-acre boating lake created by
diverting the estauary of the River Sulby, the
island’s biggest river which flows through the
town itself beneath a swing bridge. Here you will
discover palm trees emerging from flower beds and
enjoy lively summer concerts and special events.
Ramsey’s small quayside shops
and restaurants are redolent of an earlier era.
Within the Ramsey area are the
Elfin Glen and Glaghbane Woods, the
gloriously-named woodland of Lhergy Frissel and a
number of important glens, including Dhoon Glen
with its steeply wooded slopes and tumbling
waterfalls.
Grove Rural Life Museum is a
period museum complete with original furnishings
and fittings while south of Ramsey lies the
historical site of Maughold Head. A nearby
churchyard has fine examples of Celtic crosses
carved from local stone.
The 95-mile coastal footpath
Raad ny Fiollan includes Ramsey Bay. The 28-mile
Millennium Way links Ramsey with Castle Rushen in
Castletown.
A singular family attraction
is Curragh’s Wildlife Park which has many species
of birds and animals from wetland areas across the
world.
The Ramsey area also includes
a marshland area of ecological importance, a
number of nature reserves and the Ayres Nature
Reserve which has several habitats unique to the
island. A circular walk will take you to Point of
Ayre lighthouse.
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A traditional village with a
crafts centre and old woollen mills, St John’s
marks each July 5 as the
day of the Tynwald (assembly field) in
commemoration of the oldest continuous parliament
in the world. The ceremony is staged at Tynwald
Hill and is attended by key dignitaries, from the
Lieutenant Governor, members of the House of Keys
and the Legislative Council as well as figures
such as Deemster, Coroner of the Sheading and
Captain of the Parish.
The village also boasts an
arboretum, shopping centre, wild flower garden and
Royal Chapel.
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Sulby is famous for its
mountain glen through which runs the Silverburn
river. Part of the glen was given to the Manx
National Trust and is mostly dense woodland
with streams, waterfalls, wooden bridges and a
Monk’s Well. A second part has the oldest
water-powered merry-go-round in the world,
with horses dating back to the early 1900s.
Here visitors will also find a play area and
boating lake.
Beautiful Sulby
is located at Ballasalla and can be accessed not
only by car and bus but also by steam railway.
Panoramic views which include Cronk Sumark and Gob
y Volley can be enjoyed from Sulby Claddagh, the
only genuine common left on the Isle of Man. The
area is largely used for camping and recreation.
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Bluebells at Sulby - IOM
Tourism |
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