Walking on the Isle of Man. Terry Marsh

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      WALKING ON THE ISLE OF MAN

      by Terry Marsh

      2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY

      www.cicerone.co.uk

      About the Author

      Terry has a particular interest in the Isle of Man, having visited the island frequently as a child, and more latterly as a travel journalist. He was the prime mover in 2004 in setting up the island’s annual walking festival.

      Terry was born into a Lancashire mining family, but escaped the clutches of the National Coal Board to enter local government, wherein he remained until 1990, by which time his first books had been published. A few years as a driving instructor helped to bolster his earnings as a writer, before going full time and trusting to his pen.

      He holds a PhD in Historical Geography, and Master of Arts degree (with Distinction) in Lake District Studies, is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) and of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (FSA Scot), and a Life Member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild.

      Other Cicerone guides by the author

      Geocaching in the UK

      Great Mountain Days in Snowdonia

      Great Mountain Days in the Pennines

      The Coast to Coast Walk

      The Dales Way

      The Severn Way

      The West Highland Way

      Walking on the Isle of Mull

      Walking on the West Pennine Moors

      Walking on the Isle of Skye

      Walking in the Forest of Bowland and Pendle

      © Terry Marsh 2015

      Second edition 2015

      ISBN: 978 1 85284 768 5

      First edition 2004

      ISBN: 978 1 85284 399 1

      Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated.

       This product includes mapping data licensed from Ordnance Survey® with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown copyright 2015. All rights reserved. Licence number PU100012932.

      Dedication

      To my wife Vivienne, who walked them all with me, come rain or shine, and in memory of our faithful dog, Teal, who did likewise for the first edition, but sadly was no longer with us when we came to do the second.

      Acknowledgements

      In particular I acknowledge the generous support given to me by the Isle of Man Department of Tourism during the writing of the first edition. I must also place on record my indebtedness to Daphne Caine and Howard Grundey, both of whom kindly read the original manuscript for me, corrected my mistakes and offered many helpful suggestions. Any errors that remain are mine.

      Updates to this Guide

      While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/768/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.

      Front cover: The cliffs of Spanish Head (Walk 34)

      CONTENTS

       Map key

       Overview map

       Introduction

       About the Isle of Man

       History and culture

       Geology and vegetation

       A wealth of wild flowers

       Birdlife

       Climate

       The Three Legs of Man

       Getting there

       Getting about

       Accommodation

       Walking and access

       Mapping

       Using this guide

       The North

       Walk 1 Ayres, Point of Ayre and Bride

       Walk 2 Sulby and the Millennium Way

       Walk 3 Slieu Curn and Slieu Dhoo

       Walk 4 Orrisdale and Glen Trunk

       Walk 5 Kirk Michael and Slieau Freoaghane

       Walk 6 Slieau Freoaghane and Sartfell

       Walk 7 Sulby Reservoir