Panoramic view

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Distance nearly 4 miles, 6 km, 100 metres climbed.

Port Erin and Port St Mary are two small coastal resorts just a mile apart, on either side of the low isthmus that divides the hilly south-western tip from the rest of the island.  The Four Roads roundabout junction directs traffic from Douglas to one town or the other, or back along the southern coast to Castletown.

We went to Port Erin twice, to follow the hiking routes on either side of the bay.

The first of these walks was shorter, maybe 3 or 4 miles (6 km) up to the tall tower on the headland called Barra Head on the north side of the bay and back.  We parked at the seafront looking out across the wide sandy beach towards the open sea.  Once we’d sorted out our hiking boots and jackets, we set off along the esplanade, and promised ourselves an icecream when we got back. 

It was a sunny afternoon, and it was quite busy without being crowded.  If this was mid-July, it was hard to imagine that the island ever gets too crowded these days.  There were well-maintained toilets conveniently situated beside the road along the seafront, and then we reached an attractive-looking pub at the end of the road.  People were sitting outside enjoying lunch. 

We walked up the steps on the right, to the road above lined with fine hotels and flats.  There was a stretch of grass to the left at the top of the cliffs, and then a path led down with a protective railing.  We followed this, winding along the cliffs cloaked in thick vegetation.  There were the remains of an old seawater swimming pool at the foot of the rocks, and a group of people in canoes practising their manoeuvres.

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At one point we found a gate opening up into the mass of greenery, and two of the girls went through to explore.  It led into a pathway tunnel that went up to another gate into a private garden – we wondered if anyone still used it.

The route along the cliffs took us into the grounds of a more modern hotel, where a table of drinks had been set out for a reception of some sort.  It almost seemed as though we had arrived at a welcoming party for ourselves, but we resisted the temptation to knock back a few glasses of bubbly and walked on through the grounds.  The trail continued on the other side, onto another clear path which went up, then down, then up again across the open hillside that climbed up to the Tower on Bradda Head.

It was an easy walk as we weren’t in any hurry, and we were beginning to feel the warmth of the sunshine.  There was time for a refreshment stop before the final assault on the Tower!  The last stretch had a direct rocky route, and a longer curving track.  We split up, with the rocky route being preferred by the younger walkers!

The top of the headland was a rocky platform, with the Tower standing to the right on grassland.  We were surprised to find the wooden doorway open.  A spiral staircase disappeared into the darkness inside, but a small window gave some light halfway up, and then we emerged onto the roof.  It was quite safe, with a parapet all around, and a panoramic view.  Away to the south we could see the line of cliffs leading down to the tip of the island, and the Calf of Man beyond (see the panoramic view below).

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The headland rose up to the north, and we could have continued along the heritage trail, but after stopping off at the concrete remains of some sort of building to enjoy the view again, we turned east, to join a different track back down.

This track led east, barely half a mile or 1 kilometre, into the Bradda West “suburb” of Port Erin.  There were plenty of wild flowers to spot in the verges.  Bradda West was mainly older cottages, which we walked through to reach the main road which curved down back to the main part of the town.

We reached the centre of Port Erin and browsed around the shops, before finding an ice cream parlour near the seafront.  Soon we were relaxing on a seat looking out across the beach, enjoying our reward for completing a lovely short walk.

Contributed by: Andrew Llanwarne - April 2006

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