After weeks of flawless weather the temperature dropped and the rain came in as 40 Poly Ramblers headed for the middle of the Irish Sea for the Easter trip. Over 20 brave souls ventured out from the B and Bs for the Friday evening acclimatisation for a classic Douglas stroll, with wind and rain coming in from the East across the bay. We took in the sites, including the Victorian seafront, the Tower of Refuge, (built as a warning to shipping by Sir William Hillary, who founded the RNLI) and the Bee Gees statue.
The next morning virtually the entire party made it to Douglas Railway station for the steam train trip south. The strollers headed straight for Port Erin, and the hikers got off at Castletown for the 12 mile coast path walk to Port Erin – arriving sometime later!
Not that the strollers took it easy: their 5 mile walk took in Mull Hill, with views to the Calf of Man, the Cregneash Manx village and part of the coastal path past the dramatic Cairns. They enjoyed the lambs in the fields and the views into Port St Mary, where the Albert pub was a welcome stopping point, later returning via Castletown.
Meanwhile 24 hikers took in Castletown’s main square dominated by Castle Rushen, originally built in 1265 for a Norse king, before heading out to the Raad ny Follian coast path round Scarlett, a dramatic rocky area of limestone and volcanic basalt. The Grange pub at Gansey was a welcome respite from the rain and we had lunch in and around the Albert in Port St Mary close to the harbour.
Four hikers took the opportunity to opt out at this half way point and the remainder set off in clearing skies. We took in the Dunkirk memorial, the lambs, the Cairns (Jo at this point failing to contain her nightmares about losing the odd Poly off the cliffs) and then the fabulous / terrifying / challenging (take your pick) cliff walk to the Sound, where the currents of the Irish sea meet in a short stretch between the Island and the Calf of Man.
We made it to the excellent café there in time for much needed toilets, rest and sustenance, and the remaining 15 set off for the last haul to Port Erin in what had become a beautifully clear and even a tiny bit sunny late afternoon, with fish and chips and Okells ale welcoming the survivors.
Day 2 the parties headed for the West and Peel, with the Strollers enjoying the castle and the cathedral and also taking advantage of the buses to visit Ramsey and see the North west coast after a somewhat foreshortened stroll up the first part of Peel hill.
Twenty three hikers meanwhile took the bus to St Johns for a bracing climb through the trees (more of them than anticipated horizontal rather than vertical after the recent storms) up to Slieu Whallian, with wonderful views to Peel and across the Irish Sea along the way. Slowed up by the elements (strong winds made climbing the high styles at the top a bit of a challenge) and other excitements including a lone bull and a party of weekend bikers who had taken over the planned lunchstop, we eventually made it through the lovely Arrisay plantation, zigzagging down (and a bit up) towards the village of Glen Maye, where 3 Poly’s gratefully opted for a lift to Peel with Jo’s mum.
The next change of scenery was the magical Glen Maye glen and beach stop before the remaining party tackled the cliff path to Peel, heeding Jo’s frequent reminders to look behind them to see the view down the coast. Like the strollers many hours earlier the hiker party wisely opted out of the last ascent to Corrin’s Tower and took the low path into Peel, where the sun shone on the harbour and fish, chips and beer were to be had.
Day 3
After 2 long walks and with rain forecast many hikers nursed their aching limbs / had a lie-in and joined the strollers for a tour of the Laxey Wheel, beach and the dramatic tram ride to the top of Snaefell, where the views stretched across the island and beyond.
7 game hikers took on Jo’s third treat, the 9 mile walk from Laxey to Ramsey over the North Barrule ridge, via the abandoned tin and copper mine for which Laxey wheel was built. It is a hilly island (did I mention that before?) so the only way was up, with a first stop at the tiny Agneash methodist church where we used the facilities, read the stories of the 19th century miners and had a cup of tea and biscuits. In the sheltered valley to the mine the party waved furiously at the trams passing on the other side, only to realise later that the strollers had opted for a later start (whoops). After the steep climb we made it to the heathery ‘verandah’ with views to Snaefell and in all directions for the ridge walk, with the occasional sheep for company. North Barrule itself was shrouded in mist so we didn’t hang around before starting the steep descent, eventually making it in time for the bus back to Ramsey.
The club reunited for the dinner at the Empress Hotel where inevitably Manx lamb was on the menu. Quite a few Polys took the opportunity to stay a bit longer, enjoying variously the festival of plays at the Gaity theatre, the Archibald Knox exhibition at the Manx Museum and the Marine Drive walk from Douglas head.
Report from Jo, photos from Nita, Ida, Hilary, Jackie, Rochelle, Meng, Jo.
