Raad ny Follian is a remarkable waymarked path all around the coast of the Isle of Man. It runs for 102 miles, hugging the gorgeous coastline of the island with the Irish Sea and the sound of the seagull ever present. The path is named in the Manx language; Raad ny Foillan means ‘Way of the Gull’.
Although the island is a separate crown dependency, not a county nor even a part of the United Kingdom, and so the route is not technically a county boundary path, it is good enough as one to be enrolled with honour here.
As an island coastal path, the Raad ny Follian possibly matches the boundary of the territory closer than most county boundary paths could ever hope to, and is comparable to the Anglesey Coastal Path circling that county and of a very similar length (125 miles).
As a circular walk the Raad ny Foillan can bewalked from any point and in ither direction but the “official” route starts and finishes at the Millennium Bridge over Douglas Harbour. The path is waymarked with signs showing a gull on a blue background.
The walk was created in 1986 to mark the Island’s “Heritage Year” celebrations. It generally follows the coast, passing through terrain varying from shingle beaches at the Ayres to hills and cliffs climbing to over 1,400 feet. All the variety of the island’s coastal scenery is to be met, and though it does not climb into the hills, the looming presence of Snaefell and its surrounding hills is visible for much of the route.
The route has been divided into eleven easy sections:
Douglas to Castletown | 19.75 miles | includes the Langness peninsula |
Castletown to Port St Mary | 6 miles | |
Port St Mary to Port Erin | 7 miles | |
Port Erin to Peel | 15 miles | can be shortened by leaving out Bradda Head and the Niarbyl) |
Peel to Kirk Michael | 7.5 miles | |
Kirk Michael to Jurby | 7 miles | |
Jurby to Point of Ayre | 8.5 miles | |
Point of Ayre to Ramsey | 7.5 miles | |
Ramsey to Maughold | 5 miles | |
Maughold to Laxey | 8 miles | |
Laxey to Douglas | 10 miles |
Route map
Resources
- Wikishire article: Raad ny Follian
- Raad ny Follian on ‘Visit the Isle of Man’