Isle of Man – Raad ny Follian

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