The Way of the Gull, the coastal path round the Isle of Man, in Visit Isle of Man's twelve stages clockwise from Douglas: Castletown and the south, the cliffs from Port Erin to Niarbyl, Peel, the beaches of the north to the Point of Ayre, Ramsey and Laxey.
Best season: May to October. Visit Isle of Man gives no season for the path: it can be walked in any order and either direction, in 4 to 12 days. The Isle of Man Government calls it a walk for experienced walkers only. The Sunday buses between Port Erin and Niarbyl (4R and 8R) run only from May to October, and the steam and electric railways run in season. Our weather figures give May to October as the best months. Time stages 7 to 9, on the northern beaches, to the tide. Before you go
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Twelve stages, Visit Isle of Man's own, each of about 6 to 21 km. Port St Mary, Port Erin, Peel and Ramsey have guest houses, and Kirk Michael has the Glen Wyllin campsite. We found no beds at Derbyhaven, Niarbyl, Jurby, the Point of Ayre, Maughold or Laxey: for those nights take a bus or the railway to a town with beds and back in the morning. Ramsey is the base for the north, and Bride, the nearest bus to the Point of Ayre, has few buses. Stages 7 to 9 are on the beach: time them to the tide. Choose a plan, or pick your own start, finish and nights below.
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
Stage 1: From the Millennium Bridge in Douglas south along the coast to the Ronaldsway Flying Club above Derbyhaven: 20.5 km (12.5 miles), moderate, highest point 110 m, the guide says; 20.7 km on our line. Coastal and cliff paths and roads, undulating, with steep rock slopes, thick undergrowth in places and one stretch on a main road. We found no beds at Derbyhaven: the stage panel lists buses 1, 1H, 2, 2A, 11, 12 and 12A and the steam railway at Ballasalla and Castletown.
Derbyhaven Town or village
Stage 1 ends at the Ronaldsway Flying Club, on the edge of the airport above Derbyhaven. We found no place to stay listed here. The stage panels list buses 1, 1H, 2, 2A, 11, 12 and 12A and the steam railway at Ballasalla and Castletown: take a bus to a town with beds and back in the morning.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 2: By Castletown to Alfred Pier in Port St Mary: 19.5 km (12 miles), leisurely, highest point 20 m; 19.4 km on our line. A low, mostly flat coastal path, with some road and track.
Port St Mary Town or village
Stage 2 ends at Alfred Pier. Visit Isle of Man lists guest houses here, Beachcroft Guest House on Beach Road among them (five rooms, open all year in 2026); we could not place it on the map. The steam railway runs on to Port Erin.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 3: Round the south tip by the Sound to Port Erin: 11 km (7 miles), moderate, highest point 143 m; 10.6 km on our line. Take care in strong winds. Dogs are not allowed on the path between the Sound and Port Erin. Two sections of the coastal path within Port Erin have been closed since landslips in late 2023 and early 2024, and our line still crosses them. The Port Erin Commissioners' last notice, of 8 October 2024, gives no reopening date, no detour and no exact place, so they may lie at the end of this stage or on the start of the next. Check the government's notice before you walk, and follow any signs on the ground; buses and the steam railway link Port St Mary and Port Erin.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Stage 3 ends on Port Erin bay, with guest houses on the seafront and the steam railway to Douglas. Two sections of the coastal path within Port Erin are closed after landslips: see the notice.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 4: Over Bradda Head and the cliffs to the Niarbyl Visitor Centre: 15 km (9.5 miles), strenuous, the hardest stage, with the highest point of the whole path at 437 m; 14.7 km on our line. Hard cliff and coastal walking through rough moorland, with many steep slopes: poles help. In bad weather the guide offers an inland route past Eary Cushlin. The closed landslip sections within Port Erin may be at the start of this stage, and our line still crosses them: check the Port Erin Commissioners' notice and follow any signs. We found no beds at Niarbyl.
Niarbyl Stay in or via Peel
Stage 4 ends at the Niarbyl Visitor Centre, with no beds. The stage 4 panel lists bus 4 (to Douglas by Peel) and, on Sundays from May to October only, the 4R and 8R: take a bus to Peel or another town for the night, and back in the morning.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 5: To Fenella Beach in Peel: 10 km (6 miles), moderate, highest point 100 m (141 m on Peel Hill); 8.8 km on our line. Road walking first, then coastal and cliff paths.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Stage 5 ends at Fenella Beach in Peel. Peel has the widest choice of beds on the west coast: guest houses on Marine Parade and in the town, The Manor House on Tynwald Road among them (nine rooms and a drying room). Until 30 January 2027, buses do not serve the Peel Promenade stops: use the Town Hall stop.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 6: North to the Glen Wyllin Campsite at Kirk Michael: 11.5 km (7 miles), moderate, highest point 63 m; 11.6 km on our line. Roads and the old railway, then the beach for the last stretch.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
Stage 6 ends at the Glen Wyllin Campsite, by Kirk Michael. Visit Isle of Man lists only self-catering cottages in Kirk Michael, so the campsite is the stay here; otherwise take the bus to Peel or Ramsey.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
The shore to Sartfield Beach (stage 7, km 3.4): After a first stretch on a footpath, the stage runs on sand and shingle to Sartfield Beach: Visit Isle of Man says to check the tide timetable before you set off. Check a tide table for the day and cross in the hours around low water.
Stage 7: To Sartfield Beach by Jurby: 11.5 km (7 miles), leisurely, highest point 35 m; 11.4 km on our line. A footpath first, then sand and shingle: check the tide timetable before you set off. We found no beds at Jurby; buses run to Ramsey.
Jurby Stay in or via Ramsey
Stage 7 ends on the shore at Sartfield Beach, by Jurby, with no beds. The stage 7 panel lists buses 17, 18 and 19 (17K and 18K on Sundays) to Ramsey, the base for the north.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
The shore from Jurby to the Point of Ayre (stage 8, km 0.2): Sand and shingle all the way to the lighthouse: Visit Isle of Man says to check the tide timetable before you set off. Otherwise: the heathland path round the Ayres, which the guide offers for part of the way. Check a tide table for the day and cross in the hours around low water.
Stage 8: Along the shore to the Point of Ayre lighthouse: 13.5 km (8.5 miles), leisurely, highest point 8 m; 13.0 km on our line. Sand and shingle, with a heathland path round the Ayres as an option: check the tide timetable. There is no bus at the lighthouse; the nearest stop is in Bride, with infrequent buses.
Point of Ayre Stay in or via Ramsey
Stage 8 ends at the Point of Ayre lighthouse, with no beds and no bus: the nearest stop is in Bride village, about 4 km away, with infrequent buses (17, 17K, 18, 18K and 20). Ramsey is the base for the north.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
The shore from the Point of Ayre to Ramsey (stage 9, km 0.6): Beach walking on sand and shingle to Ramsey: Visit Isle of Man says to check the tide timetable before you set off. Check a tide table for the day and cross in the hours around low water.
Stage 9: Down the east shore to Ramsey harbour: 9 km (5.5 miles), leisurely, highest point 5 m, the guide says; 11.4 km on our line. The guide's figure is shorter than the straight line between its own two grid references (about 10.4 km), so plan on ours. Beach walking on sand and shingle: check the tide timetable. At Ramsey harbour our line runs along East Quay, which OpenStreetMap maps as a harbour road with no entry: keep to the footway and follow the signs.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Stage 9 ends at Ramsey harbour. Ramsey is the base for the north, with guest houses (Baie Mooar House, and Yn Thie Jiarg on Seamount Road), buses and the Manx Electric Railway to Laxey and Douglas.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 10: From Ramsey harbour to Maughold church: 7 km (4.5 miles), moderate, highest point 103 m; 6.0 km on our line, starting along East Quay (keep to the footway). Roads first, then cliff paths. We found no beds at Maughold: buses 16, 16A and 16B and the Manx Electric Railway serve the area.
Maughold Stay in or via Ramsey
Stage 10 ends at Maughold church, with no beds found. The stage panel lists buses 16, 16A and 16B and the Manx Electric Railway: Ramsey is about 6 km back.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 11: To Laxey Promenade: 14 km (8.5 miles), moderate, highest point 210 m; 14.5 km on our line. An undulating coastal walk with some country roads inland; near Port Mooar the path is hard to find and sometimes wet. We found no serviced rooms in Laxey: the Manx Electric Railway runs to Douglas and Ramsey.
Laxey Town or village
Stage 11 ends on Laxey Promenade. We found only self-catering here, and a bed and breakfast up the valley in Agneash; the Shore Hotel's rooms are being renovated. Walkers often stay in Douglas or Ramsey and ride the Manx Electric Railway.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 12: Back to the Millennium Bridge in Douglas: 15 km (9.5 miles), moderate, highest point 112 m; 15.4 km on our line. Some road walking, undulating coastal paths and stretches inland on country roads.
Longest day: day 4, 5 h 35.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are measured on each stage's mapped line by our route analysis (terrain heights and our hiking-time model, moving time only): no time is published for these stages.Outside Switzerland our walking times often run short of the times route operators publish; treat them as optimistic. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays.Refuge dates come from the operator's own pages; when they are not published, we say so. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Where each stage ends, the 2026 and 2027 seasons the operator publishes, and how to book. Read from the operators' pages on 13 October 2026; each stage page shows the sources and the grade profile.
| Stage | Night at | 2026 | 2027 | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Douglas to Derbyhaven | Derbyhaven · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 2. Derbyhaven to Port St Mary | Port St Mary · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 3. Port St Mary to Port Erin | Balmoral Guest House | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 4. Port Erin to Niarbyl | Peel | Not checked | Not checked | |
| 5. Niarbyl to Peel | Waldick Guest House | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 6. Peel to Kirk Michael | Glen Wyllin Campsite | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 7. Kirk Michael to Jurby | Ramsey | Not checked | Not checked | |
| 8. Jurby to Point of Ayre | Ramsey | Not checked | Not checked | |
| 9. Point of Ayre to Ramsey | Baie Mooar House | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 10. Ramsey to Maughold | Ramsey | Not checked | Not checked | |
| 11. Maughold to Laxey | Laxey · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 12. Laxey to Douglas | Douglas · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
Loading the forecast for low point (-5 m) and high point (437 m)…
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (-5 m) and the highest point (437 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed |
| Stages rated good on typical weather | 1/12 | 3/12 | 11/12 | 12/12 | 12/12 | 12/12 | 12/12 | 12/12 | 12/12 | 12/12 | 12/12 | 6/12 |
| High point, day / night | 6°/2° | 6°/1° | 7°/2° | 9°/3° | 12°/5° | 15°/8° | 16°/10° | 16°/10° | 14°/8° | 11°/6° | 8°/4° | 6°/2° |
| Low point, day / night | 8°/3° | 8°/3° | 10°/3° | 13°/5° | 16°/7° | 18°/10° | 19°/12° | 19°/11° | 17°/10° | 14°/8° | 10°/5° | 8°/3° |
| Rain, mm | 102 | 84 | 76 | 68 | 66 | 74 | 75 | 92 | 90 | 121 | 127 | 117 |
| Snow at high point | Frost | Frost | Frost | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight | 7 h 53 | 9 h 44 | 11 h 44 | 13 h 59 | 15 h 57 | 17 h 09 | 16 h 42 | 14 h 58 | 12 h 49 | 10 h 39 | 8 h 35 | 7 h 23 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
There is no central booking for the path: book each night with the host, through its Visit Isle of Man listing or directly. All places to stay on the island must be registered and graded, the guide says, and many join the Walkers Welcome scheme. Beds are scarce on the north and west coasts between Peel and Ramsey, and we found none at six of the twelve stage ends, so plan the buses and railways for those nights.
Two sections of the coastal path within Port Erin have been closed since landslips in late 2023 and early 2024, and our line still crosses them. The Port Erin Commissioners' last notice, of 8 October 2024, says clearing them was too costly for now and funding would be considered; it gives no reopening date, no detour and no exact place. We found no later statement on 13 October 2026. Read the government's notice before you walk stages 3 and 4, follow any signs on the ground, and if a section is closed take the bus or the steam railway round it.
Port Erin Commissioners: the landslip noticeStages 7 to 9, from Kirk Michael by Jurby and the Point of Ayre to Ramsey, run on sand and shingle. Visit Isle of Man says to check the tide timetable before you set off on each; on stage 8 a heathland path round the Ayres is an option. There are no beds and few buses on this coast: Ramsey is the base.
Visit Isle of Man: the Raad ny Foillan guide (PDF)Stage 4 is graded strenuous: hard cliff and coastal walking through rough moorland, with many steep slopes and the path's highest point, 437 m. Poles help, and in bad weather the guide offers an inland route past Eary Cushlin. Dogs are not allowed between the Sound and Port Erin, on stage 3.
Visit Isle of Man: the Raad ny Foillan guide (PDF)Visit Isle of Man sends walkers to the Department of Infrastructure's closures map before they set off, and asks them to report problems on reportaproblem.im. The Isle of Man Government calls the path a walk for experienced walkers only.
Visit Isle of Man: Raad ny FoillanBus Vannin posts its changes on its travel updates page. On 13 October 2026: until 30 January 2027 buses do not serve the Peel Promenade or the House of Manannin stops (services 5, 5C and 6 stop at Peel Town Hall), and on Saturdays service 8 between Port Erin and Peel runs to the Friday timetable.
Bus Vannin: travel updatesClosures and notices last checked 13 October 2026: Bus Vannin: travel updates · Isle of Man Government: Raad ny Foillan · Port Erin Commissioners: Raad ny Foillan landslips · Visit Isle of Man: Raad ny Foillan. Check them again before you set out.
Getting there
Choose a stage or journey above to narrow the travel searches.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
The island is reached from the UK and Ireland by ferry or plane, Visit Isle of Man says; the ferries come in at Douglas and the airport is at Ronaldsway, where stage 1 ends. The loop starts at the Millennium Bridge over Douglas harbour.
Visit Isle of ManBus Vannin runs buses round the island; each stage panel in the guide names its routes. The steam railway runs from Douglas by Castletown and Port St Mary to Port Erin, and the Manx Electric Railway from Douglas by Laxey to Ramsey, both in season. The Point of Ayre has no bus: the nearest is in Bride, with few services.
Bus Vannin: timetablesThe loop ends where it began, at the Millennium Bridge in Douglas.
Isle of Man Government: the Raad ny Foillan coastal walkTake your trip with you
Prepare each stage while you still have a connection: on the cliffs of the south-west and the northern beaches the signal can be weak.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Visit Isle of Man's twelve stages add up to 157.5 km ("almost 160 km"), and the Isle of Man Government gives about 95 miles (153 km); the guide says 4 to 12 days, in 12 sections on our map. The guide's day planner offers a 12-day plan on the overnight stops, and you can choose your own nights.
May to October. Visit Isle of Man gives no season for the path: it can be walked in any order and either direction, in 4 to 12 days.
The island is reached from the UK and Ireland by ferry or plane, Visit Isle of Man says; the ferries come in at Douglas and the airport is at Ronaldsway, where stage 1 ends. The "Connect your journey" section has the travel details, with 2 more travel notes.
There is no central booking for the path: book each night with the host, through its Visit Isle of Man listing or directly.
Yes: the whole route and every section, free, for a GPS watch or a phone. The guide also saves your plan for offline use in the app.
Closures we know of are shown on the days and sections they affect, in the day planner and on the stage pages. We watch 4 official notice pages (Bus Vannin: travel updates; Isle of Man Government: Raad ny Foillan; Port Erin Commissioners: Raad ny Foillan landslips; Visit Isle of Man: Raad ny Foillan); the date we last read them is shown with the notices on this page. Check them again before you set off.
Route & sources
Visit Isle of Man publishes the Raad ny Foillan as twelve stages, clockwise from the Millennium Bridge in Douglas and back: 157.5 km added up ("almost 160 km" in its introduction), each with its distance, grade and highest point. It publishes no stage times, so the times here are measured on our line. The Isle of Man Government gives about 95 miles (153 km) in four areas. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (relation 231798, from the planet of 11 October 2026): a 157.4 km loop, cut at the twelve stage ends at the guide's own grid references, except Port Erin, where the reference is 0.5 km west of the bay and our cut is on the bay itself. Every stage is within 1.2 km of the guide's figure but one: stage 9, Point of Ayre to Ramsey, is 11.4 km on our line against the guide's 9 km. The guide's 9 km is shorter than the straight line between its own two grid references (about 10.4 km), so we give our figure. Two sections of the path within Port Erin have been closed by landslips since 2023 and 2024, and our line still crosses them: see stages 3 and 4. Our climb is measured on terrain heights, so the short steep steps on the cliffs are smoothed out.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Visit Isle of Man: Raad ny FoillanMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation
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