Coast
The sea on every side, and the wildlife that comes with it. The Calf of Man and its bird observatory, Manx shearwaters, choughs, razorbills and kittiwakes, basking sharks in summer, seals, the Sound, Langness, the Point of Ayre, Spanish Head and the Chicken Rock lighthouse. The whole island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the only entire jurisdiction to hold that status. Also Raad ny Foillan, the coastal path that goes all the way round, and the herring fishery that the island lived on before it lived on visitors.
Part of Isle of Man
111 moments in this segment.
- - Isle of Man Sea Terminal. The Isle of Man Sea Terminal at Douglas. The terminal is the island's principal point of arrival and sits at the head of the harbour that made Douglas the capital.
- - Niarbyl - Thatched fisherman's cottage at Niarbyl Bay. A thatched fisherman's cottage at Niarbyl Bay on the west coast. Niarbyl means 'the tail' in Manx, from the reef running out from the shore, and the cottages sit directly on the beach where boats were worked.
- - Douglas - Marine Drive (A37) - Coastal scenery. Coastal scenery from Marine Drive, the A37 south of Douglas. The road was cut as a Victorian scenic route along the cliffs and is now partly closed to traffic by rockfall.
- - Douglas - Marine Drive (A37) - Coastline. The coastline from Marine Drive, the A37 south of Douglas. Marine Drive was built as a Victorian toll road for carriages and trams along the cliff edge.
- - Douglas - Marine Drive - Road closure at SW end. The road closure at the south-west end of Marine Drive. The cliff route has been progressively abandoned to landslip since the Victorian period.
- - The Beach at Glen Maye, Isle of Man. The beach at the bottom of Glen Maye gorge on the west coast. The island's glens are wooded ravines running down to the sea and are a distinct Manx landscape category.
- - Footpath at Aldrick, Isle of Man. The coastal footpath at Aldrick between Port Erin and the Sound. The Raad ny Foillan, the Road of the Gull, is the waymarked path that encircles the whole island.
- - Lighthouses, foghorn & tholtan (derelict building), Calf of Man. The lighthouses, foghorn and a tholtan, a derelict building, on the Calf of Man. The lights are now unoccupied following automation, though the central foghorn is still in use.
- - Emeraude france douglas. The ferry Emeraude France in Douglas Harbour. The island's sea links run mainly to Liverpool and Heysham, with seasonal routes to Ireland.
- - Cormorant1. A cormorant on the Manx coast. Shags and cormorants breed on the cliffs alongside kittiwakes, razorbills and the Manx shearwater.
- - Niarble view to the South - panoramio. Niarbyl looking south along the west coast. The bay's thatched cottages and reef make it one of the most photographed points on the island.
- - Calf of Man. The Calf of Man (Yn Cholloo). The Manx shearwater, Puffinus puffinus, takes its scientific and common name from the island; the Calf colony was devastated by rats historically and has been the subject of restoration work.
- - Spanish Head from Black Head. Spanish Head seen from Black Head, with the Chicken Rock lighthouse in the distance. Chicken Rock stands off the Calf of Man and was for decades one of the loneliest keepers' postings in the British Isles before automation.
- - 2008 October - Port Erin Bay in the Isle of Man on a stormy day. Port Erin bay on a stormy October day. Port Erin, Purt Chiarn in Manx, was half of the Rushen internment camp in 1940, when the wire enclosed the whole town.
- - Isle of Rum Manx shearwaters. Manx shearwaters filmed at their colony on the Isle of Rum in Scotland. The species is named for the Isle of Man, where the Calf of Man colony was historically devastated by rats, a bird whose Manx name is avoided at sea in favour of longtail.
- - The Calf Of Man, Calf Sound, Isle Of Man.. The Calf of Man and Calf Sound. The Calf covers almost one square mile and is separated from the mainland by the Sound, and it is a bird observatory as well as a nature reserve.
- - Douglas Port, Isle of Man. Douglas Port. The harbour is the island's main freight and passenger gateway, and the reason the capital moved here from Castletown.
- - Swirling currents off Kitterland. Currents swirling off Kitterland, the islet in Calf Sound. The Sound runs between the mainland and the Calf of Man and the tide through it is fast enough to be dangerous.
- - Irish Quay Lighthouse Castletown - geograph.org.uk - 1701562 (cropped). The Irish Quay lighthouse at Castletown (Balley Chashtal). The harbour lights mark the entrance at the mouth of the Silverburn.
- - Untitled. The Manx coast at the Point of Ayre, the island's northern extremity. The Isle of Man is the only entire jurisdiction in the world designated a UNESCO Biosphere, a status awarded in 2016 and covering all its land and all its territorial sea.
- - Gob ny Skey
- - No Respect - panoramio. A pigeon on the war memorial at Douglas. The island sent men to both world wars while simultaneously housing Britain's internment camps.
- - Cliff edge with Man. The Isle of Man seen across the sea from clifftop turf near Knock Knowe on the Galloway coast. The island's position in the middle of the Irish Sea is what made it a centre of the Norse-Gaelic sea kingdom rather than a periphery of it.
- - Cliff View. The Isle of Man seen across Luce Bay from the Scottish coast. Norse rule here ran roughly from the 9th century to 1265, and the Treaty of Perth transferred Mann and the Hebrides from Norway to Scotland in 1266.
- - S Quay, Douglas, Isle of Man - panoramio. South Quay, Douglas. The quays handled the fishing fleet and the coastal trade before the harbour was given over largely to the passenger link.
- - Manx Loaghtan Three Rams. Three Manx Loaghtan rams on the Calf of Man. The Loaghtan carries four horns, occasionally six, caused by a mutation in the HOXD1 gene that lets horn buds split during development.
- - Leaving The Calf Of Man At Speed. A boat leaving the Calf of Man at speed through the Sound. The tidal race between the Calf and the mainland is one of the strongest in the Irish Sea.
- - Calf of Man (72). The Calf of Man (Yn Cholloo), the small island half a mile off the south-west coast. It is a nature reserve and bird observatory run by Manx National Heritage, where around 33 species of seabird breed.
- - Trees round the car park. Trees around the car park at the Ayres, the shingle and heath plain at the island's northern tip. The Ayres is one of the most distinctive habitats on the island and forms the approach to the Point of Ayre.
- - Isle of Man by Drone - Port Mooar. Drone footage of Port Mooar, on the east coast near Maughold. Maughold parish holds one of the island's most significant collections of early Christian cross slabs.
- - Niarbyl - Isle of Man by Drone. Niarbyl from the air. The bay is one of the island's most photographed stretches of coast and lies on the Raad ny Foillan.
- - Port Erin at night, May, 2017. Port Erin beach at night, May 2017. The island's low light pollution is a documented feature of its whole-territory UNESCO Biosphere designation, awarded in 2016.
- - Castletown. Entering Castletown harbour. Castletown (Balley Chashtal) was the island's capital until the seat of government moved to Douglas in 1874.
- - Isle of man, 19 May 2017-1. Cliffs on the Isle of Man, May 2017. Around 33 species of seabird breed on the Calf of Man alone, including Manx shearwater, kittiwake, razorbill and shag.
- - Isle of Man 100 Mile Thru-Hike: Raad Ny Foillan. A hundred mile thru-hike of the Raad ny Foillan. The Road of the Gull runs right around the island's coast and links its headlands, beaches, cliffs and harbours.
- - Calf of Man Seal Watch July 2018. Seal watching at the Calf of Man in July 2018. Grey seals haul out around the Sound and the Calf, alongside breeding colonies of kittiwakes, razorbills, shags and Manx shearwaters.
- - ANWP Wildlife Seals and Birds on The Isle of Mann. Seals and birds around the island's coast. Around 33 species of seabird breed on the Calf of Man, including Manx shearwater, kittiwake, razorbill and shag, with chough, stonechat and raven present year round.
- - Port Erin panorama. Port Erin (Purt Chiarn) bay. In 1940 the wire of Rushen Camp was drawn around this town and Port St Mary rather than around a compound, so residents and internees lived inside the same perimeter.
- - Douglas Marina, Isle of Man
- - Port Erin on the Isle of Man. Port Erin (Purt Chiarn) on the island's south-west coast. The bay is enclosed by Bradda Head to the north and the cliffs running out to the Sound in the south.
- - Langness Peninsula 🏝 Part 2/5 🏜 Isle of Man TT 🇮🇲 4K. The Langness peninsula, near Castletown in the south of the island, filmed during TT fortnight. Langness carries a lighthouse and the ruined Herring Tower, and sits well away from the Mountain Course.
- - Langness Peninsula 🏝 Part 1/5 🏜 Isle of Man TT 🇮🇲 4K. The Langness peninsula in the south of the island. Langness is a low limestone headland near Castletown carrying a lighthouse, and the site of the Iron Age and later occupation at Fort Island.
- - Isle of Man DAY 2 - Castletown to Port Erin (13 miles on the Raad ny Foillan coast path). Day two of a run along the Raad ny Foillan, from Castletown to Port Erin. This southern stretch passes Langness, Scarlett Point and the limestone coast.
- - Isle of Man DAY 6 - GRAND FINALE! Maughold to Douglas (17 miles on the Raad ny Foillan coast path). The final day of a coastal path run, from Maughold to Douglas. Maughold Head is one of the island's principal seabird headlands and gives its name to the parish of St Maughold.
- - Land Cruising - Isle of Man - Niarbyl. Driving to Niarbyl on the west coast. Niarbyl is Manx for the tail, after the rock reef running out from the shore, and the point exposes the junction of two ancient continental plates.
- - New CEO of the Manx Wildlife Trust. The new chief executive of the Manx Wildlife Trust. The Trust manages reserves across an island designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2016, a status that has since been subject to periodic review.
- - Snorkeling with Seals - Calf of Man. Snorkelling with seals at the Calf of Man. The Calf lies half a mile off the south west coast and is a nature reserve and bird observatory run by Manx National Heritage.
- - MWT Bird Warden, Aron, on the Manx shearwaters of the Calf of Man. The Calf of Man's bird warden on Manx shearwaters. The Manx shearwater, Puffinus puffinus, is named for the island; its colony on the Calf was historically devastated by rats and has been the subject of restoration work.
- - Aron on bird ringing on the Calf of Man. Bird ringing on the Calf of Man. The Calf of Man Bird Observatory has been recording migration and breeding populations since the twentieth century; around 33 species of seabird breed on the island.
- - Isle of Man, Douglas Marina, Douglas Harbour and Marine Drive. Douglas Marina, harbour and Marine Drive. Douglas harbour has been the island's main port since the Steam Packet's first crossing to Liverpool on 17 August 1830.
- - Raad ny Foillan Douglas to Castletown isle of man. Walking the Raad ny Foillan from Douglas to Castletown. Raad ny Foillan means Road of the Gull, one of many Manx-language names carried by features and routes across the island.
- - UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man: vision and strategy. The island's UNESCO Biosphere vision and strategy. The Isle of Man became the first entire jurisdiction designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, in 2016, covering all its land and all its territorial sea.
- - Exploring maughold cliffs and hidden beaches Isle of Man 🇮🇲 pt 1. Exploring the cliffs and hidden beaches at Maughold. Maughold Head carries a lighthouse, and the parish holds one of the island's most important collections of early Christian cross slabs.
- - 4 Days Hiker Camp around the Isle of Man - Raad ny Follian (Coastal Footpath) - part 2. The second part of a four day camping hike around the Raad ny Foillan. The coastal footpath is the main way the island's whole shoreline is accessible on foot.
- - 4 Days Hiker Camp around the Isle of Man - Raad ny Follian (Coastal Footpath) - part 3. The third part of a four day camping hike around the island's coastal footpath. The Raad ny Foillan runs through the island's cliff coast, its beaches and its harbour towns.
- - Cliff path at Glen Maye, Isle Of Man, Ray Kelly. The cliff path at Glen Maye on the west coast. Glen Maye is one of the island's national glens, wooded ravines that run down to the sea and form a distinct Manx landscape category.
- - 4 Days Hiker Camp around the Isle of Man - Raad ny Follian (Coastal Footpath) - part 1. The first part of a four day camping hike around the island's coast. The Raad ny Foillan is the main long distance route on an island small enough to walk around in under a week.
- - A Great Place For A Day Out | NIARBYL BEACH 🇮🇲 ISLE OF MAN tEAvEE. A day out at Niarbyl beach on the west coast. Niarbyl is a Manx place name meaning the tail, one of thousands of Manx-language names that remain in everyday use across the island regardless of who speaks the language.
- - J3729 : A weak squall line approaching the South Down Coast from the direction of the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man on the horizon, seen from Thomas's Mountain quarry on the County Down coast with a squall line approaching. The island sits in the middle of the Irish Sea and is visible from Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales in clear conditions.
- - Isle of Man Ep 14 Fort Island and Langness Peninsula. Fort Island and the Langness peninsula, near Castletown. Castletown was the island's capital until 1869 and holds Castle Rushen, where the Revestment Act was read publicly on 11 July 1765.
- - PORT ERIN BEACH | Best Manx Beaches 🇮🇲 isle of man. Port Erin beach on the south west coast. Port Erin (Purt Chiarn) faces a sheltered bay and was a Victorian resort as well as a fishing station.
- - Maughold Kayak trip. A kayak trip along the coast at Maughold. Maughold Head is a nesting site for seabirds and lies on the island's north east coast.
- - Professor Peter Bridgewater delivers UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man Lecture 2019. Professor Peter Bridgewater delivers the UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man lecture for 2019. The island's Biosphere status was awarded in 2016 and is subject to periodic UNESCO review.
- - Port Erin Beach 07. The beach at Port Erin (Purt Chiarn). The sheltered bay made the town a resort in the Victorian period, which is precisely why it had the boarding house stock that was requisitioned in 1940.
- - Santon Marine Drive 77. Marine Drive between Douglas and Santon. The cliffs here run unbroken for several miles, which is typical of the island's east and south coasts.
- - Douglas Harbour 2. Douglas Harbour. Before the Steam Packet was founded in 1830, crossings from here were irregular and vessels unreliable, and the island could be cut off for weeks at a time.
- - Peel Headlands. The headlands at Peel (Purt ny hInshey). Peel is the island's principal west coast port and the historic centre of the herring fishery.
- - Port Erin Beach on a cloudy summer day. 4,000 women were interned across Port Erin and Port St Mary from May 1940, and at times more than 80 per cent of the two towns' combined population were internees.
- - Castletown Silverburn River 05. The Silverburn river at Castletown (Balley Chashtal). The river runs out through the old capital past Castle Rushen to the harbour.
- - Flowers on Bradda East
- - Douglas Coast 5. The coast at Douglas. The Isle of Man's Biosphere designation covers its territorial sea as well as its land, which is what makes it a whole-jurisdiction reserve rather than a protected area within one.
- - Santon Marine Drive 45. Marine Drive between Douglas and Santon. Rockfall has closed sections of the road permanently to vehicles, and it now serves mainly as a walking route.
- - Cregneash Spanish Head View to the Calf of Man 4. The view from Spanish Head at Cregneash across to the Calf of Man. The Spanish Head name attaches to a legend of a wrecked galleon for which no evidence exists.
- - Path between Port Erin and the Sound. The path between Port Erin and the Sound. The coastal footpath here runs above the cliffs where choughs, ravens and peregrines breed.
- - Isle of Man 4k Drone. Drone footage over the island. The Isle of Man became the world's first entire-jurisdiction UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2016, a designation covering all its land and all its territorial sea.
- - Wild beach camp on the isle of man Fleshwick to niarbyl west coast. A kayak journey and wild beach camp from Fleshwick to Niarbyl on the west coast. Niarbyl means the tail in Manx, from the reef that runs out from the shore there.
- - Peel Headland Cliff Abseil and Coastal Explore. Isle of Man.. Abseiling and exploring the headland at Peel. Peel, Purt ny hInshey in Manx, sits beside St Patrick's Isle, on which Peel Castle was originally built by the Norse in the eleventh century.
- - UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man Lecture 2023. The UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man lecture for 2023. The Biosphere programme requires periodic review, and the island's status is assessed rather than permanent.
- - Wild camping to a remote beach south east of the Isle of Man on the raad ny foillan. Kayaking and wild camping on a remote beach on the south east coast, on the Raad ny Foillan. The coastal path and the sea approaches together give access to shorelines with no road.
- - Backpacking Wildcamping around the Isle of Man - Raad Ny Foillan - Way of the gull Wild Camp. Pt. 1. Backpacking and wild camping around the Raad ny Foillan, the Way of the Gull. The path circles the whole coast of an island roughly 32 miles long and 14 wide.
- - Backpacking the Isle of Man pt 2 walking hiking round the Raad Ny Foillan Isle of Man coastal path. Walking the second stage of the Raad ny Foillan. The path passes cliff coast, shingle spits and the headlands where choughs, notably abundant on the island relative to Britain, breed.
- - Rocky Foreshore. The rocky foreshore at Niarbyl on the west coast. The reef here exposes the geological junction between two ancient continental plates, which is why the site draws geologists as well as walkers.
- - The Eye
- - 2. Talking in the Dark with the Manx Wildlife Trust. A conversation with the Manx Wildlife Trust. The Trust and Manx BirdLife are the island's principal conservation bodies, working across a jurisdiction whose entire land area and territorial sea are a UNESCO Biosphere.
- - Marine Drive and Fort Anne Road, Douglas IOM. Marine Drive and Fort Anne Road at Douglas. Marine Drive was built as a Victorian toll road along the cliffs south of Douglas Head and once carried an electric tramway.
- - Tasha MWT Presentation. A Manx Wildlife Trust presentation. The Trust's work covers marine as well as terrestrial habitat, since the island's Biosphere designation includes all its territorial sea.
- - Hiking Adventure Part 3 Isle of Man coastal path: Raad ny Foillan. Part of a hike along the Raad ny Foillan coastal path. The route runs roughly a hundred miles around the island and takes in cliffs, headlands, beaches and harbours.
- - UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man Lecture 2024. The UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man annual lecture for 2024. The island was designated in 2016 as the first whole jurisdiction Biosphere Reserve, and has since submitted its first ten year periodic review.
- - The Isle of Man: What it Means to Be a UNESCO Biosphere. What it means for the Isle of Man to be a UNESCO Biosphere. The designation, awarded in 2016, covers all the island's land and all its territorial sea, which is what makes it a whole-jurisdiction reserve.
- - IOM Government Conference 2024 - UNESCO Biosphere as a Small Island: The 5 E's. A government conference session on the island's UNESCO Biosphere status as a small island. The island submitted its first Biosphere periodic review in ten years and the designation has been under review, so it is not permanently secured.
- - Working with Manx Wildlife Trust Rangers, felling and milling, can’t wait to start building.. Woodland work with Manx Wildlife Trust rangers, felling and milling timber. The Manx Wildlife Trust manages nature reserves across the island, which has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in its entirety since 2016.
- - Isle of Man Bonus - Point of Ayre National Reserve and Lighthouse. The Point of Ayre national reserve and lighthouse at the island's northern tip. The Point of Ayre is a shingle spit built by longshore drift, and its lighthouse was designed by Robert Stevenson.
- - Ep.39 What's the Skeet Mark Emmington? Unesco Biosphere Isle of Man. Mark Emmington on UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man. The island was designated in 2016 and is the first and so far only whole jurisdiction Biosphere Reserve, covering all its land and all its territorial sea.
- - Hidden Gem Beaches of the Isle of Man | Port Soderick to Keristal Beach Walk & Brew. A coastal walk from Port Soderick to Keristal beach. This stretch of the east coast lies on the Raad ny Foillan, the Road of the Gull, the footpath that encircles the island.
- - Sunny Day at Laxey Beach - Gelato, Drone Views & Hands Free Filming | Isle of Man Vicar. A sunny day at Laxey beach, with drone views. Laxey (Laksaa) sits at the mouth of the Laxey River, which carried the drainage water that the Great Laxey Wheel pumped out of the mines from 1854.
- - Vincent Wildlife Trust - The Manx Stoat - It's All in the Tail! Manx Wildlife Week 2025. The Manx stoat, discussed for Manx Wildlife Week. The island's mammal fauna is limited and largely introduced, which is part of why its seabird colonies, particularly on the Calf of Man, matter so much.
- - Perspective 30.11.25 - why do we need the Manx Wildlife Trust?. A discussion of why the island needs the Manx Wildlife Trust. Conservation on the island operates under a UNESCO Biosphere designation awarded in 2016 that covers the whole jurisdiction, land and territorial sea alike.
- - Walking the Raad ny Foillan (Part 1) | Port Erin ➜ The Sound | Real-Time Walk. Walking the Raad ny Foillan from Port Erin to the Sound in real time. The Sound is the strait between the mainland of the island and the Calf of Man (Yn Cholloo).
- - I Investigated Langness Island!!!. An exploration of Langness. The peninsula near Castletown carries a lighthouse and the Herring Tower, a stone daymark built when the herring fishery was the island's principal industry.
- - The Stunning Coast of the Isle of Man. The island's coastline. The Isle of Man's whole coast and its territorial sea are included in the UNESCO Biosphere designation awarded in 2016.
- - Search for new Trustees and importance of their role within the organisation. A Manx charity seeking new trustees. The island's conservation and heritage work is substantially carried by volunteer-run charities, including the Manx Wildlife Trust, the Rushen Heritage Trust and the Knockaloe Centre.
- - We met up with Monty Halls in January to look at the Wildlife Experience Week in the Isle of Man.. The Manx Wildlife Trust with Monty Halls, planning a wildlife experience week. Basking sharks are among the island's most notable marine visitors, with most sightings recorded within one kilometre of land.
- - Harbour Seal Swimming at Calf Sound. A harbour seal swimming at Calf Sound. Manx waters also hold basking sharks, with most sightings recorded within one kilometre of land, as well as dolphins and whales.
- - Battling the Storm at Langness! Waves, Wind & a Brew in the Ruins. Storm conditions at Langness. The Langness peninsula near Castletown carries a lighthouse and the ruined Herring Tower, a daymark built for the herring fleet that was once the island's mainstay.
- - Niarbyl 🇮🇲 Isle of Man (4K Drone). Niarbyl on the west coast, filmed by drone. The name is Manx for the tail, after the rock reef that runs out into the sea; the point is also where two ancient continental plates meet in the exposed rock.
- - Niarbyl January Walk. A January walk at Niarbyl. The west coast here faces Ireland, and on clear days the Mourne Mountains are visible across the Irish Sea.
- - Manx Wildlife Trust: Offshore windfarm ecological assessments 'inadequate'. The Manx Wildlife Trust calls offshore windfarm ecological assessments inadequate. Marine development in Manx territorial waters falls inside a UNESCO Biosphere designation that covers the whole of the island's sea area.
- - 100 Miles Around the Isle of Man - Our Raad ny Foillan Adventure Begins. Beginning a hundred mile walk around the Raad ny Foillan. The Road of the Gull was opened as a waymarked route and links the island's entire coastline.
- - Port St Mary 🇮🇲 Isle of Man (4K Drone). Port St Mary from the air. The village is Purt le Moirrey in Manx and, with Port Erin, formed the Rushen women's internment camp in 1940 when the wire was drawn around both towns.
- - Point of Ayre Revisited. The Point of Ayre, the island's northernmost tip. The point is a shifting shingle spit with a lighthouse, and it is the low counterpart to the cliff coast at the southern end.
- - WILDTHING - Derek v Derek with Derek Gow. Derek Gow talking about wildlife restoration. The island's whole territory is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, a designation awarded in 2016 that makes species and habitat restoration a jurisdiction-wide policy question.
