The Steam Heritage Trail

Thursday 9th April 2026

My knee started to hurt on the previous day’s walk. I don’t know what I had done to aggravate it because it started to hurt as soon as I started the walk and it just got worse as the day progressed. At the start of this walk my knee was feeling stiff and ideally I should have been resting it, but I find that difficult to do when I’m on holiday and the only thing I want to do is walk. Since the weather had deteriorated I felt that I could rest it by doing a relatively easy walk by walking along the Steam Heritage Trail, which runs along the course of an old railway that used to run between the city of Douglas, on the Isle of Man, and the town of Peel. I wanted to do this trail when I first came to the Isle of Man last year, but I felt it was too easy when there are many more exciting walks to do on this wondrous island. Now, with the poor weather and my dodgy knee, I thought this would be the best time to do it, so with drizzle in the air I made my way through Douglas from my accommodation to Quarter Bridge where I joined the start of the trial, which initially runs along a tarmac road alongside the busy main road. After I left the road, plunging into gorgeous woodland surroundings, wild garlic dominated the scene, though it wasn’t in flower yet, unlike at Easter last year. Wood anemones could also be seen and at Union Mills I could see some early flowering bluebells, as well as primroses and celandines.

The trail never strayed far from the River Dhoo and the best displays were often on its banks. Soon, the rain cleared and after passing Glen Vine blue sky appeared ahead of me, however, it wasn’t to last. Walking along an old railway line soon gets monotonous as there is little change in the view and the gradient is flat, which was helping my knee, but was tedious to walk upon. With nothing to interest me I just disengaged my brain and kept repeatedly putting one foot in front of the other, appreciating the wild scenery as it passed. Between Crosby and Greeba the ground by the side of the path was very water-logged, marshy, which helped the growth of marsh marigold whose bright, yellow flowers provided a welcome decoration. After passing St Johns, soon after passing over the River Neb, I branched right off the trail, despite having several more miles to go into Peel, to follow the course of the old railway line that used to run up the coast, around the hills and eventually reach the town of Ramsey. The Steam Heritage Trail had kept to the low ground between the hills in the north of the island and those to the south, largely running beside rivers and had a good hard surface underfoot, suitable for cycles. 

This path was very different, being grassy and passed through hillier terrain, dominated by farmland. It was lined by hawthorn and gorse and more railway engineering was required on this branch with cuttings and embankments often encountered as the old railway cut through the undulating farmland. Eventually I was joined by the coastal footpath, Raad ny Foillan, but despite the proximity of the sea the scenery wasn’t much better as the rain fell again, albeit briefly, until eventually I reached Glen Mooar where the railway used to cross the deep valley on an impressive viaduct, but this has sadly gone with just the tall, stone pillars remaining in remembrance. I wanted to explore the valley so instead of following the coastal path onto the beach I turned inland on a path that took me through gorgeous woodland, though my knees screamed at having to climb the side of the valley. Even though the woodland floor was filled with many green plants, none of the wild flowers were actually flowering, though I’m sure they were a few short weeks later. At the top of the path I could hear a noisy waterfall and a path led me steeply down to the foot of Spooyt Vane in its stunning woodland surround. After taking a few pictures I climbed back up the steep path, doing everything I could to ease the pressure on my knees, until I reached a lane that took me out of the valley and back onto the course of the railway. 

Soon, I reached another valley, Glen Wyllin, where a steep descent brought me down to the banks of the river and a caravan park where I found a path that led me back up the side of the valley, firing up my glutes on the steep ascent. The path continued into Cooildarry Nature Reserve, which was a great valley filled with many wondrous delights, enlivened by the sun coming out at just this moment. Unfortunately I felt I needed to rush to catch a bus so I didn't linger, walking briskly through the fabulous scenery until I finally climbed out of the valley and onto the road just outside Kirk Michael. These two valleys were a treat after my long walk along the old railway line and, apart from a few complaints in the glens at the end, my knees were quiet. Despite poor weather for most of the day I was able to do a great walk through some fabulous wild scenery.

Slieau Freoghane and the Millennium Way

Wednesday 8th April 2026

The forecast for this day was for a significant easing of the strong, cold winds that had afflicted me so far, this Easter, on the Isle of Man, so I was keen to take advantage by staying up high in the hills for as long as possible. Therefore, I decided to follow part of the Millennium Way, which was created to celebrate the one thousandth anniversary of the Isle of Man parliament in 1979. On the previous day I had walked along the first couple of miles of the trail through Silverdale Glen, before leaving it to its tedious course along the minor B35 road. I now picked it up again in the small village of Crosby as it began to climb towards the hills in the northern half of the Manx island. However, when the Millennium Way began to descend into the valley of West Baldwin I kept climbing following a track that took me into the hills across the eastern slopes of Slieau Ruy. There hadn’t been a cloud in the sky when I got up in the city of Douglas but tragically it had now clouded over, though the winds were gentle, as promised. I still enjoyed the walk, despite the poor views, rejoicing in the light winds, and relished the climb even when I missed a turning and had to cross the heather-covered, pathless slopes to get back on the clear path. I walked briskly, devouring the miles, passing the slight rise of Lhargee Ruy on the northern ridge of Slieau Ruy, past two cairns and across the western slopes of Colden.

At the col with Slieau Maggle I came onto a clear track that helped me up my pace even more until I reached a minor road where a rocky path climbed beside a plantation before the gradient eased and I finally branched off the track to reach the summit of Slieau Freoghane, which is the highest point in this range of hills, but the most surprising feature of this hill is that the summit is adorned with a trig point, a cairn and a bell, erected on a short pole. I gave this a gentle ring and took a few pictures before setting off along the ridge to rejoin the track where I actually turned right to head back the way I’d come, before turning sharp right to turn north again and continue along the eastern side of the ridge passing Slieau Dhoo. The grey, overcast skies now began to clear revealing blue skies and the sun, which was most unexpected, but welcome, while a dark cloud lingered over Snaefell with Sulby Reservoir in the valley between. In the sunshine, this was fabulous walking, so I was enjoying myself immensely until eventually I reached a road where I soon turned right onto a track with views ahead of me towards Snaefell while I descended, increasingly steeply, into a conifer plantation, which was painful, not just in my knees, but also in the knowledge that I would have to climb back up again.

When I reached the bottom of Sulby Glen I discovered that the path I wanted to take up Tholt-y-Will Glen was closed, which was really frustrating as I had deliberately come all this way instead of sticking to the Millennium Way just so I could take this walk through the wooded valley. I considered climbing over the locked gate, but prudently turned around and walked up the road past Sulby Reservoir. It was distressing for me to see dozens of discarded cans and bottles beside the road, as I can’t imagine how anyone could be so thoughtless as to toss these things from their cars. The sunshine had proved to be short-lived with Snaefell, ahead of me, now hiding within the clouds as I slowly climbed up the road until I reached the Millennium Way, which, while I had been elsewhere, had climbed out of West Baldwin and crossed between the hills of Carraghan and Beinn-y-Phott. Looking south I could not see any sign of the path but a clear track headed north, though it wasn’t long before it branched off to cross the slopes of Snaefell, as the skies brightened again, on a vague, often muddy path. I was disappointed by the lack of investment in maintaining the footpath of the Millennium Way, which indicates that it doesn’t get many people walking on it, and at least then it would be clearer.

The ground became increasingly wet with the path difficult to follow as I descended into a valley and was even more so as I climbed back out. When I reached the top of a broad saddle I lost all trace of a path and I realised that I had strayed from the correct route, so I had to cross the boggy col to reach the clear path. Soon after that the path joined a green lane, becoming a gravel track which helped me pick up my pace again as the sun came out and the temperatures rose. This was an enjoyable, relaxing descent, the path later becoming lined with gorse and then, while passing through Sky Hill Plantation, it was lined with the gorgeous white flowers of wood sorrel, and pre-flowering bluebells. Eventually I came down to the bottom of the path where I was confronted with the harsh reality of the main road which I had to walk along to take me into the town of Ramsey where I was able to catch a tram back to Douglas. This was a very enjoyable walk with some great moments striding across the hills with little or no wind to impede my progress, while the negatives were the closed footpath and a painful knee which got worse as the walk progressed.