The sleek black arc is there and then gone beneath the foamy green surf. I’m almost certain I’ve seen a whale—the smooth, curving motion nothing like the bobbing of yesterday’s porpoises—but it’s the only glimpse I’ll get today. I keep scanning the water anyway, yellow gorse on my right and the rolling swell on my left, a habit that’s hard to break on the Raad ny Foillan, the roughly 100-mile path that loops the entire coast of the Isle of Man.
About 32 miles long and 13 miles wide, the craggy island lies in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, yet it belongs to neither: It’s a self-governing Crown Dependency.
People have lived here for some 10,000 years, and the path passes traces of nearly every chapter, from Neolithic tombs to the Celtic culture that gave the island its language to the Vikings, who arrived around 800 C.E. and left their mark on place names and government.
Beaches where seals wrestle and migratory birds nest, townships with medieval castles, wildflower-strewn churchyards dotted with Norse stone crosses: That blend helped the Isle of Man become, in 2016, the first entire nation designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. (São Tomé and Príncipe followed in 2025 and Aruba in 2026.)
I walked the full loop clockwise, booking my own hotels and luggage transfers. If you’d rather hand off the logistics, operators such as Responsible Travel and Celtic Trails Walking Holidays arrange self-guided, hotel-to-hotel trips with your bags moved ahead each day, so you carry only a daypack.
What to see on the Isle of Man
Peel Castle sprawls across St. Patrick’s Isle, its red sandstone walls rising straight from the shore.
Photo by Stephen Richard McAdam/Shutterstock
Most hikers start in the capital, Douglas, and walk clockwise. Before setting out, get some context at the Manx Museum, where The Story of Mann is a whistle-stop tour through the island’s history and the galleries hold a hoard of Viking silver and inscribed Celtic grave markers.
Heading south out of Douglas, the trail hugs the coastline, passing the Great Union Camera Obscura, a Victorian-era attraction offering fine views over the city. Quickly taking on a more rural feel, the undulating terrain dips in and out of coves and beaches.
Castletown lies 16 miles south of Douglas, or 20 if you take in the Langness Peninsula—rich in bird and marine life and home to a 12th-century chapel and a cannon-lined 17th-century fort. Castletown itself is home to Castle Rushen, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval castles. Climb the spiral staircase to the top of the Flag Tower, where the wind whipped my hair as I took in the Georgian market square far below and the coastline beyond.
One of the most scenic sections is the seven-mile route between Port St. Mary and Port Erin, with clifftop walking and dramatic rock fissures known as the Chasms. There are no fences and few waymarks, so keep well back from the edge in wind or mist. Pause at the Sound, a café at the island’s southern tip, and scan the whirling eddies toward the Calf of Man for seals, seabirds, and even basking sharks. (Keep your distance; disturbing seals is illegal.) Detour to nearby Meayll Circle, the hilltop remains of a Neolithic chambered cairn.
The 14-mile section between Port Erin and Peel is the most remote and strenuous, climbing to the trail’s high point at Cronk ny Arrey Laa. The colorful houses of Peel, the only sizable township for miles, are a welcome sight. Its castle sprawls across St. Patrick’s Isle, connected to the mainland by a causeway, with fishing boats bobbing in the harbor below. North of Peel the hills recede, and I walked miles of soft sand and shingle around Point of Ayre, the island’s northern tip, with its candy-striped red-and-white lighthouse.
Castletown’s Georgian streets drop toward the water (left); a Victorian-era tram waits at Douglas’s Derby Castle terminus.
Photo by Zach.lemenn/Shutterstock (L); photo by Zhao Zheming/Shutterstock (R)
If your feet need a rest, or you want to skip a section, the island’s Victorian-era railways can carry you along the route. The Manx Electric Railway runs up the east coast between Douglas, Laxey, and Ramsey, while the Isle of Man Steam Railway runs between Douglas and Port Erin. From Laxey, the Snaefell Mountain Railway climbs to the island’s highest summit, said on a clear day to reveal seven kingdoms: Man, Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Heaven, and the Sea. Mist cut my view short, but even a partial panorama was worth the ride.
Laxey is also home to the Great Laxey Wheel, the world’s largest working waterwheel. Built in 1854 to pump water from the lead and zinc mines, the giant red wheel still turns; visitors can climb to its viewing platform and step into a mine tunnel.
What to eat
Seafood is central here. Manx queenies—small, sweet scallops fished in local waters—were voted the island’s national dish in 2018. Try them in a pancake at the award-winning Boatyard Restaurant overlooking the harbor near Peel Castle, or in a risotto at the Fig and Olive in Douglas. For coffee and pastries, head to Noa Bakehouse in Douglas. Charlotte de la Tremoille’s café and wine bar offers food and drink in fine heritage surroundings opposite Castle Rushen, Castletown, while a drink at the Riddler Under the Nest in Port Erin provides views of gannets diving while the sun sets into the sea.
How to plan your trip
Walk the Raad ny Foillan clockwise and the sea stays on your left the whole way.
Photo by James Brooks/Unsplash
The trail season runs March to October. If you’re booking your own accommodations, note that they fill up during the Isle of Man TT Races, the annual motorcycle event held in late May and early June.
If you choose to book with an operator, itineraries with Responsible Travel typically span nine days, covering daily distances of around seven to 16 miles, with breakfasts and luggage transfers included. Celtic Trails offers self-guided itineraries of seven to 10 nights (from £955, or US$1,265, per person), with breakfast and luggage transfers included. Both operators favor smaller, locally owned places over chain hotels.
For a shorter trip of one to five days, base yourself in a single town and use the heritage railways to get back after a day’s walking. In Douglas, the Claremont Hotel sits directly on the trail, with contemporary sea-view suites and easy access to the routes north and south. In Castletown, the Earl of Derby overlooks Castle Rushen and is well placed for the scenic stretches toward Port St. Mary and around the Langness Peninsula.
Whether you’re tackling the full circuit or dipping into a single section, the Raad ny Foillan offers a rare balance of remoteness and accessibility—and, always, the sea on your left.
