Today's former Manx Northern Railway route filled in the stretch between Ballaugh and Kirk Michael.



But, as is becoming our pattern, first you need to climb... And climb we did, heading up and round the back of Slieu Curn, with the scenery turning wilder and wilder as we gained height:













The strange thing about this ascent was that it was ridiculously HOT... Seriously, that's the hottest I've been since I left Malaysia... You're dressed for the cold, you see, but then you're climbing, and the sun is shining on you, and the wind (otherwise rampant) has disappeared for the duration...

But then you start to descend again, and you're full in the teeth of the gale. Gloves back on, hat back on, scarf back on, fleece and cagoule zipped right up again... Weird.




Finally, we're approaching Kirk Michael:


And then we're back on the railway:







A reasonably tiring walk, partly due to the bizarre weather variations. But scenically, well, "sublime" is definitely no overstatement.