03-Jul-2026
This was a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant expedition...
The walking bit was part of the Millennium Way, a long-distance footpath established in 1979 to celebrate 1,000 years of Tynwald. The route follows a historic highway that used to be known as the Royal Way, and is recorded in the 13th-century Chronicles of the Kings of Mann and the Isles.
To complete the circle, however, we used four forms of public transport, three of them vintage: The historic Snaefell Mountain Railway and Manx Electric Railway, and the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, which is the oldest remaining horse-drawn passenger tram service in the world, and is due to celebrate its 150th anniversary next month.
Here's how it all went:
We left the house at 0530 to get down the hill in time to catch the early bus
Once in Crosby, you join the route, and start to climb
Could you hope for a better breakfast stop?
Initially, you follow the same track that we used to get to Slieau Ruy. But soon you branch off, across some fields
The vegetation is highly exuberant at the moment...
...but the pastoral views are pleasant
Don't miss the teeny-tiny sign up in the tree as you negotiate the farmyard!!
And another stile...
There are a few more fields to cross...
...and there's a little bit of road to do as you pull up out of Baldwin, but it's very quiet, and makes for an easy way to gain some height
Then you come to St Luke's. This was a lovely surprise. The church was open; you can use their toilets; and there are bottles of water and snacks for anyone who's desperate. A truly sanctified little interlude
The perfect place for a ginger cake break
Then on, climbing, always climbing, but not too steeply, on a green lane
I love this kind of terrain. I enjoy all the localities of our walks, but I particularly love the sense of wildness you get up here. I feel as though this is really where I'm in my element
The heather is just starting. Soon it will carpet the mountains with purple
Our next snack break spot. Just before the path diverges from the green lane, and strikes out right
It definitely gets a bit more difficult to pick out the path from here on. There are way markers, but it's distinctly possible to go wrong as you move from one to the next... What is quite wonderful on this stage of the route, however, is the larks... High above you, singing, singing
Pathfinding is particularly tricky once you've crossed the road. And you're not only trying to spot your way, but also descending quite steeply, which is disconcerting, given all the climbing you've done, and your sure and certain knowledge that you'll have to recover these lost metres before you're finished...
Oh dear. There's always one who didn't make it...
But eventually you reach something that's a bit more discernible
And finally, you emerge onto another road. To continue the Millennium Way, you'd cross it, and carry on. But we turned off along the road, climbing steadily again, until we reached the stop on the Snaefell Mountain Railway that's called The Bungalow
The Bungalow in days of yore
The walk took us about five hours, which includes three food breaks, and lots of photo stops. Given it had been pretty much all uphill, we were pleasantly surprised at how well we'd coped. We definitely hadn't emptied the tank. Still, it was nice to feel that wheels could take over from feet for a while.
A slight problem is that it can be tricky to get a tram down from The Bungalow, as many are already full on leaving the top of Snaefell. But the staff were really helpful, and offered to send us "up to come down".
The deal was that we didn't get off, but here's a quick snap at the top through the window
On the way down, Nigel was the assistant brakeman, and not only got to clang the bell (twice), but was also well placed for some interesting pics
There was time in Laxey for a quick break before the next bit of transport. Drinks, obviously, and though we'd been well fed en route, a Davison's ice cream proved irresistible...
The Laxey Station Cafe goes the extra mile with the latte...
Next, the Manx Electric Railway from Laxey to Douglas. And it was warm enough to sit in the "toast rack" (the open air car), although you did need your coat... You get great coastal views in many sections.
And finally in the vintage transport arena, a horse tram. I haven't ridden one of these since I was a small child, and it is an agreeably slow and cloppy way to travel.
Here's Torryn arriving to take over our tram. We've met Torryn before. He's a horse who doesn't like to be rushed
A quick photoshoot, because he's such a handsome trammer
The incoming horse, being led off for a rest
And we're off. Clop, clop, clop, clop...
The end of the line. Time was when it used to go all the way to the Sea Terminal, but we won't start that argument here...
After that, all that remained was to walk along Douglas's main shopping street to catch the bus home.
The whole day worked without a hitch, and was a really awesome experience.
Even better, there are still many variations on a theme that we can do later.