The South
Castletown, Port Erin & Port St Mary
The medieval capital, two sheltered bays and the wildest headland on the island.
The south is where the Isle of Man keeps its history. Castletown was the capital for six hundred years and still looks it, with a castle in the square and a harbour that fills and empties twice a day.
West of it the land runs out into the Sound, where the tide races between the island and the Calf and grey seals haul out on the rocks below the café. Between the two are Port Erin and Port St Mary, a pair of bays that face different ways and catch different weather.
Things to do
What to do in the south
On the water
- Port Erin bay A wide sandy horseshoe, sheltered from the prevailing wind. The calmest water on the island for paddleboarding and swimming.
- Port St Mary A working harbour and a sailing club bay, with rock pools at Perwick round the corner.
- Boat trips and sea angling Boats run from both harbours in season, out towards the Calf and the mackerel grounds.
- Coasteering at Scarlett Volcanic rock, gullies and deep water. Go with a qualified guide.
On foot
- Bradda Head and Milner's Tower Up from Port Erin along the cliff to the tower, then down through the glen. An hour and a half, for the best view of the bay you will get.
- The Sound to Cregneash Open moorland, sea on three sides, and a thatched village at the end of it.
- Scarlett Point A short flat loop over volcanic rock with a geology trail and no crowds.
- Langness A low peninsula out to a lighthouse, with seals, waders and big skies.
- Raad ny Foillan, southern section The most dramatic stretch of the coastal path, cliffs the whole way.
History and heritage
- Castle Rushen One of the best-preserved medieval castles in the British Isles. You can climb most of it.
- The Old House of Keys The island's parliament chamber, restored, in the middle of Castletown.
- The Nautical Museum A Georgian schooner hidden in a boathouse on the quay.
- Cregneash A living folk village with Loaghtan sheep, a working croft and a smithy.
- Rushen Abbey Cistercian ruins and gardens at Ballasalla, ten minutes inland.
Wildlife
- Grey seals at the Sound A resident colony on the rocks below the visitor centre, visible year round.
- The Calf of Man A bird observatory on its own island, reached by boat in settled weather.
- Choughs Red-billed, red-legged and noisy. The southern cliffs are the best place in the British Isles to see them.
- Derbyhaven Waders and wildfowl on the mudflats, especially on a falling tide.
With children
- Port Erin beach Sand, safe swimming and a promenade to run along.
- The Steam Railway Victorian carriages from Port Erin to Douglas, roughly Easter to October.
- Rock pooling at Perwick Low tide, a bucket, an hour gone.
- The Loaghtan sheep at Cregneash Four horns each. Endlessly interesting to a five-year-old.
When it rains
- Castle Rushen Mostly indoors. A full morning if you read everything.
- The Nautical Museum and the Old House of Keys Two small, dry, genuinely good hours in Castletown.
- The Steam Railway Warm carriages, rain on the windows, the whole southern plain going past.
Good to know
Before you go
- Two links golf courses sit on the flat ground near Derbyhaven and above Port Erin.
- Tides matter at Scarlett and the Sound. Check them before you scramble anywhere.
- The Sound car park fills by eleven on a summer weekend. Go early or go late.
- Cregneash and the castles keep seasonal hours and close through the winter.
Stay here
Homes in the South
Every home in the collection is visited, inspected and looked after by people who live on the island.