The Raad ny Foillan, Manx Gaelic for "Way of the Gull," is the Isle of Man's premier long-distance footpath. Spanning almost 160 km (100 miles), it offers the chance to walk around a complete nation!
Alex Mason and I embarked on this incredible journey from June 12th to 17th, 2023, experiencing stunning coastal views and unforgettable moments. 🌊🏞️
🇮🇲 IOM 🇮🇲ℹ️Stats - Day 1 - travel day.
Home 🏡 dropped of by Car 🚗- (🙏Dad) at Hoylake Station - train 🚂 12.09pm to James St, Liverpool. Visited the Albert Dock. Walked🚶🏼♀️ to the ferry terminal - 10 mins. Ferry ⛴️ to IOM. Check in at 1.30pm. Boarded at 2pm - arrived at 5pm start of adventure 🥳
Date: 12th June 2023
Weather: sunny & warm ☀️
From: Douglas Ferry Terminal - IOM 🇮🇲
Start time: 5.50pm - we went to see some street art and pick up some bits from M&S.
To: Laxey Campsite
End time: 10.20pm
Terrain: roads, pavements, very badly maintained paths through stinging nettles, brambles and other things which were bitting and scratching!
Accommodation: camped ⛺️ camp site.
Food: breakfast at home - 2 boiled eggs, half an avocado, 6 pieces of bacon.
Snack - rice cake bar, naked bar.
Lunch - egg Mayo sandwiches on gluten free bread, flapjack, & crisps.
Dinner (same again) egg Mayo sandwiches, crisps, flapjack & a handful of jelly sweets.
🥾Miles: 13.7 miles via watch
🦶Steps: 28,173
Total miles completed: 10/98 10 miles measured via Hiiker app (pro feature)
💰Costs:
Food Resupply - Aldi £20
Train 🚂 to Liverpool £5.20
Ferry ticket £66 (one way)
Camping £12
= £103.20
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10
Fatigue: 2/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
Challenges: trying to find wild camping 🏕️- it was very populated on this section and not many options. I called up the camp site and they had space. So we ended up there. It’s about 10 mins off the route.
Highlights: awesome to be hiking with Alex again. We last walked together on the Wales Coast Path in 2022. gorgeous weather until late at night. Super easy getting the ferry. Nice being on a quieter walk with less people. Haven’t seen any other hikers yet. Really excited about about the following few days. 🥳🥳🥳
🇮🇲 IOM 🇮🇲ℹ️Stats - Day 2
Date: Tuesday 13th June
Weather: sunny and hot ☀️☀️☀️
From: Laxey Campsite - 10 min walk back to the trail
Start time: 7.50am
To: Point of Ayre (most northern point of the IOM)
End time: stopped at costa coffee at 1.30pm - started again at 4.30pm. Finished walking at 7.30pm. Bed by 9.30pm - so tired my eyes are starting to go.
Terrain: pavement & road, large rocky uphills paths, green flat sections, country lanes. Pebble beaches.
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: breakfast bag (oats, chia seeds, protein powder, creatine powder, collagen powder, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins) with water.
Snack - flapjack, rice crispy bar.
Lunch - egg sandwich & 1/2 ham sandwich with crisps & rice crispy bar.
Snack. Fanta, cashew cookie naked bar.
Dinner - pack of cooked chicken, crisps, baby tomatoes. Sweets.
🥾Miles: 23.5 - according to my watch
🦶Steps: 48,631
Total miles completed: 33.5/98
💰Costs: £2.45 Fanta drink at Costa
£5.70 pack of chicken & cherry tomatoes 🍅 for dinner tonight from CO-OP
= £8.15
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 6/10 - a bit tougher today. Not as populated but a few more ups and downs. Plus a 6 mile pebble beach walk.
Challenges: my pack is heavy with all the food and water - very different from the Camino (when my pack weighted under 7kg).
👟The pebble beach walking was brutal especially towards the end. My back in killing me - as I wasn’t able to tighten my hip belt straps too much as my hip bones are hurting. So all the weight is through the shoulders.
Highlights: stopped off at Ramsey Town.
7 miles to the Point of Ayre - where we want to wild camp tonight.
👉Found a great little spot - beautiful views of the ocean and the seals playing in the water.
🇮🇲 IOM 🇮🇲ℹ️Stats - Day 3
Date: Wednesday 14th June.
Weather: ☀️sunny and bright. Blue skies 💙
From: Point of Ayre (most northern point of the IOM)
Start time: 7am
To: Peels Campsite
End time: 7.10pm - we chilled on the bench for a while not putting up our tents until later. In bed at 9.20pm
Terrain: pebble paths, through sand dunes 6 miles - then 6 miles of beach walking!
Accommodation: camp site - tent ⛺️
Food: breakfast- tangerine 🍊, fruit roll ups, flapjack, final few crisps
Lunch - jacket potato with margarine, tuna Mayo and salad. With apple and almond cake for dessert* still can’t get over the cost of the piece of cake - I should have said no!!
Dinner - flapjack, apple, rice chocolate bar, sweets.
🥾Miles: 25.2 miles
🦶Steps: 51,950
Total miles completed: 50/98 - according to Hiiker and the guidebook
💰Costs: Lunch out at The Dovecote Tearooms. lunch - jacket potato & salad £11, 2x drinks £2.40 & cake £4.25 = £17.80 + camping ⛺️ £10. Total 🟰 £27.80
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fatigue: 5/10 - we stopped and had a few breaks!
Ease of terrain: 7/10 - tough day with pebble and sandy beaches. Plus overgrown ferns with biting flies.
Challenges: The Beach walking was hard going on your feet.
🪰So many flies during the final 6 miles into Peel 🪰plus they were biting us! Lower back felt a little sore at the end. It was so good to lie down and stretch out.
Highlights: great weather, stunning views of the sea. Enjoyed the walking. Good chats with Alex as well 💬💬💬
🇮🇲 IOM 🇮🇲ℹ️Stats - Day 4 - Beautiful but Brutal.
Date: Thursday 15th June
Weather: ☀️sunny and hot all day! Plus some good wind 💨 blowing against us.
From: Peels Campsite.
Start time: 7.30am
To: just past Port Erin
End time: 7.25pm (we stopped at a few places. A beach for 1hr 15mins, Port Erin about 1hr)
Terrain: flat grassy walking, a little bit of climbing out of peel. We also passed a few cows 🐄 - then it got difficult- brambles, nettles, thin narrow paths on a slant. Constant climbing. The final 11 miles was tough going.
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: breakfast - peanuts, dried mango, jelly sweets.
Snack - half a naked bar.
Early Dinner - half a whole chicken, chips & salad with a sprite
Snack before bed - @eattrek protein bar (9g of protein & gluten free)
🥾Miles: 21.2 miles
🦶Steps: 43,883
Total miles completed: 69/98
💰Costs: £2.25 resupply - 3x @eattrek protein bars. Dinner at local fish & chip place £12.25 = £14.50
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10 - tough day - but I felt like I’d worked hard. It was nice to finish walking.
Fatigue: 6/10 - felt super tired around 4.30pm - was wiped out! So tired!!!
Ease of terrain: 7/10 - the first 6 miles out of Peel were great. Then the really tough sections happened - Constant uphill walking in the heat of the day with heavy packs is hard going. Felt quite drainer during it.
Challenges: very windy 🌬️ last night. Needed to get out of bed to fix the tent as one side collapsed!
Beautiful scenery - but some parts were brutal!! Wasn’t expecting it to be so tough.
My legs and arms are also super scratched from all the nettles and brambles we were walking through. Some parts of the path have not been well maintained and it’s hard going getting through.
Highlights: reaching Port Erin - good food, wild camping 🏕️ . Watching the sunset 🌅
🇮🇲 IOM 🇮🇲ℹ️Stats - Day 5
Date: Friday 16th June
Weather: windy and dry - not as hot as the previous few days.
From: past Port Erin
Start time: 7.55am
To: past Castletown
End time: 8.15pm ish
Terrain: nice paths in the am to the cafe. Much flatter and easier today. A bit more road walking.
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: 2x gluten free toast, 2x bacon, 2x sausage, 2x eggs, avocado smash, beans, 2x hash browns, large mushroom.
Lunch snack - @eattrek protein bar
Early dinner - the George Hotel, Castletown - poached Salmon salad.
Evening snack - wine gums & half a galaxy vegan & diary free chocolate bar. I ate well today!! 😁
🥾Miles: 18.7
🦶Steps: 38,750
Total miles completed: 82/98
💰Costs:£15.80 at Sound Cafe- gluten free breakfast & hot chocolate (diary feee)
Shore Hotel - drinks £3.50 Vimto & blackcurrant and water.
The George Hotel - Blackcurrant & water & poached salmon salad £14.95
Co-op £7.25 - vegan & diary free chocolate bar, 3x @eattrek protein bars, & wine gums
£41.50 - I think most expensive day so far! All on food!!!
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10 - another solid day.
Fatigue: 4/10 - feel ok. I think it’s because I’ve eaten so much good food. And it was proper meals.
Ease of terrain: 4/10 - so much easier today - no real hard sections.
Challenges: walking past port Mary - the smell of sulphur 🤢🤢🤢
Highlights: breakfast & dinner 🍽️ was epic - all gluten and diary free. big portions. Just what I needed.
🇮🇲 IOM 🇮🇲ℹ️Stats - Day 6 - Final Day!!!
Date: Saturday 17th June
Weather: rain in the am 🌧️ got a little warmer later on but not glorious sunshine like the past few days.
From: past Castletown
Start time: 10.20am
To: Douglas- arrived at 6.40pm
End time: 8.35 pm in the tent ⛺️
Terrain: grassy banks, steep cliff edges, by the side of farmers fields (one with cows), a long road walk at the end, with a few steep stairs thrown in for good measure.
Accommodation: camped for free - thank
You Colin 🙏
Food: 7am - the rest of the vegan chocolate bar, 2x @eattrek protein bars.
Breakfasts - 2x poached eggs, 2x bacon, 2x gluten free toast.
Snack 2x protein bars
Dinner - packet of Beef (29g of protein), egg Mayo, half a bag of crisps, wine gums. Ribenna, & fake jelly strawberries.
🥾Miles: 20.6 miles (included an extra 1.5 mile walk to the campsite).
🦶Steps: 42,476
Total miles completed: 98/98 ✅
💰Costs: Breakfast at Cafe Bar Twenty Six £9.90. Snacks & dinner food £14.05
Total = £23.95
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fatigue: 5/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
Challenges: raining and I need to wee but didn’t want to leave the tent! We set off pretty late and made our way past the golf course and around the bay to a cute little cafe. The food was spot on and set is up for the rest of the day.
Highlights: finishing the trail, free camping ⛺️
ℹ️TOTAL Stats 🇮🇲Isle of Man Coastal Walk🇮🇲.
6 Days. From 12th - 18th June. with @masonalexandra
Travel: home 🏠, car, Train 🚂, walk, Ferry ⛴️ , walk, Ferry ⛴️, walk, Train, Car 🚗, home 🏡
From - To: Douglas to Douglas - North around the island. Anti clockwise.
Accommodation: 🏕️Camped a6 nights. 2 camp sites £22, 1 free camping & 3 wild camping 🏕️
Weather: all days sunny & warm - apart from the last day little bit of rain in the am. But otherwise it was glorious ☀️
⏰Earliest start time: 7am
⏰Latest time: 10.20am
⏰Latest time we finished walking: 10.20pm - this was on the first day. When we struggled to find wild camping and needed to use a campsite.
⏰Earliest time we stopped: 7.10pm
🥾Total Miles: 123 (info from my watch)
Total distance of the walk: 98 miles
Average Daily Miles: 20
Total Kms: 198
Average Daily Kms: 33🦶Total Steps: 253,863
Average Daily Steps: 42,322
💷Total Costs: £262.50 💷
Average Daily Costs: £43.75
💷 acc Costs: £22
💷Total Travel Costs: £109.40 🟰Ferry ⛴️ £99, Train 🚂 £10.40.
💷Total costs (not travel): £153.10
Average over the 6 days = £25.51
💷🍽️Total Food Costs: £131.10
🍽️Most expensive meal - lunch at Dovecote £17.80 (it was that piece of cake 🍰 £4.85 - it still annoys me that I paid so much for a piece of cake!!!)
🍽️Cheapest Meal - breakfast at the Caff, Douglas - £5.20 - awesome breakfast & such a good price!
🍽️Average Daily food costs: £21.85
💷reduce costs - would have been to not eat out. Just resupply from supermarkets.I £75.90 on eating out. £55.20 on resupply.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
😁Enjoyment: 48/60 - average each day 8/10
😩Fatigue: 26/60 - the lower the better. Average fatigue 4/10. Not that tired.
⛰️Ease of terrain: 32/60 - the lower the easier I found the terrain. Average 5/10. Terrain was ok. A few challenging bits to make it worth the walk.
Challenges: some parts of the trail were very overgrown. It was brambles, thistles, nettles, ferns etc. We also need to be careful of ticks.
Highlights: stunning walk. We had beautiful weather. It’s also nicely challenging. lots of options for resupply & cafés.
I would recommend if your looking to go for about a week and have some time out. But not be completely remote and isolated.
👇#gifted👇
👟 @inov_8 TRAILFLY Ultra G300 👉DM for discount code 🥳
🕶️ @waterhaul_co use TOUGHGIRL15 for 15% off
🎒 @ospreyeurope Tempest 40
📡📞 @zoleolifeeurope connects phone to satellite
Watch the Vlog below!
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