Saturday Stroll with Daphne Caine MHK

What is your favourite Saturday Stroll? This week, Daphne Caine MHK introduces us to the delights of Maughold.

Where is the walk?

This lovely walk takes in a beach and a glen. It can be walked in one hour 15 minutes but much longer if stopping to splash in the sea or streams.

The walk goes past a wonderful variety of wildflowers including wild garlic and primroses in the spring with plentiful coconutty gorse flowers and harebells and foxgloves later in the summer.

You can either follow the single track road down to the Cornaa Road junction at the ford and go straight on to the beach or a footpath that gets to the ford quicker but is a little more challenging underfoot.

Jemina Caine on the rickety bridge

My children love the two rickety wooden bridges and call it mini-Jumanji! Take extra care on this path in wet weather.

This route starts in the car park opposite the Glen Mona Hotel (best book if planning a meal before or after the walk. Tel: 860860). You can get here by car, electric tram or number 3 bus.

From the car park and facing the Glen Mona pub, head right and immediately turn down the footpath. Follow it across tram line and continue over stepping stones across the stream to come out at the ford on the Rhenab Road junction with Cornaa Road. Cross using the footbridge and turn left, following the road to Port Cornaa past the Lodge and straight on eventually to the beach.

You might want to linger at the shore but when you're ready the footpath goes sharp left straight after you hit the stony beach. Follow the path across two wooden bridges and up the track past the ruined munitions factory.

There’s an opening on the left with plunge pool popular with dogs/children that is worth a look then continue up the track on past fields, a few driveways. Just as it rises steeply and becomes a rough road there’s a footpath sign and you turn left down the steep stony track (you may be able to hear Ballaglass waterfalls from here).

Go down the track and cross the road into Ballaglass Glen through a gate, across a bridge then on the left follow the footpath sign to Cardle Veg. Head up the glen keeping close to stream. Cross over the first bridge (my preference), continue up to the top following the stream.

If you go the other way, it takes in more of the glen with glorious bluebells in May and also provides easier access to the stream/rocks. When you reach the top there’s another bridge at the top where you can cross.

At the top on the left, go up the steps to the tram lines. At Ballaglass station (immediately on left) follow the footpath left of the shelter then cross the footpath parallel with the railway to follow a track through the gate (the first of three gates to open across this path, increasingly heavy to lift).

Follow path until you come out on the only overbridge crossing the Manx Electric Railway. You are on the main coast road just below Dhoon School, so turn left and follow pavement back to the Glen Mona for some well-earned refreshment.

Enjoy!

Start point: Car park opposite Glen Mona Hotel

Finish point: Car park opposite Glen Mona Hotel

Approximate duration: 1 hour 15 minutes unless lingering

Level of difficulty: Easy/medium