Saturday Stroll with Ken Harding

When time permits, what is your favourite Saturday Stroll? This week, Ken Harding, of the Manx Footpaths Conservation Group, shares his:

Where is the walk?

Ballaugh Forest

A wonderful opportunity to explore the Manx countryside with the whole family and spot wildlife in the trees and ponds of Ballaugh Forest.

Parking at the car park, walk through the gate along the pathway turning left at the huge, carved, raven and information board.

Follow the well-constructed path through the woods alongside the stream over bridges and boardwalks until reaching the two beautiful ponds full of wildfowl and insects galore.

Lots of picnic benches are a perfect opportunity for a break and to listen to the sounds of the countryside.

Follow the pathway away from the ponds until reaching a large, solid, pathway, here you have a choice turn right to take you back to the path leading to the car park or straight on to create a longer circular route through the plantation.

If you take the longer route, have fun and explore as all pathways eventually return to the car park where you started.

A lovely walk with a landscape and wildlife that changes through the season and great for the whole family to explore on well-constructed paths.

Start point:

Ballaugh Forest car park.

Finish point:

Ballaugh Forest car park

Approximate duration:

Shorter route is 45 minutes to an hour, longer route 1.5 to two hours.

Level of difficulty:

Flat walk through the woods, ponds and steams and slight uphill gradient on the longer circular route but soon returns to flatter route on return to car park.