During its passage the ice planed away some areas of the Manx slates to expose the underlying granite.
Fine examples of slates, flags and dykes are found on the coast north of Peel
In recent geological times raised beaches were formed in the north of the island. Accumulations of peat and blown sand are still in the process of settling, completing the geological picture of the island for you to examine at close quarters from the footpath.
The visible geological strata in evidence are shown in the table below.
Nature along the footpaths
One of the delights of Raad ny Foillan is the contrast of the vast expanse of sea and sky with the intimate environment of the plants at your feet and birds skimming over your head.
The mild, damp climate is without extremes of temperature, but the continually changing base rocks and the soil they support must be the main factor contributing to the variety of plant and animal life you are likely to see on the way.
Plants
The book The Flowering Plants of the Isle of Man counts 38 varieties of fern and fern allies, 853 flowering plants and nine types of conifer to be found on the island. Some are very rare and best left to prosper in their secret havens. Others show off their flowers, generously lining the footpath, and a limited description of what to expect, and where, is given below.
The mountains and headlands are mainly of Barrule slate. The highest mountain is Snaefell (2036ft) and is rather low for mountain species, although a few can be seen. The peaty soil supports a mixture of gorse and heather. The common gorse was introduced for fodder, fuel and reinforcing the banked hedgerows. The dwarf gorse, which flowers in the late summer, is native to the island. Bracken and cotton grass take no finding, but the tiny asphodel, white and yellow bedstraw, sundew, and the violet and vetches that seem to grow everywhere need a little more careful attention if you are to enjoy them.
Heather and dwarf gorse adorn the moors
The glens, sheltered from the winds, are veritable greenhouses, and the common trees and plants which grow there appear more vibrant. The stems are taller, the colours brighter, scents unrecognised hang in the air, ferns and mosses take on an artistic grace previously unnoticed. Palm trees and fuchsia grow with the abandoned air of a native plant, and it is often difficult to know where cultivation ends and nature takes over. The lanes encountered are often between high stone and sod walls. Overgrown, the stones are often hidden by a cascade of flowers best seen in the spring – bluebells, celandine, primroses, yellow poppies and violets intermingled with buds of ramsons, red campion, and greater stitchwort, with the wild rose and sweet briar patiently waiting for the summer. Where the stone is on view, ground ivy, stonecrop and pennywort do their best to clothe it, with the rue-leaved saxifrage and herb Robert adding their own distinctive colours.
Orchid on Spanish Head
The limestone of Scarlett Point has its own nature trail and visitor centre, where a small yet comprehensive booklet is available. Flowers of the limestone and those loving the proximity of the sea abound. Sea thrift, white sea campion, buttercup and bird’s-foot trefoil cannot be missed, but just beyond the coastguard station, the minute mauve and white flowers of the sand spurrey and the purple thyme can be easily overlooked. The spring squill abounds among the short turf, and on the basalt dykes lichens can be examined.
The lichen is a dual plant – a fungus, determining the shape, living with an alga, its chlorophyll making the food. The two varieties on the basalt are as different as chalk and cheese. Romalina Siliquosa is the tall grey spiky one; Lecanora Atra is the flat, frill-like orange one. These are only two of the many varieties on the island.
The sand and gravels of the north are still mobile and settling according to the whim of the weather. This is an area of unique scientific interest, and as you would expect its welfare is guarded by the Ayres Nature Reserve. Marram grass is the first plant to stabilize the sand, with its network of strong roots forming a rampart along the dunes. Behind its protection, sea holly, pink-flowered sea bindweed and the green-flowered sea spurge are found. A little further inland where there is a sandy soil, hawkweeds, brambles and restharrow grow.
Where the sand is captured in the fixed dunes, burnet rose, orchids, ferns and lichens thrive, together with the Manx cabbage. The Manx cabbage, Brassica Monensis, was first discovered in 1662 by the botanist John Ray. It has a tall stem topped by a crown of yellow flowers, which turn to spreading seed pods as the summer progresses. Rare flowers flourish among the sand dunes, uncommon orchids, lichens and ferns. Do not disturb them or gather their seeds. Some orchids do not produce seeds until about 14 years old. How tragic to trample on one that was 13½!
Sea holly at Rue Point
For a while the footpath uses an old railway trackbed, now colonized by flowers – lady’s smock, red campion and various grasses. Many butterflies visit the area, the meadow brown, wall brown and orange tip. The bird’s-foot trefoil is host to the common blue; the small copper likes to stay with the dock or sorrel; while the tall stinging nettles attract the peacock, tortoiseshell and red admiral. Other butterflies such as the large, small and grey-veined whites have moved in, so you are likely to see many caterpillars about. As you pass take care not to tread on them.
Birds
The island has its share of resident birds, but its position, roughly in the centre of the Irish Sea, also makes it an important staging post for many migrants. Binoculars are rewarding, and the footpaths give a grandstand view. An excellent comprehensive book, Birds of the Isle of Man, by JP Cullen & PP Jennings and beautifully illustrated by Alan Harris, will tell you every detail of the Manx birdlife. However, the following short summary may also be useful.
In the woodlands and glens the bigger birds, rooks, tree-nesting ravens and sparrowhawks, are easy to spot if they are about. The conifer plantations through which the Millennium Way and Bayr ny Skeddan pass have a population of tits, goldcrest, woodcock and the long-eared owl. I spent time by a plantation expecting to see these birds. I heard them, they were in good voice at about four o’clock in the morning, yet I saw only a black-headed gull and an owl.
Seagull
On the upland moors and slopes of the mountains the curlew, snipe, skylark and meadow pipit try to steal the show, the red grouse and wheatear being less bold. I didn’t see the hen harrier or the hooded crow, but a kestrel was having a dispute with a few herring gulls.
The thick stone and turf walls of the farmland, often crowned with gorse, ash or hawthorn, provide secret nesting sites for the robin, wren, pied wagtail, whitethroat and yellow hammer. As you walk through the fields in winter the visitors include fieldfare and redwing. In summer lapwing, golden plover and grey partridge are about. I got a nasty shock when a pheasant rose up under my nose with a frantic cry. These birds are very well camouflaged, as are the nests of ground-nesting birds, and appeals for care are often sited on the footpaths.
The Manx rivers are bright, busy streams,
