ISLE of MAN - Camino Training

Before I start today's post, let me give you a teaser - what do you think this arrow on the ground is for?  

Answer at the end

Today I have been out walking some of the coast path in the south of the island. This post is entitled Camino Training because, as some of you maybe aware, next June I am planning to walk two sections of the Camino de Santiago with Andrew and Sue. Yes readers, in under a year, you have blog reports on Sue's blisters and Andrew's bunions to look forward to. At the moment though we are just trying to out do each other in the training stakes.

Today's walk was just 7 miles from Port St Mary to Port Erin around Spanish Head and Calf Sound but as with all coastal walking there is a lot of up and down so it feels more.

The first area you come across are "The Chasms" which as their name suggests contain some sheer drops

Then as you come around Black Head and Spanish Head you get your first glimpse of not only Calf of Man - the island off the south western tip of the Isle of Man but also the Chicken Rock lighthouse. You can just make out the lighthouse in the centre of this picture.

For the lighthouse readers - the one thing that intrigues me is that the Northern Lighthouse Board do not go for the big helipads on the top of their rock stations so their maintenance must be done differently. The challenge for all you South Foreland guides now is to get the Chicken Rock Light into your tours!

Here are some views of the Calf of Man

If you are ever here, the Manx National Heritage have an excellent restaurant over looking Calf Sound - plenty of outside seating, big glass windows for when you have to shelter inside, good food and draught beer!

So after a pit stop at the "Sound Cafe" it was time for the walk back to Port Erin

Now - any ideas on that concrete arrow yet?

It was a guide for RAF bomber training in World War 2. The airport here in those days was an RAF base and as part of their training for bombing raids a target would be placed in the sea off Port St Mary. Flying overhead they would use the arrow (which would have lights in the middle) as a guide to line up and hit the target.

There will be no post tomorrow - see you in Dublin the day after.