CREGNEASH
A varied walk through a rugged island landscape
AFTER SOME YEARS living on Alderney, a visit to the Isle of Man is like engaging with a bigger, meatier and more rugged version of the tiny channel isle. It also inevitably has more birds and a wider species range. Shrouded in a fascinating past, this walk, involving part of the living history folk village of Cregneash, makes for a rich and uniquely diverse experience. I have enjoyed this walk most in the autumn, though others would prefer spring. The southern tip of the Isle of Man, known as the ‘Calf’ is an offshore islet inhabited only by wildlife and whoever is in the observatory. You can visit it and maybe share in the potential rarities frequently recorded there – refer to Go Birding July 2001 if you can. Basking Sharks and Harbour Porpoises are regular offshore as you watch the gulls, Kittiwakes and Fulmars at play with the Gannets, passing auks or even the Manx Shearwaters – given their name by this very island!