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Snaefell Walk

1.9 miles (3 km)

Open Streetmap Climb to the peak of the highest mountain on the Isle of Man on this short climb from the Bungalow station. It's about a one mile climb from the station which is on the excellent Snaefell Mountain Railway. Catch the railway from the town of Laxey then alight at Bungalow to climb the rest of the way. You can also drive to the Bungalow car park and start the walk from there. The trail has sections of gravel, slate stones, grass and rock. It's a short path but quite steep near the summit.
From the 2,037 feet (620.9 m) high summit it is said you can see the six kingdoms of the Isle of Man, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Heaven. A plaque points out the directions of landmarks and their distances from the summit.
At Laxey you can pick up the Isle of Man Coastal Path to extend your walk.

Snaefell Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Pubs/Cafes

The Summit Restaurant & Cafe is a nice place to enjoy some shelter and refreshments after your walk. You can enjoy a good range of sandwiches, snacks and hot drinks.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

Just to the east is the delightful Dhoon Glen with its interesting flora and picturesque waterfalls and streams. You can reach the glen from Dhoon Glen Halt station on the Manx Electric Railway.
Near here there's also Groudle Glen. Another of the Manx National Glens this area includes the popular Groudle Glen Railway, a delightful miniature railway run by local enthusiasts.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Isle of Man Walks page.

Photos

The Summit of Snaefell looking south - geograph.org.uk - 96228

The Summit of Snaefell looking south. The summit station and cafe be seen to the right.

Snaefell - geograph.org.uk - 32568

Snaefell (2036ft) with Clagh Ouyr (1808ft) behind (Southern peak of the North Barrule ridge) taken from the Brandywell road.

Snaefell Summit Station - geograph.org.uk - 1589

Summit Station. One of the highest British railway stations at 2036 feet. This is the terminus of the electric railway leading from Laxey to the summit.

Laxey Valley from Snaefell Summit - geograph.org.uk - 38416

Laxey Valley from the Summit. View from the Summit Hotel down Laxey Valley past the Snaefell mines on the left, and with the Electric Railway tracks drawing a line down the south side of the valley towards the village and harbour at the bottom of the glen.

Western slopes of Snaefell - geograph.org.uk - 1113134

The Western slopes. Looking west to the Sulby Reservoir. Slieau Freoaghane in the distance on the left.

View from Snaefell Summit - geograph.org.uk - 1528817

It is not always clear at the summit, but when it is, excellent views can be obtained, as in this case to the north of the Island, and in the distance, the Scottish coast.

Western side of the Snaefell summit - geograph.org.uk - 1113492

Western side of the summit. Looking westwards to Druidale and the hills of (from left to right) Sartfell, Slieau Freoaghane and Slieau Dhoo.

Northern slopes of Snaefell - geograph.org.uk - 1113475

The Northern slopes. Looking north-east to the northern plain of the Isle of Man. To the right on the coast is Ramsey. To the extreme right is the A18 passing over the saddle at Mountain Box.

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Snaefell.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Snaefell.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)