We use cookies to help us understand how you use our site and for advertising. For more details, click here.
Bradda Head is on the south west coast of the Isle of Man, on the edge of Port Erin.
The walk starts in a carpark on the edge of Port Erin, winds along a cliff walk, then up a steep climb to Milner's Tower. This walk is the continuation of the Port Erin walk described on this site.
Postcode for Satnav - IM9 6PJ.
You can do this walk as an extension to the Port Erin cliff walk, in which case that page tells you how to get there.
If you just want to walk Bradda Head, then head into Port Erin, and as you come into the town centre, follow the main road as it turns right and runs above the beach. Keep driving along here, with the beach on your left and houses on your right, then past a field on your right. When the road starts to cimb a small hill you will see a sign for "Bradda Glen Car Entrance" on the left. This is a narrow, one car road with passing places, so care is needed. The car park is at the end of this road.
Click here to see a detailed routemap of the walk. It will open in a new tab.
When I was here the cafe was closed (sadly), so parking was not an issue. If the car park is for customers only, that may be all the reason you need to buy a coffee and cake!
From the car park, enjoy the view of Port Erin Bay.
Go down toward the sea, then take the path nearest the sea on the right. It runs between some bushes for a while,
then the path opens out, with views to the sea on the left.
If you follow this path right along to the end, you will see a ruined building down by the sea, but the path ends here.
For Milner's Tower, take the rough path uphill, about 300 yards belore the end.
The pathway goes diagonally up to a wall, then you have a steep scramble uphill, with the tower looming on the horizon to encourage you.
If you need a breather, the view behind is quite something.
It is possible to go inside the tower and climb to the parapet. You can clearly see the Calf of Man from the tower, and maybe the hills of Northern Ireland on a clear day.
You can walk further up the head if you wish, or just head back downhill, but take a path bit further inland.
This path runs higher up, but will eventually bring you back to the roadway until you finally reach the Bradda Glen cafe again.
The Liverpool firm 'Milner and Son' was a very successful manufacturer of fireproof safes. William Milner, the 'son', inherited the company and became a rich philanthropist. William lived in Port Erin for a time while recovering from illness. Milner's tower was built on Bradda head in his memory, and is shaped like a key and lock.
There is a metal rich vein of quartz running through Bradda head, and the head is honeycombed with old, lost mine workings. Copper was quarried here about 1200 BC during the Bronze Age, by setting fires against the quartz vein to crack it. More recently, shafts were dug through the rock following the vein until they were well below sea level, and had to be pumped out by a Cornish style engine house. This commercial exploitation stopped around 1904, but you can still see plenty evidence of quartz in the rocks beside Milner's tower.
Cafe nearby
poo bins available
Historical buildings near the walk
Tap or Click on the Icon to see a picture of each walk. Click below the picture to visit the walk page.
Comments
No comments for this page yet.
Be the first to add a comment - tap the button above