Subscriptions

Subscriptions are due 1st January each year payable to the Manx Footpaths Conservation Group and will remain at £6 for this year. Please post cheques to Maree Harper at 14, Derby Square, Douglas IM1 3LS. You can click on the following bold links to download the Membership Application Form & Standing Order Form.

Isle of Man Hills Walks Book  - Important Addendum

Walk No 9 - Pages 24 and 25

Please note that this walk crosses private land.  If you would like to walk this route, please contact the landowner, Mr Corlett (Tel No: 812160 / Mobile: 480338) for permission beforehand.

Footpaths

Should any member/visitor to the Isle of Man encounter problems with any public footpath, i.e. overgrown, broken gate/stile etc, please could you e-mail David Leiserach, Foothpaths Officer at David@manxfootpaths.org. It would be most helpful if you could also include a photograph and any details that will help identify the public footpath and/or position of the gate/stile etc.

Photographs

We would like to update the website photographs on a regular basis and would be pleased to receive photographs from members. If you are happy for your photograph to be used by MFCG on our website, please email it to Lesley@manxfootpaths.org (Tel:437978), including the place and date of the photograph. Thanks go to members for providing photographs from our walks. They are always greatly appreciated.

MFCG Badge 

MFCG has created its own badge which is free to current MFCG Members. Badges are also available to buy for £1.00 each. Please contact a Committee Member for further information.

Newsletters are distributed in Spring and Autumn each year to all fully paid up members, together with the Walks Programmes  for Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with the addition of Wednesday evenings in the summer period.  Subscriptions are £6 per annum, payable before 1st January each year. Membership Application forms can be downloaded from the Forms page or contact our membership secretary Maree@manxfootpaths.org or tel: 671740.

Walks Programmes

All paid up members should now have received their exiting new Winter Walks Programme, so time to wax those boots and get walking!  Our sincere thanks to Bob Garrett, Gill Percival, Tony Archibald, Peter Gunn and Pat Mudie for all their hard work in compiling the walks lists. The subtle art of persuasion is evident when they are looking for people to lead walks. Once again, we have no shortage of volunteers and we are extremely grateful to all of them (too numerous to mention individually) and without whose knowledge and experience the walks could not happen.  A huge thanks also to those who send in photographs for the website. Please keep them coming, they are very much appreciated.

All walks are open to all walkers but please choose walks that will suit you. Please bring Bus or Railway Passes, Travel Cards or Cash for walks which start with a train, tram or bus journey. Also please bring a packed lunch and a drink for all day walks. Leaders who are unavailable please arrange a replacement.

EVENTS

Dates for your Diary

As we approach the busy Christmas period (I know, I know, not already!) we have lots of dates for your diary.

Winter Talks Programme

A series of three special interest talks to help us through the long winter months beginning with:

7th November – ‘Nautical Musings’ with Captain Steven Carter.
The first of our three winter talks, this was a great success with almost 40 members enjoying a very informative and entertaining talk followed by tea and biscuits. It was lovely to see old and new members getting together for this very relaxed social evening. A huge thank you to Mylchreest Court for allowing us to use their comfortable community lounge.  Make sure you put your name down (contact Lesley@manxfootpaths.org) for our next talk.

5th December – ‘Prehistoric Mann’ with Dr. Andrew Fox…and finally…

6th February 2019  - ’The Old Ways are the Best’ with Andrew Johnson
These talks will all take place in Mylchreest Court, Peel (next to the QE11 high school). Extra parking is available on the Peel Football Ground car park and the QE11 car park. Members only please, , please book your place with Lesley@manxfootpaths.org – first come first served.

Thursday 13th December - Thursday Group Christmas Lunch

Following the walk on 13th December the Thursday Group will be enjoying their annual Christmas Lunch at the Creg ny Baa hotel. All members are welcome but booking is essential. Please contact Peter.

Sunday 16th December – Sunday. Christmas Carol Service at St. Lukes Church, Baldwin.

Another year has passed us by and it’s time for members to get together for our annual Carol Service.  This delightful little church is the perfect place to join together for a short walk and to catch up with old friends who may walk on different days followed by a ‘bring and share’ tea. A lovely festive feel to this event and all members are welcome.

Tuesday 18th December - Tuesday Group Christmas Tea Party

Following our walk on 18th December, lead by Ann and Bob, we will drive to Peel Golf Club for delicious homemade cakes and tea or coffee. This is always a popular social event to round off the year and all members are welcome to join us. If you don’t wish to do the walk you can come just for the tea party afterwards but booking is essential. Contact Bob or Ann.

Special Interest Walks with Brian Beattie

18 members joined Brian for the first of his annual Special Interest walks. On Sunday 7th October we met at Ballaglass Glen and were treated to a lovely circular walk where we saw several tholtans well hidden from view by the undergrowth. It was interesting to speculate how people in days gone by lived their lives.

Sunday 14th October brought 16 members out on a beautiful autumn day for the second of Brian’s Special Interest walks. Brian led us up the steep side of Sulby Glen to the fantastic old tholtan of Ballaskella(reputedly haunted). Now in ruins, it still has lots of character with outhouses, barns and the substantial remains of the horse mill. The autumn colours were truly breath-taking and the weather was perfect. Many thanks Brian, we all really enjoyed it but did wonder what made them choose such a remote place to live.

Janice at the Warren Point Walking Festival

‘A recent visit to Ireland happily coincided with the Wee Binnian walking festival based in Warrenpoint which lies at the head of Carlingford Loch. The location is in close proximity to both the Mourne and Cooley mountains where most of their walks take place.

The festival is organised by the Wee Binnian walking club which takes its name from the smallest peak in the Mourne mountains to reflect it's small beginnings 30 years ago, when one lady formed the club to promote walking for health.  Each year they hold a 3 day festival and I was able to walk with them on the first 2 days. The first day was in the Mourne mountains, no views of the Isle of Man sadly, and the second in the Cooleys, slightly further South. Both were great hikes with spectacular sea and mountain views and Carlingford Loch thrown in for good measure. Chatting as you do when you're walking I discovered that many of them had visited the Isle of Man on more than one occasion and a group walked the coastal path a few years ago. They have always wanted to return and walk our hills and maybe next year they will. I know I'll be back to walk with them’.
Janice

Jim & Les at the Sussex High Weald Walking Festival 15th – 23rd September

‘We joined the very first High Weald walking festival for 5 days of walking (two days off for sightseeing). The lovely countryside had a typically ‘olde English’ feel to it with gently undulating hills, fields and lots of beautiful ancient woodlands. The numerous oasthouses (used for drying hops but now mostly converted into living accommodation) all added to the ambience.  The leaders were lovely and made us feel very welcome and the walks were not too strenuous’.
Jim & Les