A23 (Isle of Man)

The A23 provides an alternative, slower and hillier route to the A1 between Douglas and Crosby.

The Hospital Roundabout

The route starts at a mini roundabout on the A6 (former A21) at Braddan north of Douglas and heads north, through a full roundabout at the hospital entrance to Stran. Here it meets the A22) at a crossroads, and continues north along Mount Rule Road. The road briefly runs through fields before passing a small estate of modern bungalows and then entering the small Mount Rule village. The B22 turns right, climbing into the mountains, while the A23 curves to head west, winding across the hillside through fields and past a steady string of roadside houses and cottages. After another short run through fields, a sharp left hand bend drops the route steeply down the hill.

While most of the route is a narrow S2, this final section seems to be narrower still, the white line being rather optimistic as the road winds sharply between high hedges and buildings. The route then enters Crosby village as Eyreton Road and comes to its end at Crosby Crossroads, where it meets the A1, with the B35 continuing ahead.

History

Before the A6 was turned into a sort of outer ring road around Douglas, the A23 actually started a short distance further south on the A1 at Braddan Bridge. This junction is now a mini roundabout, albeit with a tree in the middle, but was until quite recently a T junction. As originally numbered in the 1920's, the southern part of the route was given the B15 number as far as Mount Rule. The north western section was the B16. The full length had been renumbered as the A23 by 1963.