A26 (Isle of Man)

The A26 is a quiet route in the south of the Isle of Man.

The A26 at Braaid

The route starts at a T junction on the A1 in Glen Vine village and heads south on Glen Darragh Road out of the village. The old railway line, now a walking and cycle route, is crossed on the level, and then a small bridge carries the road over the River Dhoo. The climb out of the valley is long, but relatively gentle, certainly easier than the nearby B roads. A sharper left hand bend leads to a snaking route, climbing across fields and passing occasional houses and farms. The route soon reaches a dip in the ridge of hills, and drops slightly to meet the A24 at the mini roundabout at Braaid Crossroads. Continuing south west, the route passes the scattered houses of the village and then crosses the B37 at another crossroads.

Now out in open country again, the A26 meanders downhill through fields to cross the Santon Burn, and then gently climbs up to St Marks, where a number of routes meet at a complex of junctions around the church. The A26 has to TOTSO left at a crossroads, with the B35 coming in from the right and a short spur of the B30 continuing ahead. The mainline of the B30 then comes in at a sharp fork just past the church. Now heading south, the route resumes a winding course through fields, rarely straight for long as it slowly loses height. There are a handful of houses along the roadside, and a left turn for the B38 but nothing else of much interest before it reaches Ballasalla.

The road has straightened up as it reaches the growing village, and a short straight leads down to the junction with the A34. Continuing ahead, the route soon comes to an end in the village centre at a mini roundabout on the A7.

History

As originally numbered in the 1920's, the route was given the B19 number. It had been renumbered as the A26 by 1963.