A36 (Isle of Man)

The A36 is one of the Isle of Man's most spectacular drives, climbing over the hills to Foxdale from the southern end of the island.

The A36 climbing across the hillside above Scard

The route starts at a roundabout on the A7 opposite the A29 to the north east of Port Erin. It begins climbing almost immediately, passing along the western edge of the small village of Ballagwne. A few scattered houses extend beyond the village, but soon peter out. At a sharper right turn, a loop of old road survives as a layby and picnic site, offering expansive views across the south east corner of the island to Castletown and beyond. After the next bend, the road crosses a patch of moorland above the fields, but after crossing a summit of around 180m, it dips down again, snaking through fields and passing a few properties again. The B44 then comes in from the right, also having climbed up from the A7.

The A36 resumes its climb, heading back out onto the moorland as it snakes its way around the headwaters of the Colby River. A small parking area allows people to take a short walk west through a gap in the hills and see the Irish Sea beyond, with steep cliffs rising up from the shore far below. The views are outstanding, and only get better as the climb steepens across the southern slopes of Cronk ny Arrey Laa. After a sharp double bend, the route snakes up the hillside for half a mile before the climb eases a little. The Hill of South Barrule then comes into view ahead to the right, and soon after the route reaches a summit, of nearly 360m. The view ahead is outstanding, across the glens and hills of the west coast, and on a clear day across to the hills around Snaefell.

Round Table Crossroads

A track continues ahead to drop steeply down the hill, but the A36 turns sharp right and drifts more gently down a shallow ridge to meet the A27 at the Round Table crossroads. The A36 maintains priority as it follows a long straight, dropping gently across the northern slopes of South Barrule, with forestry in the glen below. After a couple of snaking bends, the ruins of Foxdale Mines can be seen below, accessed from an unclassified left turn which forks and leads to either Glen Maye on the coast or St Johns. The A36, meanwhile, continues to curve around the hillside, turning west and then south, before plunging into forestry. After passing an activity centre, the route turns hard left and soon comes to an end on the A3 at a T junction.

One problem which many of the roads on the Isle of Man suffer from, is that while the A36 offers some spectacular views across the island, there are not enough laybys in the right places from which they can be fully appreciated.

History

As originally numbered in the 1920's, the route was given the B30 number. It had been renumbered as the A36 by 1963.