C37 (Isle of Man)

This article is about the C37 on the Isle of Man.
For other routes numbered C37, see C37.

The C37 is one of the routes which climbs into the mountains on the Isle of Man. It is a great drive, offering some spectacular views across the north of the island.

Starting on the A3 next to Ballaugh Bridge, the route heads south into the wide mouth of Ballaugh Glen. It climbs a little to reach the small and pretty village of Ravensdale, TOTSOing left in the middle of the village. So far the route has been more or less two cars wide, but it is now single track as it starts to climb, quickly becoming quite steep as it lifts up past Ballaugh Plantation, ultimately gaining over 200m in about a mile. Most of this climb is reasonably straight, but in what appears to be a narrow gulley with the hill rising steeply on the left behind a stone wall, and trees rising up on the right, obscuring the views. Eventually, however, the gradient eases and the road climbs a little above the trees, with the open moorland hills rising more gently ahead.

The road curves around to head south, and before long reaches a ridge, where it runs along just below the crest. At the start of this ridge, there is a rough track on the left, and it is worth stopping here and walking out along the track until the view across the north of the island unfolds below. It is quite spectacular, and on a clear day Ireland, Scotland and England can all be seen on the horizon from here. Back on the road, it is now heading south west, snaking a little along the side of the ridge as it gently climbs past 300m, the view behind being almost as good as that from the track. Before long, however, the road kinks left and starts to descend into Druidale, a tributary of the Sulby Glen. All thoughts of being on an island surrounded by the sea are gone as the views across the upper reaches of Sulby Glen open up ahead, the finger of the reservoir cutting deep into the hills, the wooded slopes, and the hills above.

The C37 approaching the top

Druidale Farm sits a long way down a drive, but still above the reservoir, albeit hidden by forestry and the folds of the hills. A footpath leads down to the A14 at Tholt-y-Will Bridge at the bottom of the glen, but after a tight horseshoe bend over a burn, the C37 starts to climb once more, following the Druidale Burn upstream. The road runs across unfenced fields, but still finds the need to negotiate some sharp bends, before dipping to cross another burn below a ruined house. Now much closer to the banks of the burn, the road climbs the steep, narrow valley, remaining remarkably straight at first before cresting a slight summit and having to wiggle around some tight bends in the folds of the hillside.

This is now the final ascent, and having climbed away from the burn, the route levels out, with a house in view beyond a short straight. The deep cut of the burn is off to the left, but the two slowly converge once more as the road winds a little across the moorland towards the house. A final climb then winds around the house to reach the B10 at a sharp west facing fork above a near hairpin bend. This is the end of the route, the B22 sits a little higher above the junction, and meets the B10 a short distance further west, allowing traffic to complete a north-south traverse of the mountains.