Nature

The north of the Island is an agricultural plain formed from sediment left behind at the end of the last ice age. The coast is dominated by low sandy cliffs and dunes including The Ayres National Nature Reserve, a wildlife hot-spot. Inland, the marshy grassland and willow scrub of the Ballaugh Curragh is an internationally recognised wetland.

Further south, much of the farmland is pasture and still has a patchwork of small fields with dry stone walls and earth banks providing shelter from the wind and crevices for small animals. The coast is rocky with a few sandy beaches and many opportunities to explore rock pools.  The diversity of sea life around the Isle of Man is appreciated supported by local people enabling the designation of a Marine Nature Reserve in Ramsey Bay.

Some types of habitat, such as saltmarsh, are rare in the Isle of Man and are confined to a handful of small areas, such as the Langness peninsula. Here, wildfowl take refuge in the winter at one of the Island’s premier bird watching sites.

As it has long been geographically separated from Britain and Ireland, the Island has fewer species of animals and plants, but is not short of spectacular wildlife. From basking sharks to seabird colonies, choughs and hen harriers to orchid meadows, there is always something to satisfy the nature watcher in the Isle of Man.

The rocks and landscapes of the Isle of Man tell a fascinating story – one that began in the distant geological past, hundreds of millions of years ago.