20-508: Creg-ny-Baa ( English: / ˌ k r ɛ ɡ n ə ˈ b ɑː / , Manx: [ˈkʰɾɛɡ nə ˈbɛ] ; 'rock of the cow') is located between the 3rd Milestone and 4th Milestone of the primary A18 Snaefell Mountain Road and the road junction with the secondary B12 'Creg-ny-Baa Back-Road', in the parish of Kirk Onchan in the Isle of Man . The former farm estate of Creg-ny-Baa is located near to
40-571: A seventh kingdom, that of Manannán (or the sea ). The plaque at the summit indicates the directions of five points from Snaefell as well as their distances: (For some reason, Wales is absent from the plaque). While highly dependent on weather conditions and visibility, all of the four countries of the United Kingdom can be seen from the summit of Snaefell. This includes much of the southern coast of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland ,
60-599: Is a primary main A-road of 13.35 miles (21.48 km) in length which connects the towns of Douglas and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. The Mountain Road is part of Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or TT Course, a road-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix races, which have been held in the Isle of Man from 1911 and 1923 respectively. In the races, it is one-way from Ramsey towards Douglas. The racing
80-548: Is held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the Isle of Man). It is the oldest motor-cycle racing circuit still in use. The highest point of the course is on the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road between the Bungalow and Hailwood's Height at Ordnance Survey spot height 422 metres (1,385 feet) above sea level, with gradients reaching 14%. The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road
100-432: Is the highest mountain and the only summit above 2,000 feet (610 m) on the Isle of Man , at 2,037 feet (620.9 m) above sea level . The summit is crowned by a railway station, cafe and several communications masts. It is a well-known saying in the Isle of Man that on a clear day six kingdoms can be seen from the top: the Isle of Man , England , Ireland , Scotland , Wales and Heaven . Some versions add
120-487: Is the motorcycle-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) and the Manx Grand Prix. The road skirts the peak of Snaefell, the tallest mountain on the island at 2,035 feet (sic). A key attraction for many: The Isle of Man is one of the few British territories with no national speed limit." Snaefell Snaefell ( Old Norse : snjœ-fjall/snjó-fall – snow mountain ) – ( Manx : Sniaull )
140-887: The Lake District in England, the northern coast of Anglesey in Wales, and the Mountains of Mourne in Northern Ireland . Points in the Republic of Ireland in County Louth can also be seen. The Snaefell Mountain Railway has a seasonal electric tram service, typically from April to October, which climbs the four miles (six kilometres) from Laxey to the summit. The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road passes over
160-738: The Mountain Mile including Guthrie's Memorial , 26th Milestone , the D28 Hibernia Road junction at the Gooseneck , Water Works Corner , Ramsey Hairpin and Whitegates . The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road at its northern end includes two small sections of road previously held in private ownership between Cruickshank's Corner and the road junctions with the A9 Ramsey to Andreas Road and the A2 Douglas to Ramsey Road situated in
180-638: The 37.73 mile Isle of Man TT Mountain Course for motor-cycle racing which has been used since 1911 for the Isle of Man TT and from 1923 for the Manx Grand Prix races. To enable motor-cycle and sidecar racing on the new Clypse Course for the 1954 Isle of Man TT Races, during the winter of 1953–54 road widening and re-profiling occurred on the TT Course at the Creg-ny-Baa road junction along with nearby Signpost Corner , Cronk-ny-Mona and
200-626: The 52.15 mile Highland Course (amended to 40.38 miles in 1906) and the 37.50 Mile Four Inch Course used for car racing including the 1904 Gordon Bennett Trial and the RAC Tourist Trophy car races held between 1905 and 1922. In 1911 the Four Inch Course was first used by the Auto-Cycling Union for the Isle of Man TT motorcycle races. This included the Creg-ny-Baa section and the course later became known as
220-818: The A2 Governor's Road at Governor's Bridge in Douglas north to Ramsey, and includes the A18 Bemahague Road from Governor's Bridge to Signpost Corner with the A39 Hillbery Road junction. As part of the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course , in reverse direction it passes through Cronk-ny-Mona and the road junction with the A6 Johnny Watterson's Lane and the C10 Scollag Road. The A18 Road then passes Hillberry Corner and
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#1732798591991240-502: The approach to Governor's Bridge by the Isle of Man Highway and Transport Board. A18 road (Isle of Man) ‘ Old Road ’/(A18) Bemahague Road A39 Hillberry Road/B11 Avondale Road A6 Johnny Watterson's Lane/C10 Scollag Road C22 Little Mill Road B12 Creg-ny-Baa Back Road U31 Nobles Park Road B10 Beinn-y-Phott Road A14 Sulby Glen Road D28 Hiberian/Roan Road [REDACTED] Lezayre Road The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road or Mountain Road ( Manx : Giat y Clieau )
260-539: The current Creg-ny-Baa road junction. A new hotel, the Keppel Gate Inn was built c.1885 now known as the 'Keppel Hotel' or Creg-ny-Baa public house and restaurant. The area is also the site of a radio and telecommunications station built in 1939 for the UK General Post Office near to the Creg-ny-Baa road junction. The Creg-ny-Baa section of the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road was part of
280-962: The junction with the C22 Little Mill Road, Brandish Corner , Creg-ny-Baa , Kate's Cottage , Keppel Gate , the Windy Corner and the B10 Beinn-y-Phott Road road junction with Brandywell . Continuing north, the A18 Mountain Road passes over the Snaefell Mountain Railway tramway crossing at the Bungalow and the A14 Sulby Glen Road, Bungalow Bridge , Verandah , Stonebreakers Hut , East Snaefell Mountain Gate, Mountain Box,
300-558: The period of James Garrow as Isle of Man Surveyor-General; they are numbered numerically from Douglas to Ramsey. In 2014, the National Geographic magazine nominated the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road as No 8 in the Top 10 Driver's Drives . No 8. A18 Snaefell Mountain Road – The Isle of Man has been a leading motorsport destination since 1904, when racing was legalized on public roads. This 15-mile route between Douglas and Ramsey
320-495: The slopes of Snaefell, and is the highest section of the Snaefell Mountain Course over which the Isle of Man TT Races are held. Walkers often use the car park on this road near the Bungalow railway station (last railway stop before the summit) from which there is a rough path to the peak. The trail has sections of gravel, slate stones, grass and rock. While the angle of ascent steepens significantly closer to
340-399: The summit, special climbing equipment is not required. However, caution is required in steep areas as the grass, earth and rocks are often slippery. Average climb time on foot on a dry footpath is about 45 minutes. A geodetic marker embedded in the small, concrete obelisk indicates the true mountain summit. The rock cairn standing nearby has an information plaque on top. In 1970,
360-555: The town of Ramsey. The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road was developed in the mid-19th century from a number of pre-existing roads, cart-tracks and bridle paths. This included installation of a number of sheep-gates including the East Mountain Gate, the Beinn-y-Phott sheep-gate at Brandywell and Keppel Gate. The section of the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road from Keppel Gate northwards to the Gooseneck corner near Ramsey
380-804: Was built on common grazing land that was transferred to the Crown following the sale of the Island's feudal rights by the Duke of Atholl after the Disafforesting Commission of 1860. As the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road is purpose-built, it reflects typical 19th century highway and railway construction practices, with many small-scale cuttings, embankments and revetments, and follows land contours with purpose-built graded sections intersected by right-angle bends, road junctions and sheep-gates. The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road has small metal milestones from
400-509: Was described in the publication Classic Motor-Sport Routes as: ....you'll notice that once you get beyond Ramsey and the tight left hand hairpin bend to begin the climb onto the Mountain Road, most Manx drivers don't tend to hang about. The sense of freedom given by the liberal road traffic laws and the brooding, mountain and moorland terrain makes driving here an invigorating experience .... The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road runs from
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