Port Erin

Port Erin (Manx: Purt Çhiarn – Lord's Port) is a village on the southwest coast of the Isle of Man. It was traditionally a fishing village, collecting scallops and crabs off Bradda Head, but the harbour is small with limited shelter. At low tide you can see the scraps of the breakwater built in the 1860s to improve the port, but it was destroyed by a storm. From Victorian times to the 1960s Port Erin was a holiday resort but nowadays most tourists just day-trip, and it's a very quiet place in the evening. In 2021 its population was 3730.

Get in
Port Erin is 15 miles southwest of Douglas the capital and ferry port, and 6 miles west of Ronaldsway Airport.

Buses 1, 2 and 11 each run hourly from Douglas to the airport, Castletown, Port Erin and Port St Mary, so the combined service is every 20 min. The last bus is around 21:00, with a night bus N1 just after Friday midnight. The direct bus from Peel has been axed, travel via Douglas. The bus terminus in Port Erin is the railway station.

is the terminus of the narrow-gauge IOM Steam Railway, which operates mid-March to end of October. Four trains a day take 70 min from Douglas via Castletown and Port St Mary to Port Erin.

Get around
Walk, the town is compact. Bus 28 runs mid-June - Aug Sa Su hourly from Port Erin to Port St Mary, Cregneash (for village museum) and Calf Sound at the south tip of the island.

South Star Taxi are on +44 7624 344440.

See

 * St Catherine's Church at the corner of Promenade and Church Rd is Anglican, built in 1860.
 * is the focus of hikes onto Bradda Head, the clifftop north of the bay. It's in the shape of a lock and key, in memory of William Milner a Victorian safe-maker and philanthropist. The headland, which rises abruptly to 382 ft / 116 m, was mined for copper from the Bronze Age to 1874.
 * is a mile south on Darragh Rd. See Port St Mary for this and other prehistoric monuments, Cregneash crofting village, the perilous Chasms, and The Point at the southwest tip of the Isle of Man.
 * is a nature reserve on Church Rd A29. It's free to access 24 hours.
 * is a nature reserve on Church Rd A29. It's free to access 24 hours.

Do

 * Port Erin beach has white sand. Angling from shore is permitted.
 * Sauna: Kishtey Çheh midway along the beach is a charming cylindrical hut where you have a 30-60 min session, then plunge in the bracing sea.
 * Erin Arts Centre (Laare Ellynyn Phurt Chiarn) puts on various shows and events. It's on Kerrin Victoria, the cul-de-sac off the Promenade.
 * Hike: Raad ny Foillan, The Way of the Gull, is a 95-mile footpath around the Manx coast. Its best section is the two mile clifftop between Bradda Head and Fleshwick Bay.
 * Boat trips: Shona explores the coast, with landings on the Calf of Man.
 * Paddleboards: Port Erin Paddleboards rent SUPs.
 * Aquabikes chunter round the bay. They're a sort of pedalo between outrigger canoes, how come the Polynesians never thought of these to reach New Zealand?
 * Golf: Rowany GC is north edge of town. White tees 5722 yards, par 70.

Buy

 * Shoprite on Bridson Rd is the town supermarket, open M-Sa 08:00-21:00, Su 09:00-18:00.
 * Convenience stores are Robinson's next to Shoprite, and Co-op Food by the railway station.
 * Spar filling station is 100 yards east of the railway station, open M-Sa 07:00-21:00, Su 08:00-20:00.
 * Bridge Bookshop on the Promenade has many titles of local interest. It's open M-Sa 09:30-17:30.

Eat

 * Port Erin Chippy & Diner is by the railway station, open M-Th 11:30-14:00, 16:00-21:00, F-Su 11:30-21:00.
 * La Gusto is a pizza takeaway on Shore Rd near the harbour, open Su, Tu-Th 17:00-22:00, F Sa 17:00-23:00. The town lacks a sit-in Italian.
 * Port Erin Chippy & Diner is by the railway station, open M-Th 11:30-14:00, 16:00-21:00, F-Su 11:30-21:00.
 * La Gusto is a pizza takeaway on Shore Rd near the harbour, open Su, Tu-Th 17:00-22:00, F Sa 17:00-23:00. The town lacks a sit-in Italian.

Drink

 * Foraging Vintners by the harbour is a winery and bar, they also make cider. They're open W-Su 12:00-22:00.
 * Bay Hotel on Shore Rd near the harbour is a trad pub with meals, open Su-Th 12:00-23:00, F Sa 12:00-00:00. They don't have rooms.

Sleep

 * See Port St Mary for Glendown campsite at the east edge of town.
 * See Port St Mary for Glendown campsite at the east edge of town.
 * See Port St Mary for Glendown campsite at the east edge of town.
 * See Port St Mary for Glendown campsite at the east edge of town.

Connect
Port Erin and its approach roads have 4G from Sure and Manx. As of April 2023, 5G has not rolled out on the Isle of Man.

Go next

 * Port St Mary is a similar small resort two miles away on the east coast.
 * Calf of Man is an island nature reserve reached by boat trips from Port Erin or Port St Mary.
 * Castletown was the Manx capital until 1874, and has a well-preserved castle.