About
St Michael's Isle, also called Fort Island, is a rocky islet at the mouth of Derbyhaven Bay on the Langness peninsula, once cut off at high tide and now reached by a narrow causeway from Fort Island Road. The Chronicles of the Kings of Man and the Isles record a battle here in 1250 and name St Michael's Chapel, a roofless church on the site of an earlier Celtic keeill that Manx National Heritage, which cares for the island, ranks among the best preserved relics of early Manx Christianity. Nearby stands the round Derby Fort, built on the orders of Henry VIII against French or Spanish raiders, refitted by the Earl of Derby in the Civil War and later used as a lighthouse; it is seen from outside through its barred gateway, cannon still inside. Reviewers come for the views, the seals and the quiet, and warn that the single-track road and causeway are narrow. The Raad ny Foillan coast path makes a signed detour on to the island.
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- St Michael's IsleSee opening notes
Opening times may change at short notice.
Open access all year round; no admission fee. Donations to Manx National Heritage are welcome. MNH has guardianship of the monuments but the land is mostly not its own and visits are at your own risk.
MNH does not say whether the chapel or the fort can be entered: reviewers and recent photographs show the fort's gateway closed by a barred gate, so it is seen from outside and through the gate, and the roofless chapel can be seen close up. There are no toilets, refreshments, staff or information boards. A path circles the centre of the island; it is uneven, with dips and rabbit holes, but mostly easy going, while the ground off the path, especially to the north and east, is rough. The causeway bridge is narrow and has no walls in places.
Observe the Isle of Man Country Code: wear stout footwear, expect changes in weather, tell someone where you are going and do not rely on mobile reception. Visit Isle of Man lists the island as one of the Island's Dark Sky Discovery Sites.
Photo: Derby Fort on St Michael's Isle from the south-west, its round crenellated stone wall and barred gateway on open grass with the sea behind. Otter, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isle_of_Man_-_St_Michael%27s_Isle_(Fort_Island)_-_Derby_Fort_20240222_from_southwest.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
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Walking routes2 routes
Raad ny Foillan, stage 2: Derbyhaven to Port St Mary(opens the full route on the National Trust site)
WalkDog access not confirmed19.5 km
