Castle Rushen

one of the best-preserved medieval castles in the British Isles. Built 800 years ago for a Viking king, the castle has been a Civil War fortress and the Island’s Victorian prison. Step over the drawbridge and into the intricate architecture of the keep, and you’ll understand how the three-foot thick walls kept people out - and in. The castle sits as a huge statement of power and intent, towering high above the market square and harbours of Castletown, the ancient capital of the Isle of Man.  With a fully accessible ground floor, every visitor can experience echoes of history within the walls. 

Nautical Museum

Explore Captain George Quayle’s 18th century private dock and boathouse, overlooking the historic harbour. For more than 200 years the Nautical Museum in Castletown was home to the Peggy, the earliest surviving schooner, and the only surviving shallop.   Visit the Quayle Gallery telling more of the personal story of George Quayle and his family as well as that of the Peggy, showcasing previously unseen objects uncovered in the archaeological excavations. Exhibits include a leather pistol holster, a flintlock pistol mechanism, some coconut shell drinking cups and what is believed to be an 18th century microscope.

Old Grammar School

An architectural gem located on the harbour, this is the oldest roofed building on the Island dating to the 1200s; later converted into a grammar school in the 18th century. It stands where once the ordinary people of the medieval town worshipped and later prominent Manxmen were educated.  Small but architecturally rich building it was originally St. Mary’s Chapel built around the 1200s. The chapel served the town as it grew around the castle until around 1710 when Bishop Wilson converted it into a grammar school. The school, open to boys and predominantly only those from wealthy families, ran lessons for two centuries in an area of town then jostling with buildings and winding streets. In 1950 this survivor was saved from demolition as parts of the old town were cleared around it.

Poulsom Park

Below the station accessed via steps from the platform, traditional children's play park set in the heart of Castletown nestled between the station and the Silverburn river.  The large enclosed play area is suitable for both toddlers and older children. A skate park features ramps, grind rails and a track made from earth. A small zip wire sits adjacent on the river side, and is accessible for children of all ages.  The park is also a registered Dark Skies Site. Any budding stargazer will enjoy the spectacular views on offer, with dark skies to the West and North. It is is one of twenty-six registered Dark Sky Discovery Sites on the Isle of Man. With the help of Interpretation Boards on site, stargazers can fully enjoy the stunning views on offer in the Manx skies.  A skating park lies at the far northerly corner as well as a zip-line.

Scarlett Visitors Centre

Outstanding coastal scenery, spectacular limestone and volcanic rock-formations, great spring flowers and plenty of birds to see.  The Nature Discovery Centre stands between the quarry, source of the limestone which built Castletown, and the triple lime-kilns on the shore. Displaying maps, diagrams and data, the Centre introduces the complex geology and fossil remains of the Scarlett peninsula. A short film shows off the areas rich coastal flora and bird life. A Nature Trail explores these features on the ground, specifically the limestone pavements and volcanic rocks such as the Stack. This is an exhilarating walk at any season, especially when spring flowers including spring squill, thrift, bird’s foot trefoil and stonecrop, carpet the rocky outcrops and the turf. In addition to the many and varied seabirds of Castletown Bay, wheatears, stonechats and meadow pipits dart among the rocks in summer and the disused quarry lake attracts hawking swallows and martins.

Aviation & Military Museum

Open 10.00am to 4.30pm every weekend throughout the year and daily from mid-May to the end of September. Also open during most school holidays.  The museum is situated to the south of Ronaldsway Airport on the road to Castletown. It is open every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year and daily during the summer months. We are always willing to open at other times if you want a private viewing or a guided tour. For more details on how to get to the museum please click here.  The museum is dedicated to the Manx men and women who served their Island in the cause of freedom; to those people of other nations who were brought to our shores by wartime service and to all those who, in war and peace, have lost their lives in the Isle of Man in aviation accidents.  The museum site is perfect because the site is not only on the present day airfield, but some of the buildings were constructed as part of the Fleet Air Arm station, Royal Naval Air Station Ronaldsway (H.M.S. Urley), in 1944.

Castletown Beach

The horseshoe-shaped bay of Castletown, offers sandy stretches and pebbly coves. The Beach is a favourite among watersport fanatics, with the bay offering perfect windsurfing conditions. The picturesque beach is also a great spot for walking, adored by locals and tourists alike.  Dogs are not allowed on the area between Shore Road with the promenade and the eastern town boundary, notices on site give details.  The seward driveway to King Williams College is close to the beach on the Derbyhaven Road, where there is also a car parking and campervan area.  The beach proves popular in the summer months and stretches as far as Derbyhaven Village where may be found the sheltered small fishing harbour, and another longer walk to the golf links and Langness.  For a longer walk this is also the route for Fort Island with its derelict chapel and fort served by a small causeway which is also accessible for cars.

Hango Hill

This is an historic mound on the coast road between Castletown and Derbyhaven; it is said to be a prehistoric burial site. The recovery of a bronze flat axe implies a possible Bronze Age date, its name deriving from the Norse hanga-haugr (gallows hill).  It was used as a place of execution at least until the 17th century. An entry in the burials register of Malew for 1604 states that William Keruish and Robert Calow, from Kirk Maughold, for the murder of a certain Cottscam of that parish, were hanged at the Hango Hill gallows on 31st August and buried in the church of Kirk Malew, in front of the porch. It is most famous as the execution site of Illiam Dhone in 1663, for his part in the Manx rising of 1651 against the Derby family and there is a broken-down monument with a plaque commemorating this. However the history is rather more complicated than that, as the island had been invaded by Parliamentary forces of the English Civil War.