A18 road (Isle of Man)
| |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length: | 15.30 mi (24.62 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| South end: |
Governor's Bridge, Douglas 54°10′18″N 4°28′06″W / 54.17167°N 4.46833°W |
| North end: |
Ramsey 54°19′14″N 4°23′06″W / 54.32056°N 4.38500°W |
| Location | |
| Primary destinations: | Bungalow |
| Road network | |
The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road [1] or Mountain Road is 15.30 miles long (24.62 km) road in the Isle of Man and is a primary road which connects Douglas with Ramsey. The A18 Mountain Road is part of Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course,[2] a road-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix Races held in the Isle of Man from 1911 and 1923 respectively. The racing 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 meters (1,385 feet) above sea level.
Route
The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road runs from the A2 Governor's Road at Governor's Bridge north to Ramsey and includes the A18 Bemahague Road from Governor's Bridge to Signpost Corner. As the road is part of the Snaefell Mountain Course it passes through Cronk-ny-Mona, Hillberry Corner and the junction with the C22 Little Mill Road, Brandish Corner, Creg-ny-Baa, Kate's Cottage, Keppel Gate, Windy Corner and the B10 Sartfield 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 Mountain Gate, Mountain Box, 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 section of road previously held in private ownership between Cruickshanks Corner and the road junctions with the A9 Ramsey to Andreas Road and the A2 Douglas to Ramsey Road situated in the town of Ramsey.
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Origins and History
The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road was developed in the mid-nineteenth century from a number of pre-existing tracks and bridle paths.[3] This included the building of a number of sheep-gates including the East Mountain Gate, the Beinn-y-Phott sheep-gate at the Brandywell B10 road junction and Keppel Gate. The primary A18 Mountain Road section from Keppel Gate to North Barrule (Park Lewellyn) is a product of the Disaforesting Commission of 1860[4] As this section of the A18 Mountain Road is purpose built, it reflects typical nineteenth century highway and railway construction practices with many small scale cuttings, embankments, revetments and follows land contours with purpose built graded-sections intersected by right-angle bends, road junctions and sheep-gates.
Milestones
The A18 Sneafell Mountain Road is characterised by small-size metal milestone[5] from the period of James Garrow as Isle of Man Surveyor-General[6] that are numbered numerically from Douglas to Ramsey.
Sources
- ↑ Isle of Man Examiner pp33 dated 8 July 2008
- ↑ Isle of Man Centenary TT – ACU/MMCC Official Race Guide pp67 Isle of Man Department of Tourism and Leisure (2007) Mannin Media Group Ltd
- ↑ Isle of Man Examiner pp5 dated 5 June 1969
- ↑ Manx Milestones by Stuart Slack pp58 (1st Edition)(2003)The Manx Experience ISBN 1-873120-58-3
- ↑ Manx Milestones by Stuart Slack pp56-57 (1st Edition)(2003)The Manx Experience ISBN 1-873120-58-3
- ↑ Isle of Man Examiner dated 3 May 1913
External links
Route map: Bing