Hundreds to gather for accessible walking event

The Coast 2 Coast will set off from the National Sports Centre at 13:30 BST

Hundreds of people are expected to join an "inclusive" walking challenge from the east to the west coast of the Isle of Man.

The Coast 2 Coast walk, which starts at the National Sports Centre in Douglas, and ends at the House of Manannan in Peel begins at 13:30 BST.

Launched in 2017 as a "more accessible" walking event on the island by visual impairment charity Sight Matters, the route sees participants complete 12 miles (19km) along the heritage trail.

Peter Marshall from Sight Matters said it "brings the excitement of an event but importantly is accessible to everyone."

'Festival feel'

He said some visually impaired or older people "may not feel able to take part" in other walking events but more than 400 people had signed up to take part in this.

It "encourages a different type of audience" to some of the more competitive walking events on the island, he said, adding "everyone has got different goals and objectives".

"We want to enable people to do something that they are proud of", Mr Marshall said.

There is also a shorter 3 mile (4.8km) route starting at St John's and ending at Peel as part of the organised walk.

Mr Marshall said there was "a festival feel" when participants completed the event with music playing and crowds cheering.