Trail map highlights Isle of Man's RNLI links

The RNLI has five lifeboat stations around the Manx coast, including one in Peel

A new trail of sites associated with the RNLI across the Isle of Man will showcase a pinnacle of the island's maritime history, the chairman of the Manx 200th panel has said.

The map includes the island’s five lifeboat stations as well as a series of landmarks associated with the lifesaving service and its founder, Sir Willian Hillary.

Allen Corlett, who is also a volunteer at Peel Lifeboat Station, said it was “indisputable” that the RNLI was conceived on the island and it was important to celebrate that.

Sir William petitioned for the creation of the lifesaving charity in 1824 after witnessing scores of shipwrecks around the Manx coast.

The trail features the When I Grow Up statue outside the Lifeboat shop in Rasmey

Mr Corlett said: “It’s indisputable that the RNLI was created or conceived here, so it is really important for us that we make as much as we can of the 200th anniversary, not just here in the island.

“We want to promote the Isle of Man throughout the United Kingdom, throughout the British Isles, throughout Europe, or worldwide even.”

Allen Corlett said the RNLI played a big part in the island's maritime history

The trail includes information about the island’s lifeboat stations in Peel, Ramsey, Douglas, Port Erin and Port St Mary and information about each of the vessel’s serving them.

Accessible via QR codes, it also guides people to sites including the lifeboat memorial in the Marine Gardens on Douglas Promenade, a statue of Sir William Hillary on Douglas Head, his tomb at St George’s Church, and the Tower of Refuge, which he commissioned to help those stranded on Conister Rock.

The guide also features a memorial plaque in Castletown to those who lost their lives in the wreck of HMS Racehorse off Langness, which was the catalyst for the creation of the RNLI.

A statue of Sir William Hillary on Douglas Head overlooks the bay below

Port St Mary is home to one of the island's five lifeboat stations

“It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a little while really, so the 200th anniversary has been the catalyst to get it all done,” Mr Corlett said.

“We have a huge amount of maritime history on the island and in the RNLI we’re delighted to be part of that.”

The map also features St George's Church, where Sir William Hillary was buried

The trail has been produced in conjunction with the government’s tourism agency Visit Isle of Man.

The map has been made available at the island’s ports, heritage and government sites and schools, and hospitality outlets can also request them.