Popular guided walk sees 1,400 trek to landmark

A large crowd of people walk up the rocky terrain to the Tower of Refuge.Image source, DOUGLAS CITY COUNCIL
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The guided walk took place on Sunday evening

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About 1,400 people have taken part in a popular guided walk to a landmark in Douglas Bay.

Organised by Douglas City Centre Management, the annual trek to the Tower of Refuge took place on Sunday evening.

The structure was built in 1832 as a shelter for the crews of ships stuck on the nearby reef, and was the idea of RNLI founder Sir William Hillary.

Douglas city centre manager Oliver Cheshire said the event had become "an integral staple in the community calendar" since first taking place in 2012.

A large crowd walks along the seaweed covered terrain to the Tower of Refuge, which is a small stone-built castle-like structure with the Manx flag flying.Image source, DOUGLAS CITY COUNCIL
Image caption,

More than 1,400 people took part in this year's event

The turnout for the 2025 event saw a drop from the bumper 3,000 participants that venture out to the tower last year as part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of the RNLI.

Mr Cheshire said the guided walk, which continued to raise funds for the lifesaving organisation, enabled both residents and tourists "to head to one of the island's most iconic structures".

The 2025 event raised £1,900 for the RNLI.

Organisers said that due to high air pressure, the tide had dropped "quicker than expected" with the guided walk beginning 30 minutes earlier than planned.

Participants set off from a new access point by the Broadway Slipway after the steps on the Loch Promenade were deemed "unsafe" by the Department of Infrastructure.

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