Bradda Head, Port Erin, Isle of Man

My first sighting of Milner's Tower on Bradda Head was on a grey Sunday in May 2010. The tower was erected in 1971 in memory of William Milner of Milner's Lock and Safe Company. To commemorate his passing, the tower is in the shape of a key and lock, not inappropriate for a philanthropic manufacturer of fire-resistant safes. Bradda Head is criss-crossed by paths too, so I found it tricky to work out which I was supposed to be using for my walk from Port Erin to Peel using Raad ny Foillan. However, it probably was no consequence, since anything taking me in the right direction was more than up to the task. That concern could not be further from the business of copper mining that once took place under my feet centuries before (around 1650 to 1974, in fact).

Bradda Head has been a landmark on two walks on the Isle of Man with the first heading north (May 2010) and the second going south in July 2011, from when the photo dates. Coastal walking makes for following indented routes and this was true for both walks, so you need to be a more relaxed frame of mind. Steep-sided little hills further indented the northbound walk when it already had not quite registered with me how ragged its course was on the ground anyway. In retrospect, it is little wonder that my progress felt slower than I had anticipated. Though the southbound section of the coastal path turned a corner at the island's south-western extremity, this somehow was engraved in my mind and progress felt that bit quicker and there was some time to dawdle too. The other thing that caused dalliance was my having sunnier skies the second time around.