Photo: James Qualtrough / Unsplash
Port St Mary — the quiet harbour on the other side of the hill
Photo: James Qualtrough / Unsplash
Last checked
Port St Mary is a working harbour a mile from Port Erin, with Chapel Bay beach and the cliff walk to the Chasms. What to do, where to stay and eat, parking.
On the map
- Port St Mary harbour — Inner harbour dries at low tide. Bus stop on the quay
- Chapel Bay — Small sheltered sandy beach below the prom
- Port St Mary station — Steam railway station, about 1km north of the harbour
- Kellas — Café-restaurant above Chapel Bay. Brunch to dinner
- Kallow Point — Free binoculars and wildlife boards on the point
- The Chasms — Deep clefts in the clifftop, unfenced in places. Keep dogs on a lead
- The Sugarloaf — Sea stack below the cliffs at the Chasms
- Calf Sound — Café, seals and the view to the Calf
Port St Mary is Port Erin without the Victorian resort. The two villages are a mile apart, on either side of the same hill, and the difference in character is out of all proportion to the distance. Port St Mary is a harbour first, with a small beach and the island’s best cliff walk starting from the end of the pier road. This page covers what to do, where to stay and eat, parking and getting here. It’s for walkers, families who want a quiet beach, and anyone who’d rather not share the sand.
What Port St Mary is like
A working village built round two harbours. The inner harbour, with a pier dating from 1812, dries out from half-tide. That’s half the appeal: fishing boats and yachts sit on the mud with the hills behind them. The outer harbour behind the Alfred Pier, built in 1882, is one of the few Manx harbours you can get into at any state of the tide. It’s the base for the RNLI lifeboat (here since 1896) and the Isle of Man Yacht Club.
Above the harbour, a Victorian promenade and the Town Hall look down on Chapel Bay. It’s residential, quiet and friendly, and not in any hurry.
Things to do in Port St Mary
The harbour and Kallow Point
Walk the quay, watch the boats come in, and carry on out to Kallow Point beyond the harbour. The commissioners have put free binoculars and wildlife boards there. When the waves are right, surfers use Kallow Point and Brewery Beach at Gansey, and sea kayakers paddle round Perwick Bay towards the Sugarloaf and the Sound.
The beaches
- Chapel Bay, below the promenade. A small, sheltered sandy beach and the default with children. Its water has been rated Good every year since 2019. There are changing cabins on the lower prom from May to October.
- Gansey and Bay ny Carrickey, east along the coast road. A long bay of sand and shingle with roadside parking. Its water was rated Excellent in 2025.
- Perwick Bay, round the point to the south. A rocky cove reached on the coast path. Quieter still.
More in our beaches guide.
The cliff walk: the Chasms, the Sugarloaf and the Sound
The reason walkers stay here. Head south out of the village on the Raad ny Foillan and the path climbs over the cliffs past the Chasms, deep vertical clefts in the clifftop. Below them is the Sugarloaf, a sea stack standing off the cliff. Beyond Spanish Head, the path drops to the Sound, facing the Calf of Man. There’s a café there, and usually seals on Kitterland in the middle of the channel.
Allow a half day there and back with stops. Bus route 8s serves the Sound, so you can walk one way and ride back.
Calf of Man boat trips
Two local boats run Calf of Man trips from Port St Mary harbour. Visit Isle of Man lists landing trips at £25 for an adult and £15 for a child, and wildlife trips round the Calf at £20 and £10 (September 2026). Trips need at least five people. If you want to stay overnight on the Calf, you need a Port St Mary boat. Details in our Calf of Man guide.
Nearby
Cregneash, the Manx National Heritage folk village, is on the hill between Port St Mary and the Sound. The Meayll Circle, a Neolithic chambered cairn, is on Mull Hill just above it. Port St Mary Golf Links is a nine-hole course on the edge of the village.
Where to stay in Port St Mary
Small and personal: guesthouses, a hostel and self-catering. There’s no hotel. The “from” prices are from Visit Isle of Man (opens in a new tab) in September 2026.
| Where | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron House, the Promenade | Traditional guesthouse, from £130 | Views over Chapel Bay and the harbour, and award-winning breakfasts |
| Beachcroft Guest House, Beach Road | Guesthouse, from £65 | Ground-floor rooms, off-road parking and a quiet garden |
| Marina House, Bay View Road | Hostel run by Discover Diving | Budget beds in a restored 1893 guesthouse, with bay views |
| Cherry Tree House | Self-catering, three bedrooms, from £295 | Families wanting a house with countryside views |
| The Stable at Glendown Farm | Self-catering | A rural base between Port St Mary and Port Erin |
The Port St Mary Commissioners (opens in a new tab) keep a longer list of local places to stay. To compare the south with the rest of the island, see where to stay.
Where to eat and drink in Port St Mary
The choice is small, but it’s better than it used to be. These were trading in September 2026. The Boathouse restaurant on the harbour has closed.
- Kellas, Manxonia House, Bay View Road. The pick. It’s a café, restaurant and bar above Chapel Bay, serving coffee and baking, brunch, lunch, dinner and cocktails. It’s dog friendly, with outdoor seating. Book for dinner at kellas.im (opens in a new tab).
- Andrea’s, Bay View Road. The village Italian and takeaway. We couldn’t confirm its hours for autumn 2026, so ring ahead.
- Corner House Coffee, Bay View Road. For coffee and a snack.
- Aaron House does afternoon teas as well as rooms. Book ahead.
- Good Luck, Bay View Road. Chinese takeaway.
- The Café at the Sound, at the far end of the cliff walk. Manx seafood, cakes and Davison’s ice cream, with the best view of any café on the island. It’s the natural end of the cliff walk.
For more choice, Port Erin is ten minutes away by bus.
Parking in Port St Mary
Parking is free. The Town Hall car park on the promenade allows free parking for 18 hours in any 24, according to the Port St Mary Commissioners (opens in a new tab) (September 2026). Some spaces there are leased to residents and marked as reserved. There’s also parking around the harbour and along the promenade. Where a sign shows a time limit, display a free parking disc (opens in a new tab). The Town Hall has public toilets, open 6am to 10pm daily. The disc rules are explained in our parking guide.
Getting to Port St Mary
- By bus: routes 1, 2, 11 and 12 run from Douglas via the airport and Castletown. Some go via Gansey and the harbour, others via Colby and Port Erin. It’s about 45 to 50 minutes from Lord Street, and about 20 minutes from the airport (Bus Vannin (opens in a new tab), September 2026). Route 8s links the harbour with Port Erin, Cregneash and the Sound.
- By train: the steam railway stops at Port St Mary station, a large Victorian station just north of the village, from late March to 1 November. The harbour is about a kilometre’s walk from the station.
- By car: follow the A5 south from Douglas through Castletown.
— The Guru
Common questions
What is the difference between Port Erin and Port St Mary?
Port Erin is the resort, with the big beach, the railway terminus and more places to stay and eat. Port St Mary, a mile away over the hill, is the working harbour. It's smaller, quieter and more residential, with better sailing and the start of the best cliff walk in the south.
Can you walk from Port St Mary to Port Erin?
Yes. It's about a mile and a half by road. The better walk is the coast path south past the Chasms to the Sound, then north on the coast path to Port Erin, which makes a long half day. Take the bus back if your legs give out.
Where do you park in Port St Mary?
Parking is free. The Town Hall car park on the promenade allows 18 hours in any 24 (Port St Mary Commissioners, September 2026), and there's parking by the harbour and along the prom. Read the signs for any disc zones.
Does the steam train stop at Port St Mary?
Yes. Port St Mary has its own Victorian station on the Douglas–Port Erin line, just north of the village. It's the stop before Port Erin, and it's about a kilometre's walk from the station to the harbour.