Popular guided walk sees 1,400 trek to landmark

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.

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".

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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