Snaefell
Mountain on the Isle of Man
title: "Snaefell" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["marilyns-of-the-isle-of-man", "mountains-and-hills-of-the-isle-of-man", "lezayre"] description: "Mountain on the Isle of Man" topic_path: "general/marilyns-of-the-isle-of-man" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snaefell" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Mountain on the Isle of Man ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Snaefell |
| other_name | Sniaull |
| photo | Snaefell (7101973895).jpg |
| photo_alt | Snaefell mountain in distant haze rising above rough low vegetation animal grazing land against a pale cloudy sky |
| photo_caption | Snaefell viewed from minor Beinn-y-phott Road, connecting Brandywell on the mountain to minor lowland places in the island's centre |
| elevation_ft | 2037 |
| prominence_ft | 2037 |
| parent_peak | none – HP Isle of Man |
| map | Isle of Man |
| map_caption | Location of Snaefell in the Isle of Man |
| map_size | 200 |
| label_position | left |
| listing | Marilyn, Hardy |
| translation | snow fell |
| language | Old Norse |
| pronunciation | |
| location | Isle of Man |
| coordinates | |
| grid_ref_UK | SC397881 |
| topo | OS Landranger 95 |
| :: |
::callout[type=note] the mountain on the Isle of Man ::
| name = Snaefell |other_name = Sniaull | photo = Snaefell (7101973895).jpg | photo_alt = Snaefell mountain in distant haze rising above rough low vegetation animal grazing land against a pale cloudy sky | photo_caption = Snaefell viewed from minor Beinn-y-phott Road, connecting Brandywell on the mountain to minor lowland places in the island's centre | elevation_ft = 2037 | elevation_ref = | prominence_ft = 2037 | prominence_ref = | parent_peak = none – HP Isle of Man | map = Isle of Man | map_caption = Location of Snaefell in the Isle of Man | map_size = 200 | label_position = left | listing = Marilyn, Hardy | translation = snow fell | language = Old Norse | pronunciation = | location = Isle of Man | coordinates = | range_coordinates = | coordinates_ref = | grid_ref_UK = SC397881 | topo = OS Landranger 95
Snaefell () – () is the highest mountain and the only summit above 2000 ft on the Isle of Man, at 620.9 m above sea level. The summit is crowned by a railway station, cafe, several communications masts and can be reached by narrow gauge railway.
Views
It is a well-known saying in the Isle of Man that on a clear day six kingdoms can be seen from the top: the Isle of Man, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Heaven. Some versions add a seventh kingdom, that of Manannán (or the sea).
The summit plaque indicates the directions of five points from Snaefell as well as their distances:
- 31 mi to the Mull of Galloway (Scotland)
- 51 mi to Scafell (England)
- 66 mi to the Mountains of Mourne (Northern Ireland)
- 85 mi to Liverpool (England)
- 97 mi to Dublin (Republic of Ireland)
(For some reason, Wales is absent from the plaque).
While highly dependent on weather conditions and visibility, all of the four countries of the United Kingdom can be seen from the summit of Snaefell. This includes much of the southern coast of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, the Lake District in England, the northern coast of Anglesey in Wales, and the Mountains of Mourne in Northern Ireland. Points in the Republic of Ireland in County Louth can also be seen.
Climbing Snaefell
The Snaefell Mountain Railway has a seasonal electric tram service, typically from April to October, which climbs the 4 mi from Laxey to the summit.
The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road passes over the slopes of Snaefell, and is the highest section of the Snaefell Mountain Course over which the Isle of Man TT races are held. Walkers often use the car park on this road near the Bungalow railway station (last railway stop before the summit) from which there is a rough path to the peak. The trail has sections of gravel, slate stones, grass and rock. While the angle of ascent steepens significantly closer to the summit, special climbing equipment is not required. However, caution is required in steep areas as the grass, earth and rocks are often slippery. Average climb time on foot on a dry footpath is about 45 minutes.
A geodetic marker embedded in the small, concrete obelisk indicates the true mountain summit. The rock cairn standing nearby has an information plaque on top.
Weather
In 1970, the automated weather station at the Snaefell summit recorded a gust of 150 mph which was one of the highest wind speeds ever recorded in the British Isles. During hurricane storm-force winds, the 120 ft Civil Aviation Authority radio mast at the Snaefell summit was damaged and blown down on 2 December 1966.
Gallery
Image:Snaefell Mountain Walking Trail - Isle of Man - kingsley - 24-JUN-09.jpg|Footpath entry near Bungalow railway station typically used to climb Snaefell Image:Snaefell with Snaefell Mountain Railway.jpg|The Snaefell Mountain Railway on the ascent of Snaefell Image:Summit Hotel - Snaefell Mountain - kingsley - 24-APR-09.jpg|Defunct hotel (now cafe) near the summit Image:Snaefell Mountain Summit - Isle of Man - kingsley - 24-APR-09.jpg|Top of Snaefell with geodetic marker and nearby cairn with plaque Image:Plaque atop Snaefell Mountain - Isle of Man - kingsley - 24-JUN-09.jpg|Plaque pointing out the directions of landmarks and their distances from the summit
References
References
- ''Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie '' Volume Three. Sheading of Ayre (Kirk Andreas, Kirk Bride and Kirk Christ Lezayre) page 464 ''Kirk Christ Lezayre'' by George Broderick – Tübingen; Niemeyer NE:HST (1997) Manx Place-Name Survey, Max Niemeyer Verlag Türbingen {{ISBN. 3-484-40138-9 (Gesamtwerk) 3-484-40131-1 (Band 3) Druck: Weihert-Druck GmbH Darmstadt Einband: Siegfried Geiger, Ammerbuch. "A mountain summit ct. SC38NE SC39788811"
- "Ordnance Survey Triangulation stations trig archive".
- "Ordnance Survey mapping".
- [http://www.iomguide.com/mountainrailway.php Isle of Man guide website]
- [http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/tourism/pcards/snaefell.htm Manx Notebook website]
- "HeyWhatsThat - Snaefell panorama".
- ''Birmingham Daily Post'' page 35 Wednesday 4 November 1970
- ''Birmingham Daily Post'' page 27 Saturday 3 December 1966
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