Port Erin

The name means either iron port or lord's port. The outer breakwater, visible at low tide only, was an abandoned project constructed in 1863 using the Port Erin Breakwater Railway and saw the first steam locomotive used on the island; a severe storm of 1884 later destroyed the breakwater and it was never rebuilt. Today, a marker buoy shows the extent of the breakwater and the land end is still clearly discernible.
The contemporary town

Port Erin is a friendly seaside resort with a harbour.

The beach is sandy and bounded by two headlands which funnel the prevailing westerly wind towards the village. One, Bradda Head, has a memorial tower called Milner's Tower. The promenade, which is somewhat higher than the seafront, primarily consists of hotels - mostly built in the Victorian era, although due to changes in taste among tourists, many of these are being converted into flats and apartments. The town is famed for its views including spectacular sunsets over Port Erin Bay and Bradda Head as well as frequent glimpses of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland in the distance.