KIRK MICHAEL (pron: Mikkle) is another recommended vantage point.
It is essentially the "Bishops Village". Five bishops are buried in its churchyard, and at the gate of the churchyard is a wonderful collection of Celtic and Scandinavian crosses under the lych gate.

Just beyond Michael is the famous RHENCULLIN (Celt: the holly ridge) cornerwhich in days gone by was the more dangerous because it looked so simple. However in recent years the roadway has been considerably widened, giving the riders a better view ahead.
Immediately on leaving Michael, riders are warned for the early morning practices to "Beware of the Sun", for the road soon turns directly east and the low-flying sun at sunrise is blinding and very dangerous.

BISHOPSCOURT comes next, a very beautifully placed mansion that has ben the home of the Bishops of Sodor and Man since the early twelfth century. The oldest part of the courst is the squat square tower known (wrongly) as King Orrys Tower, whose walls are over nine feet thick..Bishopscourt is the pro-cathedral of the diocese. The court was formerly a garrisoned tower only, and the bishop was a sword-bishop with powers of "life and death" over the people around. It had a gallows hill.
Incidentally, it may be noted that Bishopscourt is no quiet and peaceful spot when practices and races are on !

The road runs with gentle curves to BALLAUGH (pron: Bal-larf Celt: the village by the lough or lake). Ballaugh is another recommended spot from which to see the races.It provides one of the thrills of the racing, for at the entrance of the village there is a hump-backed bridge taken by the fast riders at great speed, so that the machines leap into the air, landing after about thirty feet, whereupon the rider is faced by a fairly sharp right-hand bend, difficult to negotiate.
There follows a very fast stretch to SULBY, with the mountains to the right and the curraghs (marsh land) to the left.

At the "Half-way Round" sign the course passes the GOB-Y-VOLLY (Celt: mouth of the valley or glen) which marks the entrance of Sulby Glen, the finest of all Manx scenery.
The Sulby Straight, passing the Sulby Glen Hotel, is very fast but comes to an abrupt "shut-off" with Sulby Bridge with its sharp right turn, a most disconcerting obstacle.

The course still hugs the mountain massif, passing GINGER HALL, the Narradale road (Scand: the dale of the shepherd hut) and Keroo-moar (Keroo: quarterland moar: great).

From here to RAMSEY the road is sinuous, never very fast, leading firstly to GLEN TRAMMON (Celt: glen of the elder trees).Manx witches will not face the elder tree, which grows beside all old Manx cottages.
Then comes the church and village of Lezayre in which parish the route runs from Gob-y-volly to the Gooseneck, the largest parish on the Island. On the right the road is dominated by SKY HILL, or Scacafell (Scan: the wooded hill), on the side of which Orry defeated the Manx in 1077 and won the Island for the Scandinavians.
Then the course runs on into RAMSEY (Scan: the islet of garlic), Royal Ramsey because monarchs made a habit of landing there. The course merely skirts the town and turns south with the long stretch of the mountain road immediately ahead..
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