Isle of Man TT Mountain Course

Isle of Man TT Mountain Course at a glance

Location

Douglas, Isle of Man

Type

public road circuit

Length

60.72 km (37.73 mi)

Turns

219

Direction

clockwise

Surface

asphalt

Elevation change

1385 ft

Opened

1911

Owner

Isle of Man Government (public roads; race organised by the Department for Enterprise via Isle of Man TT Races)

Address

Public roads across the Isle of Man; start/finish on Glencrutchery Road, Douglas, IM2 6DA

Website

iomttraces.com

Track map and layout

The Mountain Course is 37.73 miles (60.72km) of ordinary public roads looped around the northern two-thirds of the Isle of Man, run clockwise from the Grandstand on Glencrutchery Road in Douglas through villages, over the mountain and back. It is by far the longest circuit in world motorsport, with around 219 corners of every character: fast, blind crests through Sulby and Cronk-y-Voddy, tight village turns such as Ramsey Hairpin and Governor's Bridge, the humpback jump at Ballaugh Bridge, and a sweeping climb over Snaefell mountain that tops out around 1,385ft (422m) above sea level at Hailwood's Height before the fast descent into Douglas via Creg-ny-Baa. With everyday stone walls, hedges, kerbs and telegraph poles as the only 'run-off', riders treat it as much a test of memory and nerve as speed, and the fastest laps average well over 130mph on a course most competitors first learn at legal speed.

Named corners and sections

• Ballaugh Bridge. A humpback bridge in the village of Ballaugh where bikes become airborne, one of the most photographed points on the course.
• Ramsey Hairpin. A tight, near-stationary hairpin in the town of Ramsey, one of the slowest points on an otherwise fast course.
• Creg-ny-Baa. A fast right-hand bend by a pub of the same name on the descent from the mountain, one of the most popular spectator locations.
• The Bungalow. A crossing point high on the mountain section where the former Snaefell Mountain Railway and the course intersect.
• Governor's Bridge. A slow, technical chicane-like section near the finish in Douglas, the last real corner before the run to the Grandstand.
• Hailwood's Height. The highest point of the course on the mountain road, around 1,385ft (422m) above sea level, named for multiple TT winner Mike Hailwood.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

The Mountain Course hosts two major closed-road meetings a year. The Isle of Man TT Races run over a fortnight in late May/early June, with a week of qualifying practice followed by a week of racing across Superbike, Superstock, Supersport, Supertwin and Sidecar classes, plus the six-lap Senior TT as the traditional finale. In late August the Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling brings the amateur Manx Grand Prix and the Classic TT, for historic machinery, to the same course over roughly a fortnight of qualifying and racing. Both meetings depend on closing the public road network for scheduled practice and race sessions rather than continuously.

Getting there and parking

Almost all visitors arrive by ferry or plane into Douglas. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company sails year-round from Heysham and, in summer, a fast craft from Liverpool, each taking three to four hours; both routes get busy well before TT and Festival of Motorcycling fortnights. Ronaldsway Airport in the south of the island has direct flights from several UK airports and from Dublin, most under an hour, operated by easyJet, Loganair and Aer Lingus. Once on the island, buses and the vintage Isle of Man Steam Railway and Manx Electric Railway are genuinely useful for getting around road closures during race sessions, since a car can get stranded on the wrong side of the course.

• Isle of Man Airport (Ronaldsway) (IOM) · about 15 min drive

Parking

Free roadside parking exists at many popular viewing points around the course, but spaces near grandstands and the busiest corners fill early on race mornings; the TT Grandstand itself has paid parking close by.

Book flights and ferries as early as possible, ideally close to a year ahead, since both sell out for TT fortnight; and plan which side of the course you want to be on before roads close, since crossing points are limited once a session starts.

Hotels and camping near Isle of Man TT Mountain Course

Accommodation across the island, and especially in Douglas, Ramsey and the villages directly on the course such as Kirk Michael, Ballaugh and Peel, books out around a year ahead for TT fortnight, with many regulars rebooking the same room or a homestay bed as soon as they check out. The Isle of Man's official homestay scheme lists spare rooms in private houses as a supplement to hotel stock, which is limited relative to the roughly 40,000-50,000 visitors the TT now draws. Camping and touring-caravan sites fill a similar role for a cheaper, more sociable stay close to the action.

Where to look

Douglas (most hotel stock, close to the Grandstand and ferry terminal), Ramsey (near the northern part of the course), and course-side villages like Kirk Michael, Peel and Ballaugh for those who want to be within walking distance of a viewing spot.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

There is no way to book track time on the Mountain Course: it is a network of public roads used by everyday traffic outside the scheduled closures for TT and Festival of Motorcycling practice and racing. That said, riding the course yourself at legal speeds is one of the most popular things visitors do on the island all year round, TT fortnight or not, and many riders time a trip specifically to lap the famous sections, such as the mountain climb, at a sociable pace.

Lap records

Spectator guide

Watching the TT is overwhelmingly free: almost the entire 37.73-mile course can be watched from public roadside vantage points once you're on the correct side of a closure, and this is how most of the roughly 40,000-50,000 visitors who now attend each year experience the racing. Paid grandstand seating on Glencrutchery Road in Douglas adds cover, big screens, commentary and closer access to the paddock and pit lane for those who want it, with day and fortnight-long options sold through the official TT box office.

Seating

Official grandstands sit on Glencrutchery Road opposite the pits and start/finish line in Douglas; elsewhere around the course, viewing is standing or seated on grass banks behind roadside barriers.

Best places to watch

Creg-ny-Baa and the Bungalow give fast, exposed mountain-section views with pubs nearby; Ballaugh Bridge is the classic spot to watch bikes jump; Ramsey Hairpin and Governor's Bridge show the bikes at their slowest for a different kind of viewing.

Weather

• Late May-early June (TT): Cool and changeable, highs typically 12-16°C; mist and low cloud over the mountain section regularly delay or cancel sessions
• August (Manx GP/Classic TT): Milder than TT fortnight, highs often 16-19°C, though Atlantic weather can still bring sudden rain and wind

History of Isle of Man TT Mountain Course

From car trials to the world's most famous road circuit

The course takes its name from the 1907 Tourist Trophy car regulations, but became a motorcycle circuit in 1911, when the TT moved from the shorter St John's course onto a longer loop adding the climb over Snaefell mountain, building in a genuine test of stamina as well as speed. Roads closed for practice and racing from 1928 onward, and the course has been adjusted repeatedly since, with significant changes through the 1930s and again between the late 1940s and 1999, mostly to improve safety at specific corners rather than shorten the lap.

Speed, danger and legend

The course's mix of length, variety and total absence of purpose-built run-off has made it the benchmark for pure road racing and, unavoidably, one of its most dangerous. Between 1911 and 2025 it recorded 270 competitor fatalities during official practice or racing, including six in the single deadliest season, 1970. Riders including Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini, Joey Dunlop and John McGuinness built their reputations here, and the lap record has climbed from barely 50mph in the 1910s to Peter Hickman's 136.358mph average, set in 2023 on a BMW M1000RR.

Two festivals, one course

The TT grew from a single-day event into today's fortnight of qualifying and racing each May/June, run by the Isle of Man Government's TT Races operation. From the 1920s the amateur Manx Grand Prix gave newer riders and older machines a home on the same roads, and since 2013 it has run alongside the Classic TT as the Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling each August.

Present day

The TT now draws record crowds, with 2024's roughly 47,000 visitors the highest in over 15 years, generating tens of millions of pounds in visitor spending for an island economy built substantially around the event. The course itself remains unchanged in essence: a genuine loop of everyday Manx roads, closed to traffic only for scheduled sessions, that both elite professionals and amateur club riders still lap at speeds that would be unthinkable anywhere else in the world.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• Clypse Course · 3 km · historic circuit (defunct)
• St John's Short Course · 11 km · historic circuit (defunct)
• Billown Circuit · 14 km · public road circuit
• Kirkistown Race Circuit · 73 km · road course
• Bishopscourt Racing Circuit · 82 km · road course
• Anglesey Circuit / Trac Môn · 107 km · road course