Reopening café at Isle of Man beauty spots long history of welcoming visitors

With the news today that Niarbyl cafe could be soon welcoming visitors back, its history shows that the tradition of stopping for refreshments at the west coast beauty spot stretches back almost a century.

The site has long been more than a place to admire the view.

Historian Stephen Miller, writing in Manx Notes in 2016, traced references to a café at Niarbyl to an advertisement published in 1927.

By the 1930s, a woman known as Mrs Clague was serving summer teas from her thatched cottage.

Writer Mona Douglas later recalled her welcoming visitors and sharing stories about Manx folklore, mermaids and local traditions.

The site was then bought by Manx National Heritage after the former café and surrounding property passed into private ownership, prompting concern about the loss of public facilities.

In October 2004, Tynwald approved funding of up to £470,000 to purchase the former café, adjoining buildings and land, with the intention of providing catering, toilets and heritage interpretation.

The modern visitor centre and café opened in September 2005, bringing a new chapter to the popular coastal attraction.

Its early success was evident by September 2007, when reports suggested that it had welcomed its 100,000th visitor.

That chapter came to an end in January 2023, when the café closed following the end of its previous tenancy.

Refurbishment work, including investigations into significant drainage problems, kept it shut for longer than initially hoped. A planned spring 2026 reopening did not happen.

Now, with Woodbourne Group appointed as the new operator by Manx National Heritage, the café is expected to reopen in spring 2027.

Almost 100 years after Mrs Clague was serving teas to visitors, Niarbyl is preparing to welcome a new generation back to the table.