Ramsey Hairpin

Ramsey Hairpin (in Manx: Ballacowle – Cowle's farm)[1] is a point on the Snaefell Mountain Course used for the Isle of Man TT races on the Snaefell Mountain Road, designated as A18, in the parish of Maughold in the Isle of Man.

It is situated between the 24th and 25th Milestone road-side markers used for the races on the 37+ mile circuitous-course, measured from the startline at the TT Grandstand.

The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road – linking the towns of Ramsey and Douglas – was developed in the mid-nineteenth century from a number of pre-existing tracks and bridle paths.

[2] As this section of road was purpose-built from Whitegates, in the Ramsey outskirts, to the Gooseneck at the start of the Snaefell mountain slopes, it reflects typical highway and railway construction practices of the time, including establishing a purpose-built hairpin turn at Ballacowle Glen on the outskirts of Ramsey.

The combined glens, including a disused slate quarry, cover an area of 64 acres (260,000 m2) on steep mountain-side slopes with many different species of deciduous and coniferous trees.