Calf Sound () is a body of water which separates the

Calf of Man Calf of Man ( gv, Yn Cholloo ) is a island, off the southwest coast of the Isle of Man. It is separated from the Isle of Man by a narrow stretch of water called the Calf Sound. Like the nearby rocky islets of Chicken Rock and Kitterland, it is ...

island from the mainland of the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. The sound - technically a strait - is about 700 yards in width, and contains the small islet of Kitterland, which is home to a large colony of seals. The name ‘calf’ comes from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

word ‘kalfr’ which means a small island close to a larger one. A visitor centre overlooking the Calf Sound holds multimedia exhibits giving information about the wildlife and history of the area. The centre, operated by

Manx National Heritage Manx National Heritage ( gv, Eiraght Ashoonagh Vannin) is the national heritage organisation for the Isle of Man. The organisation manages a significant proportion of the island’s physical heritage assets including over 3,000 acres of coastlin ...

also includes a café with both indoor and outdoor seating. The building erected to house the visitor centre was designed to have little visual impact when looking towards the Calf of Man, partially achieved by covering the roof with

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

. There is car parking available and an hourly bus service from

Port Erin Port Erin ( gv, Purt Çhiarn, meaning ''lord's port'') is a seaside village in the south-west of the Isle of Man, in the historic parish of Rushen. It was previously a seaside resort before the decline of the tourist trade. Administratively it ...

terminates here.

References

Bodies of water of the Isle of Man Straits of the British Isles Sounds of the United Kingdom {{IsleofMan-geo-stub