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

Calf of Man Calf of Man ( ) 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 part of th ...

island from the mainland of the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. The sound - technically a

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

- 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, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

word 'kalfr', which means a small island close to a larger one. A Cafe overlooking the Calf of Man offers both indoor and outdoor seating (2024). The original building erected to house a 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 is the upper layer of turf that is harvested for transplanting. Turf consists of a variable thickness of a soil medium that supports a community of turfgrasses. In British and Australian English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', ...

. Today a modern building with glass walls offers views of the scenery. There is car parking available. The bus service from

Port Erin Port Erin ( 'lord's port' or originally 'Irish 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 ...

ceased in 2024.

References

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