Meeting report

The Isle of Man (vc 71) lies in the northern part of the Irish Sea, almost equidistant from Ireland, Scotland and England; it is a remarkable feature of the history of our islands that it has retained its independence from all three. It is one of the smallest vice-counties (572 km2 ). It is a primarily acidic island with a solid geology consisting mainly of Ordovician sandstones, mudstones and greywackes, alleviated by a large expanse of glacial deposits and sand dunes at the north end and a small area of Carboniferous limestone in the south. The centre of the island is upland rather than montane, with a highest point of 620 m on Snaefell.

The island was well recorded – largely thanks to Jean Paton –  for the first Atlas of Bryophytes, but it has since been neglected and is long overdue a visit by the BBS…