Isle of Man
We disembarked the plane and the airport hadn’t changed, small and easy to get through the terminal, baggage reclaim smooth and swift, 20 minute journey by taxi to the accommodation, some of the bug bears that travellers don’t like when going away just don’t tend to effect holidays to the Isle of Man.
We were staying in the south of the island and all of the towns and villages are on the quiet side. A holiday to the Isle of Man is more about tranquillity than revelries, although if you choose to come to the island during the two weeks of the world-famous TT races there is a transformation to an island full of visitors from all over the world. You’ll never be too far from hearing the roar of those motorbikes racing at alarming speeds around a course that is both stunningly beautiful and incredibly dangerous. Amazingly after the TT races finish, the island re-transforms itself to a forgotten about peaceful haven sitting alluringly between Northern England and Northern Ireland waiting for the re-discovery again a year later. Many of the Manx people are in the know of the delights of the Island of the ‘other 50’ weeks of the year and leave the island for the two weeks of the TT races to return when it’s all over. We’re all familiar with some of the more commonly known things about the Isle of Man such as Manx cats, three legs flag, and its own currency, language and parliament and these are all things that the Manx people are rightly proud of. There are some other less known features such as beautiful beaches where sometimes you are the only person on them, there’s the Loaghtan sheep with its curly horns, marine life including Whale Sharks, plentiful birdlife, tasty local produce of things like beer, ice cream and cheese and possibly the thing that intrigues the most people is the steam railway. Evoking memories of a bygone age, the railway meanders slowly through the south of the island between the capital Douglas and Port Erin which has one of those aforementioned beautiful beaches. During the summer season when the train is in operation you can hear the tooting of the whistle and see the puffing steam as the trains go through the usually verdant countryside.
During our visit we had made time for our usual walking trips. There are many public footpaths on the island with a big favourite of mine being the ‘Raad Ny Foillan’ – ‘Way of the Gull’ in Manx, a footpath that works its way around the entire coastline. It’s nearly 100 miles in length, so you may have to stay a while if you want to complete it all, but small portions are worth special effort, including the spectacular section Port St Mary to Port Erin which has highlight after highlight with the approximate half way point known as The Sound on the very southern tip of the island. The Sound has a beautiful view over to the Calf of Man (a tiny but scenic island) and some playful seals can often be seen frolicking in the fast-moving tidal water and this section of the footpath can be completed in just a few hours.
It was great to see a lot hadn’t changed since our last visit and we hope it never loses its special charm. We still remind ourselves that we had visited at a time of unprecedented good weather and due to its location, the island is more known for four seasons in one day than sultry hot weather, proving that it’s not for everybody, but a lot of people will visit and be surprised and enchanted by this sparkling Manx jewel of the Irish sea.