Smoke me a kipper! - Isle of Man

On Sunday 15th I took the overnight ferry from Heysham to Douglas, on the Ben- My-Chree. I arrived at 6am and headed over to Peel, where I had a couple of hours sleep parked up on the promenade. Then setup on the Peel Camping Park and set off on foot.

It being a Monday much of Peel was closed, but the House of Manannan museum was open and extensive. (Even documenting the fact that the Romans didn't settle there.)

It overlooked the harbour, and I sat outside in the cafe area and had a Manx crab sandwich for lunch.

I then headed off to Peel Castle, and followed the audio tour around the grounds.

Entrance was covered by my Go Explore card which covered all public transport and the major visitor attractions, a total bargain. I didn't drive the van all week.

Tuesday

Got the first of many buses over to Douglas, about 40mins away. 

The Manx museum and art gallery were interesting, beautiful silver horde jewellery and engraved crosses with Ogham carved in. A good section on the internment camps too. 

Then back in to town and found a great cafe for lunch (halloumi burger at the Alpine Cafe). 

It was warm but grey and drizzly, so finding a statue of the Bee Gees on the prom was cheering.

Wednesday

Up early to get the bus to Douglas to catch the steam train. This runs down the east and south coasts, and I went to the end of the line at Port Erin.

I climbed up on the coast path but it was a bit treacherous as I only had sandals, so after a bit of view-gazing I came back down.

I found the Foraging Vintners, who make wine from fruits / herbs on the island. 

Rather than wait an hour for the next steam train departure I got the bus to Castletown, the old capital of the island. It is dominated by the well-preserved Castle Rushden, but I gave that a miss - there's always next time.

The town was a little bit dingy but had some great murals. Lunch was a takeaway burrito (a bit yuk) then I picked up the steam train again back to Douglas and the bus home.

Thursday

Finally a clear day, so perfect for the Manx Electric Railway ride to Laxy village at the base of Snaefell, and the Snaefell Mountain Railway (more like a tram) up to the summit.

It was very windy and so I didn't stay long. The horizon was indistinct so we could only see 3 kingdoms (Isle of Man, Heaven, and Manannan's - the sea). The other 4 - Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland being hidden from view. 

Laxy village was interesting in its own right, although its other major attraction of the giant steam waterwheel was shrouded in plastic and scaffolding, and closed for repairs. 

But I went down to see the woollen mill, and a smaller wheel had been restored, the Isabella. There were mining cottages and a good exhibition in the church all about the precious metals extracted there.

I caught the electric train to the end of the line at Ramsey, on the Northern tip of the island. It didn't seem to have much to recommend it - I think I might be a bit early in the season for some of these towns. So a trip to the Co-op and then a bus directly back to the campsite.

Friday

Last day, and after my epic trips of the last two days I determined to have a lie in then do some more exploring in Peel. 

The Cathedral was fascinating and had really well thought-out gardens. 

I also spent some time in the Leece museum, a small, local endeavour.

Finally I had a pint of OKells beer, some queenies and bacon, and ordered some Manx kippers to be sent to the house. Yum!

Saturday

Up at 6am to get the ferry back. I could see they were preparing for the TT races of the coming weeks. I'm leaving as 40,000 others arrive! 

There is so much more to see; I didn't do any walking, visit any of the glens or burial sites, nor the places that were only open at weekends.