April, 2016.
Airport
Isle of Mann airport is known as ‘Ronaldsway Airport’ and is located in the south of the island at Ronaldsway, near Castletown and southwest of Douglas (the capital). It is one of two main gateways to the island, the other being the sea terminal.
Isle of Mann airport is tiny – I mean it is just another stop along the bus route – it’s crazy! The good thing about it being so small is that it made it so easy to get around because it was literally a terminal, a lobby and a cafe area – that was it. So tiny that it only had services to the UK, Republic of Ireland, Jersey and seasonal routes to Switzerland and Spain.
As mentioned above, it is one stop on the bus route. There is a bus service, ‘Bus Vannin’, that covers Douglas, Castletown, Colby, port Erin and Port St Mary, that can be found on routes 1,1A, 2, 10, 10A,11, 11A, 12 and 12A – so plenty to choose from. They arrive frequently, every 20 minutes.
Our hotel had a perfect location on the seafront of Douglas – so we had wonderful views. It has everything we required, and was in the middle of loads of shops and restaurants, so you are never too far from anything.
With the hotel being situated on Douglas Promenade, it’s only two minutes from the ferry terminal – so if you are travelling to the Isle of Mann via ferry, you don’t have far to walk with your suitcase and bags.
Our hotel had it’s own restaurant and bar called ‘Shiraz’ which had a carvery style menu and a full ‘Manx’ breakfast, which is complimentary for all guests.
Great Laxey Wheel
I didn’t really know what to expect when we went to the Laxey Wheel – it was a great little area though. It’s a 72 foot waterwheel that is built into the hillside. It was built around the mid-1950’s to pump water into mine shafts. The Laxey Wheel is actually the largest working waterwheel in the world.
Fun fact: The wheel features on the reverse side of the £20 note issued in the Isle of Man.
There is a platform at the top of the wheel allowing you to stand on top of it. When you are at the top of the wheel you get some spectacular views of the surrounding areas. It doesn’t take long at all to get to the top, however, there are some stairways that get a little narrow and you may have to duck ever-so-slightly.
Great Laxey Mines
On the other side of the Laxey wheel is the entrance to the Laxey Mines. The mine still exists but has been abandoned. The surfaces remain, but the mine shafts are buried beyond the wheel.
You get a helmet to put on before entering and as you are walking through it gets darker and colder. Fascinating, but quite scary.
Douglas Seafront
The seafront is very refreshing – with a subtle seaside breeze.
It reminds me a lot of the Southport and Blackpool waterfronts, except quieter and calmer.
Fire alarm
This is normally my Mum and Dad’s trick. They will have an overnight stay somewhere as they are always up between 5 and 6 every day with the dog. So an overnight stay means they can have a rest, which sounds amazing, but they have been woken up a few times with fire alarms!
This time it happened to us! Everything closes relatively early in the Isle of Mann, which could be because it seems to be more of a retirement area. So, after having some tea (Pizza Hut, which was a take out Pizza Hut with three tables – as all restaurants where fully booked, because they don’t have that many – it was Saturday evening), we decided to head back to our room for a chill. Showered and in our PJ’s, I decided we should get changed again to take some pictures of the waterfront at night.
After taking pictures, getting back into our PJ’s – again – and then finding ourselves hooked on Holby City …the fire alarm only goes off doesn’t it. So, again, we are outside in our flung-on clothes chatting to an old couple who though she set the alarm off by taking a shower. I thought it was me, by making a cup of tea.
TT Track
Going to the Isle of Mann, I though there would be a big sing and dance about the TT Track. But there isn’t. When you are travelling between places you are driving on and off the track. You can tell when you are on the TT Track when you see different road markings.
Castletown
Castletown is south of Douglas. We didn’t venture too much into Castletown, as we went there on a Sunday when everywhere was closed. We did stop for a cream tea, coffee and a drink to watch the football.
Apparently, years ago Castletown was the original capital of the Isle of Mann before Douglas took over. It’s a quaint looking village, with the narrow streets and history – that includes Castle Rushen.
Today, they still have fishing boats filling up the harbour, so you can see that this village stays true to its past.
Leonardo’s
Leonardo’s is based in Castletown. It was a Sunday morning so nothing was really open. We decided to head slowly towards the airport and stop off at a few places along the way. So, the first stop was at Castletown where we had a cream tea for breakfast – so delicious!
We were the first people in this Italian cafe, so the cream was freshly whipped and the scones were freshly baked. It was exactly what I needed.
Castle Rushen was the home to the Kings and Lords of Mann, built around 1200AD.
Castle Rushen in its time was used as a fortress, royal residence, a mint and a prison, surprisingly. Its great to explore because you aren’t restricted to much, you can pretty more venture into anything. There is a stone spiral staircase that leads you to the roof where you can see great views of Castletown.
Staff who work there were very enthusiastic about this castle, and knew a lot, helping you learn all about the history of what was once a running castle.
Ramsey
Ramsey is the main area to visit if you are at the north of the Isle of Mann and is known as the agriculture town.
Of all the places in the Isle of Mann, Ramsey seems to be the place to go to for great country views and to do more physical activities like walking due to the wonderful mountains they have there such as Snaefell mountain and North Barrule.
Peel
We took the bus up to Peel where we went for a nice breezy walk along the beach with an amazing ice cream!
We headed up to Peel Castle, with the intentions of entering, however, we missed the last admission. That didn’t stop us from walking around the grounds, which was equally as mesmerizing.
Next to Peel Castle is a lovely little shell beach. It wasn’t the nicest of beaches to walk along though, mainly because it was covered in shells, which snapped and cracked underfoot. We both weighed my backpack down with some pretty shells for our Mums as a souvenir.
We stood back for a few moments, taking in all the freshness, and watched some dogs playing ‘fetch’, running in and out of the water – and if you know me, I can watch dogs running around all day.
Your Own Set of Wings 