Isle of Man Part 2

Our third full day was quite busy and involved studying the transport timetables carefully to work out a strict timetable to see everything north of Douglas.

After an early breakfast, we walked northwards along the Douglas seafront and caught the Manx Electric railway from its terminus to Laxey. 

With the sea ever on our right we finally arrived at Laxey, famous for the largest working water wheel in the world at just over 72 feet in diameter. Built in 1854, it was used to pump water from the nearby mines which were rich in lead, copper, silver and zinc. We climbed the 96 steps to view the very top of the wheel and survey the surrounding countryside. Back on the ground we did a short walk to the entrance to the mines where we donned hard hats and went in as far as we were allowed.

Entrance to the mine

Miner's cottages

Our strict timetable allowed an hour there altogether before we headed the 20-minute walk past the delightful miners' cottages back to Laxey train station to catch the Snaefell Mountain Railway that would take us up to the highest point of the island. 

The island is quite hilly (dare I say even mountainous) along the central part that rises from north to the south. Scattered with flocks of sheep, it is also quite important for the Grand Prix TT races which use that area as part of their route. In fact while we were on the island what looked like hundreds of motor bikers dressed in their leathers and on powerful motorbikes were arriving for the Grand Prix that started days after we left. Once the mountain train gets you to the very top, you are greeted by amazing views on all sides, although the wind was so powerful up there, you could barely stand upright. 

We dived into the only building up there - once a tiny hotel and now a cafe with the most amazing cakes and choice of hot drinks, which we utilised as our lunch stop. All too soon, it was time to catch the mountain railway back down to Laxey again where we picked up the connecting electric railway on to Ramsey.

Some of you will be familiar with the lovely Jaycee who writes a blog called Diary of a Nobody. I have followed her blog for some time and of course knew she lived on the island, so was keen to meet her, if I could, while I was there. We arrived in Ramsey soon after mid-afternoon and had time to do a quick tour of Ramsey before meeting up with her. Considering we had never met in person before, it was like meeting an old friend and the conversation flowed so much so that the hour we had allotted together flew by and all too soon it was time to say goodbye. It is heartwarming to think that blogging can lead to such meetings and friendships and that the internet can bring people together.

Ramsey Harbour

Ramsey town centre

After saying goodbye, we caught the bus (much quicker than the electric railway) back to Douglas. We grabbed a lovely fish supper in Douglas harbour and then walked the entire length of the promenade back to our hotel, content that we had fitted a lot in that day.

Our final full day was spent exploring the area south of Douglas. First we caught the steam train as far as the small fishing village Port St Mary. 

Steam train about to leave Douglas

Port St Mary

The locals all over the island are so friendly. Numerous times over the four full days there, whenever we stopped maybe to check a bus timetable or look at the map, someone would approach us with helpful directions or information. Even more so in the smaller villages. We then caught the bus for the short hop to Port Erin. In all fairness, we could probably have walked it in about 20 minutes, but by then it was very hot and already midday so I was beginning to flag. Once at Port Erin, two scoops each of the local dairy ice cream for lunch revived us and we sat on the seafront watching the families on the very sandy beach enjoying the hot sunshine.

The amazing beach at Port Erin

We then caught the bus to Castletown, which was formerly the capital of the island until 1869 when the Parliament moved to Douglas. As can be befitting to an ancient capital, it boasts one of the best medieval castles in the British Isles, Castle Rushen. It was built around 1200 AD for a Norse king and served first as a fortress, then royal residence, then mint and latterly a Victorian prison. There was so much to see that we spent a good couple of hours just wandering around the many rooms and reading up about it. Entry, as with the other sites we had visited, was all included in our Go Explore pass we had bought several days before. 

View from the castle

By the time we left the castle, it was late afternoon and very hot, so we decided to sit on the outside terrace of a very attractive bar with a nice cool beer and enjoy the view of old buildings of the town, before catching the bus back to Douglas for our last night there. A walk along the promenade to a pub at the far end took us to our last supper there and we agreed it had been a lovely relaxing holiday.

Our final day saw an early start and a bus to the airport only to discover our flight back to London Gatwick had been delayed by an hour. All other internal flights were unaffected and there was no explanation why there was a delay. It was only when we were on board the plane that the Captain apologised for the delay and said they had been waiting for a part to be delivered from Aberdeen. If anything was going to undo the calm we had felt after a relaxing week on the island, that would be it. Had the wing fallen off or was there a loose screw in the engine? Bravely Kay and I gritted our teeth and with our intrepid help -after all the Captain was not going to manage without us - we oversaw the safe take-off and landing of the plane!!  Back to Gatwick, back to South London and the end of a wonderful break.  I can now picture the Isle of Man perfectly and have been able to assemble more information on my father's time there. All in all a perfect holiday.