Halling Holidays: Scousers and the Isle of Man

As part of our-near-UK-tour-of-islands, the Ise of Man has been on the bucket list for many years. In many ways it seems we left the best to last.

We overnighted in Liverpool and our hotel window overlooked a queue of people. Further investigation drew us to the Beatles museum and that was too good to pass up. It all started as a group called the quarry men based in Halewood. Quite a coincidence as I started my career at Halewood – living on site in a caravan extending the sewage works!

Next came the famous cavern which had been carefully reproduced. It would have been quite a hot bed of activity…

One thing can be said about the fab four – they were so self-assured – even before they became household names….

They’re statue sits near to Cunard House. I wonder what personal details are hidden in their vaults. I suspect Edward V11 records might outweigh Halling.

And after that short overnight stop we headed just up the road to the local “Tassie Cat” to zoom us over to Douglas in a mere 2¾ hours.

We stayed at a B&B in Glen Mona some ten minutes south of Ramsey. The garden was something to behold. Fortunately, a robo lawn mower kept the grass under control.

The views were spectacular. The sea ensures a temperate climate and although rain had been in short supply there was sufficient to keep fields green - in stark comparison to the mainland.

After dumping our bags, we visited the local beach and then traversed a ford,

en route to a small group of standing stones. “Cashtal yn Ard” is a Neolithic chambered tomb and dates back to around 1800 BC. (That is close to Stonehenge times.) There are five burial chambers – a dramatic site in the middle of nowhere.

The Isle of Man is not too large and a little over an hours drive North to South. We headed for the West coast and the stunning port of Peel. The harbour’s entrance is protected by Patrick’s Isle which initially had a small wooden fort (built by the Viking king Magnus Barefoot around 1100 so well before Nike). The stone castle was built during the 14^th century.

This view was from the hill that leads up to a stone tower known as Corrin's Folly built around 1806. Next to the tower is a small graveyard where Thomas Corrin's his wife and children are buried. The walk to the tower included a few ups and downs before the 150 metre summit was achieved.

It is understandable why Thomas spent so much time up here with views like this.

After well earned and unusual brie and cranberry sandwich we headed south to the Calf of Man which apparently gets its name from an Old Norse word kalfr - a small island located near a larger one.

There was quite a tidal race which whisked through a small boat (that can be seen left above) but was of no challenge to a small herd of seals safely ensconced on the other side away from human sightseers. They do blend in well with their surroundings. (Look closely – you should see 11 of them.)

The usual blue, green landscape colours were enhanced by the grey rock interspersed with contrasting white quartz veins. This appears to be a small harbour given the hewn steps that can be seen towards the middle left.

The next day our exploration was focussed on the East coast and the capital Douglas. After several hours walking the 2.5 kms promenade and a meandering tour of the town there was real appeal in returning via the horse drawn tram.

The horses seem to enjoy their work and are changed after each “there and back” so are far from overworked.

At the North end was a shed of trams of a slightly later vintage given they are electically powered.

We decided that the return trip to Ramsey would be a fun but not onerous adventure and were rewarded by spectacular views. It is hard to imagine a tram ride anywhere in the world with a similarly stunning vista.

About halfway is the town of Laxey where a second tram can take you all the way up to Snaefell the highest point on the island (unlike the road which leaves you with a reasonable walk).

Laxey has a large wheel (built in 1854) which was used to pump out water from the deep shafts of the lead, zinc and copper mines.

And finally there was Ramsey where the focus is inevitably drawn to the Queen's Pier. Completed in 1886 it is almost 700 metres long and was built to serve as a low-water landing stage so that larger steam packet ships could pick up and discharge passengers and cargo without getting stuck at shallow low tides. Unfortunately, it has been closed for some three decades but is now slowly being repaired as a local community project.

After some quick swapping around the tram with its second car we were off for the return journey back to Douglas.

The Douglas front brims with colour. Here the Bee Gees have a similar statue to their Liverpudlean counterparts. Many of the sea front hotels also overview a series of sunken gardens.

A few of the buildings were particularly attractive. The Villa Marina concert hall

and the Gaiety Theatre and opera house were clear standouts.

All of which were enanced by a variety of flower arrangements. This one has Conistor Rock in the background. Unusually the structure is not a castle but a refuge for distressed sailors (most of whom were in trouble because of hitting the submerged reef that it is built on).

It is hard to go to the Isle of Man and not be aware of the famous 37 mile long motorbike race. As we toured, preparations were underway. Although padding and hay bales were in evidence their placement seemed a bit piecemeal with many hard surfaces (stone walls, trees) left alone. The more Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix are separate races (and months) to the Isle of Man TT (tourist trophy) (held this year in June) where cutting edge superbikes are wridden by professionals at extreme speeds. With average speeds nearing 140 mph on normal narrow roads it is ridiculously dangerous and since 1907 has claimed 271 lives.

This is the high point adjacent Snaefell where we filled up on a huge (bike rider sized!) and flavourful shepards pie.