Island dreams – a weekend away in the Isle of Man COMPLETED 7/15 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Island dreams – a weekend away in the Isle of Man COMPLETED 7/15
Island dreams – a weekend away in the Isle of Man
Dates: Saturday 14 – Sunday 15 June Adventurers: Me, Cheryl (41) and DH Mark (48) Destinations: the Isle of Man, just off the north west coast of England Resorts: Ellen Vannin bed and breakfast, Douglas Meets: meeting up with my former school librarian Carole, who I haven’t seen in over 25 years! Celebration: my Christmas present!
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to visit the Isle of Man. To give you some idea about it, the Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea almost equidistant between England, Scotland and Ireland. Interestingly, it’s said that you can see all of these, plus Wales from the summit of Snaefell, which is around 2,000 feet tall. Sadly, our trip will be too short to try out that saying…
The head of state is the Queen, who also holds the title of Lord of Mann. So what does a British Crown Dependency actually mean if the Queen’s still the head of state? Well the island has its own Parliament and government, which is responsible for all domestic matters, but the United Kingdom is responsible for defending the island, and representing it internationally, if that helps at all. The parliament, called Tynwald, has been in continuous existence since 979 AD, making it the oldest continuously governing body in the world. Now how cool is that?
The Isle of Man is not a member of the European Union, although its goods can be traded freely within the rest of the EU. In return, EU citizens can travel and reside on the Isle of Man, but they cannot work without restrictions. I remember how long it took my former school librarian to get a job there. She’d wanted to for years, but the way it worked back then anyway (I don’t know if it’s changed since then ) is that if a Manx resident applied for a job, they were given preference. She went for a number of jobs and lost out on those grounds, then finally she lucked out, as I guess the job she’s had since she moved there back in the 1980s didn’t attract any successful Manx residents.
The history of the Isle of Man dates back to Roman times and it’s believed it was first inhabited all the way back to 6,500 BC. Around the fifth century AD, the Gaelic influence began to appear in the Isle of Man, as a result of migration from Ireland. The Vikings settled here at the end of the eighth century. The Gaelic influence still remains today, as although the official language of the Isle of Man is English, Manx Gaelic also has official status on the island.
Its capital is Douglas, where we’ll be staying. Interestingly, the Ellen Vannin, where we’re spending our one night on the island is Manx for island of Man, which I think is so cool! It covers a total of 221 square miles, is 32 miles long and at its widest point it’s 14 miles. The population, according to the Census in 2011, was just under 85,000 people, with over 26,000 of those living in Douglas.
Something else you should know is that the island’s symbol is the so called “three legs of Mann”, also known as a triskelion, which are three legs conjoined at the thigh. I’m guessing you’ll see some of these symbols on our visit, as it’s on the Isle of Man’s official flag, coat of arms and its currency.
The one thing that most people know the Isle of Man for are the TT motorcycle races, which started in 1907. They take place in late May or early June, and we’ll miss them by a couple of weeks, which is fine by me, as I know how crowded it can get on the island during those times, as it’s a major draw. Mark wants to drive the TT course, or at least some of it, while we’re there, just so he can say he’s done it, so that’s in our plans…
I’m hoping while we’re in the Isle of Man that we might see one of the legendary Manx cats. What makes them so special? Well, they have a genetic mutation that means they have a shortened tail, generally a stump, although sometimes it can be completely non-existent.
One thing I knew as soon as we started planning was that I wanted to meet up with my old school librarian, Carole. She wanted to move to the Isle of Man for quite some time before she managed it. She kept applying for various jobs whenever they were advertised, but she didn’t get any joy, as they have a policy to employ island residents above non-islanders. Finally, she lucked out and got a job there and that must’ve been the late 1980s. We kept in touch with Christmas cards every year in the intervening period. When we got married, she made us a wonderful cross stitch, and since then I’ve always wanted to see her again to say thank you so much for a lovely gift.
So what are our plans? Well, our flight leaves on Saturday morning, then we pick up our rental car, and I think we’ll cover the south of the island today. Carole tells me there’s more to see in the south than the north. Thanks to her, I’ve come up with an itinerary that I think will work. We’ll drive first to Castletown, and as the name suggests, it’s home to a castle – Castle Rushen, which we’ll visit. We’ll then head a bit further south to visit Cregneash village, which is a living history village essentially. I love things like this, so hopefully the weather will be kind to us, as it won’t be too much fun in the pouring rain!
I didn’t have the next destination in our itinerary, but Carole suggested it to me. It’s the Sound and Calf of Man Visitor Centre right at the southern end of the island. I took one look at the website and immediately added it, as it looks stunning.
From there, we’ll drive up to Port Erin to have a look at the harbour area, before heading over to Douglas, where we’re spending the night. I want to visit the Manx Museum, as it’s not open on a Sunday.
I’ve said we’ll be at our bed and breakfast between 4:00pm and 5:15pm, as we’re then going out for dinner with Carole at 6:30pm. I really can’t wait to see her again!
On the Sunday, our first stop will be the Laxey Wheel, which you may have spotted at some point in my rotating signature, as to me, that’s the iconic sight I think of when I think about the Isle of Man. We’ll then explore some of the north of the island, going to Ramsey and then Peel. There, I want to visit the House of Manannan. We’re booked in for a late lunch at the Creek, just opposite, which Carole recommended to me. I checked out the website, and the food looked really good, so I figured that would be a nice way to end our trip.
We then fly back in the evening, and we’ll be home a couple of hours after we set off. So those are our plans for our weekend away in the Isle of Man. I really can’t wait to visit a part of the country I’ve never seen before and have wanted to see for many years along with getting the chance to catch up with an old friend that I haven’t seen in nearly 30 years…
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I've always wanted to know more about the Isle of Man, I'm so excited you're going. Your trip reports are always so thorough and with such great pictures that I can almost believe I'm there. Can't wait to hear all about it.
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I've always wanted to know more about the Isle of Man, I'm so excited you're going. Your trip reports are always so thorough and with such great pictures that I can almost believe I'm there. Can't wait to hear all about it.
I will do my best to be just as thorough this time, so I can share everything with you.
Sounds like a great trip is planned! I can't wait to read it and see all your photos!
Well thankfully there will be photos.... my unwell camera is currently in for repair and with no end date in sight, I treated myself to a new Sony camera this week and picked it up last night, so I'll be trying it out this weekend!
I've learned so much already! Wow. Full disclosure on how un-worldly I am, I first heard of Isle of Man when I saw it caricatured on the Disney cruise mural behind the service desk. [emoji5]️. So this is a real education. And how cool that you're seeing a friend from so long ago - impressive that you've kept in touch all these years.
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Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow, for all you know, tomorrow, the dream that you wish will come true.
I've learned so much already! Wow. Full disclosure on how un-worldly I am, I first heard of Isle of Man when I saw it caricatured on the Disney cruise mural behind the service desk.
Well, at least it wasn't when you started to read this pre-trip report...
Looking forward to this TR and all the great photos! Sorry to hear about your camera as it may have been working way to hard, which should come as a surprise to you!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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Looking forward to this TR and all the great photos! Sorry to hear about your camera as it may have been working way to hard, which should come as a surprise to you!
When we put it in for repairs, the guys were like "how many photos has it done in a year?"
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The parliament, called Tynwald, has been in continuous existence since 979 AD, making it the oldest continuously governing body in the world. Now how cool is that? 
It covers a total of 221 square miles, is 32 miles long and at its widest point it’s 14 miles. The population, according to the Census in 2011, was just under 85,000 people, with over 26,000 of those living in Douglas. 
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Sorry to hear about your camera as it may have been working way to hard, which should come as a surprise to you! 
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