Isle of Man
An Island of 3 legs, tailless cats, and a language called Manx.
There used to be a large advert on a corner building in Birmingham city centre that I saw as a child, that advert was for The Isle of Man, I knew where the island was, but knew nothing about it, this was long before information was readily available at a keystroke, or tap on a phone, and since it was unlikely I would visit any day soon, there was no need to find out anything about it.
In 2011, I decided that the time was right to visit for a week, so armed with information from the web, I decided when I was going, where I was going to stay, and what sightseeing I was going to do. May I add that if you are thinking of travelling to the island, the chances of finding anywhere to stay when the T.T Races are taking place are nil.
Apart from the T.T Races, everything moves at a more relaxed pace, you find these things out when talking to the island residents, like the plans for a new bus station that had been 15 years in the planning, and still hasn’t been built, or being told that some bus drivers work to their own times and routes, sometimes taking ‘short cuts’ to get to the terminus quicker.
Travelling on the electric train to Laxey for the first time, I experienced something that I just did not understand, the train had just left the station, it had only travelled a hundred yards or so, and it passed a semi demolished building, even though it was a very hot day, I suddenly went cold, and there appeared to be complete silence, a few moments later and everything was back to normal.
A couple of days after returning home I found out that that was the site of a horrific fire on 02nd August 1973, I remember seeing the event on the news at the time, but didn’t realise that this was the same location.
Overall, I enjoyed my break while I was there, even though it was touched with sadness when I returned home.
Photos taken between 01st July 2011 and 08th July 2011.
There are 110 Images in this collection.
"The Claremont Hotel - This is the Hotel that I stayed in during my holiday in the Isle of Man. Image Date: 04/07/2011
Inside my room - This is room 207 - Looks good doesn't it? - Well looks can be deceptive, for example, that's not a double bed, even though I asked for one, I even got an email when I booked this room assuring me that it was a double, it is in fact two singles pushed together - two single beds pushed together does not make a double. There were other issues with this room, but the staff were not interested when I pointed these out to them. Image Date: 07/07/2011
Lounge One - I don't know what the relevance of this picture is, but I understand it's been in this room for a long time. Image Date: 07/07/2011
Lounge Two - This lounge was just a bit more inviting - possibly had something to do with the fact that the doors to the right lead to the bar/dining room. Image Date: 01/07/2011
The Bar/Dining Room - The decor didn't do anything for me, but the staff in this section made up for that - sociable, extremely helpful, and treated you with respect. Oh and I almost forgot to mention the breakfasts - good choice of food available, decent sized portions, cooked to the way you want it, and service with a smile. Image Date: 01/07/2011
View from my room - View of Douglas Bay - photo taken through open window, windows can only be opened about 6 inches (150mm). Image Date: 01/07/2011
View From My Room After Dark - The promenade and Douglas Bay at night, photo taken at 22:55 hrs. Image Date: 02/07/2011
View From My Room - The ferry terminal is on the right of the picture (the one with the spike thing pointing upwards). The structure on the rock is called 'The Refuge', it was built by Sir William Hillary to offer shipwrecked sailors somewhere safe to land until they could be rescued. The sea is calm, the sun is out, and visibility is very good, but this picture was taken on the 1st July 2011, conditions would have been different on a stormy winter's night 175 years previous. Image Date: 01/07/2011
The Refuge - The Refuge had thick walls to protect shipwrecked sailors from gale force winds, and was stocked with food, fresh water, and wood. Image Date: 01/07/2011
The Refuge By Night - This photo was taken from my room at 22:53 hrs, the small lights in the foreground run the length of the promenade. Image Date: 02/07/2011