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Isle of Man Photos

Isle of Man

We visited the Isle of Man for a long weekend in 2015 and we were amazed at the rich history surrounding this small island territory.  Strictly speaking, the Isle of Man is a self-governing Crown Territory of Great Britain more like the Channel Islands than part of the United Kingdom like Scotlad and Wales.  The rich history of the Manx people is evident everywhere you go on this largley rural territory every week except the last week in May when the famous TT Motorcycle Race takes place every year.

 

Image Title: Isle of Man, Maughold Light House Hike [Photo: Open Door Travelers]
Isle of Man, Maughold Light House Hike [Photo: Open Door Travelers]

Image Title: Isle of Man Flag [Photo: Open Door Travelers]
Isle of Man Flag [Photo: Open Door Travelers]

Image Title: Castletown on Isle of Man [Photo: Open Door Travelers]
Castletown on Isle of Man [Photo: Open Door Travelers]

Image Title: TT Motorcycle Race on the Isle of Man [Photo: Internet]
TT Motorcycle Race on the Isle of Man [Photo: Internet]

 

Getting to Isle of Man

Getting to the Isle of Man isn't difficult, but it's not trivial either.  There are daily flights from London, Manchester, and Belfast into the airport (IOM) on the south-west coast near Castletown and there are also daily ferries from Liverpool and Dublin to the Ferry Dock on the West coast of the island near the capital city of Douglas.  

Once there, you should hire a car from one of the local independant rental agencies - and yes, they drive on the left side of the road.  There are taxis, but they really stick mainly to the capital city of Douglas an the island is quite rural.  

Staying on the Isle of Man

 

Similar to eating on the Isle of Man, lodging is a little bit of a challenge.  There are plenty of local hotels in the "larger" cities of Douglas and Castletown an the island is flush with Airbnb rooms.  Rooms are available during most of the year except for the TT motorcycle race which is always the last week of May or first week of June.

When we went, we stayed at the Best Western Palace Hotel & Casino in Douglas.  Our Trip Advisor review really says it all "Price Matches Quality."  It was clean and comfortable and the price was right.

Eating on the Isle of Man

Ummm - good luck.  The Isle of Man is a wonderful place to visit with many, many things to see and do, however, if you are looking for a Michelin Star experience you may be disappointed. There are certainly plenty of restaurants around the island and in the main cities.  You won't go hungry..  

The sea food, particularly scallops and other shell fish out of the Irish Sea is very fresh, but much of it will be deep fried and served with chips and vinegar and a pint of bitter.

Exploring the Isle of Man

Image Title: Cashtal yn Ard description [Photo: Open Door Travelers]
Cashtal yn Ard description [Photo: Open Door Travelers]

Image Title: Cashtal yn Ard [Photo: Open Door Travelers]
Cashtal yn Ard [Photo: Open Door Travelers]

Image Title: Castle Peel [Photo: Open Door Travelers]
Castle Peel [Photo: Open Door Travelers]

 

The Isle of Man is a treasure trove of off-the-beaten-path activities to see and do.  We're still reviewing our notes on all of these things that we did on our 4 day long weekend visit:

 

- Cregneash Manx Heritage Village

- Manx Museum

- Peel Castle

- Castle Rushen

- Laxey Wheel

- Cashtal yn Ard Celtic Ruins

- Maghold House Celtic Cross Collection and hike to the Light House

 

You can see photos of most of these activities in the photo gallery.  If you have specific quesitons before we get back to completing all of these discriptions, please don't hesitate to contact us directly.

 

Phil & Diane