When we booked the Isle of Man it was meant to be a challenging walking holiday. We had planned training weekends (like the trip to Oswestry) and had every intention of walking the perimeter of the island.

Then I was ill and needed surgery. I’d been told by the hospital I would be ready for this, but there was simply no way. What you have in this post is how we made the most of a trip we’d already paid for. This means some walking sure, but also exploring more of the Island than we’d anticipated. Well, there would have been even more exploring but opening hours aren’t intuitive on the Isle of Man!

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Is the Isle of Man worth visiting?

Yes! We really enjoyed our week there. That said, if you are looking for a party island it is not for you. If you like walking, nature, history and good seafood then it is a must-visit. We really appreciated the fact that the Isle of Man has a slower pace of life than London. It really forced us to slow down for a week.

Where is the Isle of Man?

The Isle of Man is in the Irish Sea, in between Liverpool and Belfast. It is the only entire nation to be designated as a UNESCO biosphere.

Is the Isle of Man part of the UK?

No. It’s a “self-governing British Crown Dependency”. It is also not in the European Union (and never has been).

If you didn’t know, you could be mistaken for thinking you’re in the UK if you don’t know otherwise. The King is the monarch and the currency is British Pounds (but there is seperate Isle of Man bank notes). You don’t need a passport from the UK to enter. Terrestrial TV has BBC One and Two. Everyone speaks English, but signs are all in English and Manx Gaelic.

In short, whilst the Isle of Man is located in the British Isles, but it’s an independent state. It has its own government, school system etc.

Most notably, the Isle of Man is proud of its Manx-Celtic heritage. As you travel around the Island Celtic symbols such as crosses are plentiful. Equally traditional Celtic characteristics come through in much of the public art. Then there are the fairies. Celtic fairies play a large part in Manx culture. You can buy fairy dust as a souvenir in a gift shops.

How to get to the Isle of Man

We got the ferry from Heysham. You can also get the ferry from Liverpool and Belfast. There is an option to fly from London Heathrow, London City Airport and Birmingham Airports.

If you are getting the ferry from Heysham as a foot passenger you need to think carefully about logistics. There is a train station at the port, but there is only one train each way per day. Thankfully the trains are timed to coincide with when the ferry leaves and arrives. Ish. The train from Heysham to Lancaster goes almost an hour after you disembark. The good thing is you will not miss it. The challenge is you need to wait an hour. If you are getting the train, I would strongly recommend booking your trip to Lancaster in advance via the Trainline.* We managed to save a good chunk with a split fare and two together railcard.*

There is no taxi rank at Heysham Port. You can technically get an Uber, but we could not find a local driver. In short, if you need to get back to Lancaster, book a taxi or wait for the train.

Where we stayed on the Isle of Man

Because this was meant to be a walking holiday, we stayed in four different guest houses:

• The Welbeck in Douglas*
• Athol Park Guest House in Port Erin*
• Langtoft Manor near Peel
• Baie Mooar Guest House in Ramsey

As a note, if you are an early riser, let your guest house know. Most places we stayed did breakfast from 8 or 8.30.

What we did in the Isle of Man

Manx Heritage Sites: a note

The majority of tourist sites on the Island are run by the Manx National Heritage. You can buy a holiday pass that gives you access to all the sites for a 14 days. But… if you’re a National Trust member (or one of these INTO organisations) then you get in free. This is because of a reciprocal arrangement in place. It’s not well advertised but it was in the handbook from one of the guesthouses we stayed in. We used this at the House of Manannan and it was well known by the staff.

Tried to spot a Manx Cat

Manx Cats are essentially cats but with a stump in place of a tail, caused by a genetic mutation. These cats are native to the Isle of Man, but not easy to find. We spent the whole week looking out for a Manx Cat. We saw plenty of cats with long tails, but no Manx Cats. We were going to go to the Manx Cat Cafe in Douglas as a last ditched attempt to see one. Guess what? Yup, it was closed.

We did however see Molly-Mae, Tommy Fury and their family in Douglas on the beach. Some could say that’s a rarer spot. We didn’t see Noel Edmonds, despite him being on the Island in the same week we were.

Walked from Castletown to Port Erin

Our scheduled walk was about 23km and involved cliffs. Thankfully there is a wonderfully dramatic flat route that is still about 13km. So as my mother said, “a respectable distance”. This route is enough to let you feel you’ve had a good walk. But you won’t be absolutely knackered.

Both the flat and cliff-top route take you through Port St Mary. Now this village is one to be warned about. The map makes it looks as if there are a couple of coffee shops for a nice rest. It also makes it look as if there are town amenities. There are not. Well there are. But each cafe or shop only seemed to be open one day a week. So the lobster cafe was Saturdays only, another cafe was Fridays. Which is fine, but we were there on a Monday. And nothing was open. I was very glad Anna had talked me into buying a sandwich at the Co-op in Castletown.

Enjoyed the beach at Port Erin

Port Erin is a beautiful small town with a wonderfully sandy beach. It is well set up for water sports and there are a couple of small shops to look around too. However the downside of Port Erin is the beach takes you to the Irish Sea. This means the water is cold. Like really cold. I tried to swim, and I usually revel in doing such silly things but I couldn’t bring myself to submerge. There were not however jellyfish on the beach, which was an advantage over many Isle of Man beaches.

Took the Isle of Man steam train

We were meant to walk from Port Erin to Peel. Now two things meant this didn’t happen. One was my surgery as it’s a cliff-top hike and I couldn’t do this. The other was the rain. Even in the best of health a NINE HOUR hike in the pouring rain wasn’t tempting.

However because this was a walking holiday, we needed to find an alternative way to get to our next accommodation. Enter, the Isle of Man steam railway. This is an iconic part of Island life and something every visitor should experience. It was opened in 1874 and really does take you back to days gone by. The rain was a brilliant excuse to take it. Now being the Isle of Man, the train does not go to where you need it to. So we took the train to Douglas and then waited 45 minutes for a bus to Peel.

The Isle of Man steam railway was £8.50 each from Port Erin to Douglas. Included in this there is entry to the steam railway museum, but it was closed.

Spent the afternoon in Peel

By the time we made it to Peel we were hungry and hopeful. This was a big town in the Isle of Man. SURELY it would be easy to find somewhere to eat?

Wrong.

After wandering into one place that looked suspect, we walked past a series of closed cafes (wrong day, again). Thankfully at the point we thought it would be ice cream for lunch, we stumbled across the Creek Inn.

Unbeknownst to us, the Creek Inn is actually rated as one of the best places to eat in Peel. We had a lovely lunch and avoided the rain for an hour or so which was a bonus.

Went to Peel Castle

Peel Castle cuts a dramatic silhouette over the cliffs at Peel. It was built by the Norwegians in the eleventh century and it was originally a place of worship.

Just below Peel Castle there is a small sandy beach where you’re “almost guaranteed” to see Seals. We didn’t. Perhaps they were closed too.

Geeked out at the House of Manannan

The House of Manannan was Anna’s choice, and it was a goodun. It takes you through the history of the Isle of Man, in an immersive way. Yup. Sadly there was not fancy dress, but there are loads of recreations of scenes from the Island. Some are amazing, some are terrifying. There is also a giant Viking ship you can walk around and magic glass. Now that is simply freaky.

In case you cannot tell, I LOVED the House of Manannan. Oh and it was free with our National Trust passes too. If you are a paying visitor, it is £14 for adults.

Walked from Peel to Kirk Michael

In Kirk Michael we got lucky. As we left the coastal path, we walked through a camp site. This had a small shop and some benches so we could have a cold drink. It’s the only shop apart from the petrol station in the town so if you’re walking this route, take note! There had previously been a small village shop, but as our new mate told us, it closed down.

On arriving in Kirk Michael, we knew we were near our walking limit for the day. It was a bus from Kirk Michael or another 13km walk. So we attempted to navigate the village bus system and met the most zero shits given people. The bus was five minutes late so the woman at the stop rang the garage to see what was happening. She also wasn’t happy that two people she didn’t know were at her bus stop. As we heard her tell her friend. Loudly. She was also very upset about the village shop closing.

Explored what Ramsey has to offer

Ramsey is one of the larger towns on the Isle of Man. But don’t be deceived. This did not mean many more things were open.

We had two afternoons to explore. On neither was the Grove Museum open. We did make it to the Milntown Estate. But it was closed for a private function. But what we could see was nice. I saw Noel Edmonds had been there the day before on their Facebook page, so maybe they thought they’d completed the week.

Compared Gelatory and Davisons Ice Cream

There are two main gelato makers on the Isle of Man: Gelatory and Davisons. Davisons is more prolific and is sold in pots in corner shops and in restaurants as well as in their own branded shops.

Walked from Point of Ayre to Ramsey

This was the second half of the planned walk we were meant to do. The Point of Ayre is the start of a nature reserve which has a lighthouse as a landmark. There is also a cafe, but to quote the woman who ran our guest house, “it’s only open about once every three weeks so I don’t tell people about it.”

The walk between Point of Ayre and Ramsey is mainly along a beach and is about 11km. It’s challenging as the terrain is inconsistent but it’s really quiet. We also saw seals bobbing their heads out the sea. That was really cool.

On arriving in Ramsey we stopped for lunch at the Boathouse Eatery.

Got the electric train to Snaefell Summit

The Snaefell Summit* is the highest point on the Isle of Man. The main way up to the Summit is by taking the Snaefell Mountain Railway from Laxey.

At the Summit there isn’t much there – a small cafe and fields to explore. The view is spectacular. On a clear day you can see the “seven kingdoms”. It obviously wasn’t clear when we went, but there was still a lovely view. Oh, and the cafe was open. So that was a win.

Visited the Great Laxey Wheel

The Great Laxey Wheel is a feat of engineering. It’s next to a disused mine (one of the largest on the Isle of Man). It’s a really interesting site and you will also learn about Snaefell mining disaster which took place in 1897 and claimed the lives of 19 workers. It’s such a heartwrenching example of something that seems small to an outsider, but totally destroyed a local community.

The Great Wheel costs £15 to get in. If you’re a member of National Trust or another reciprocal organisation then it’s free. HOWEVER. The people on the gate are keen to tell you that it isn’t really reciprocal as they don’t get the full fee.

*Denotes an affiliate link. This means if you make a purchase, I get a small commission at no cost to you. Please note, I only recommend things I have experienced and enjoyed.

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