Isle of Man

"Manannan beg va Mac y Leirr, Shen yn chied er ec row rieau ee . . "

- Manannan in legend was the first ruler of Mann, Son of the Seagod Leir, and summoned the mist as a cloak of invisibility.

Rising sea levels made this an island around 6500 BC, the same era that Great Britain was sundered from the continent. Stone Age settlers farmed, fished and erected megaliths. In the Iron Age around 500 BC came the Celts, who spoke a Brythonic or P-Celtic language akin to Old Welsh. The Romans probably set foot here but didn't linger. About 500 AD arrivals from Ireland brought Q-Celtic, the forerunner to the Manx, Scottish and Irish Gaelic languages. From 800 AD the Vikings raided, then settled and became Christianised. Godred Crovan (King Orry of legend) was a Viking or Norse warrior who ruled from the 1070s. His realm was called Suðr-eyjar, the southern islands of Mann and the Hebrides, distinct from Norðr-eyjar the northern islands of Orkney and Shetland, hence the ecclesiastical diocese of Sodor and Mann.

Norse power was broken in the 13th century and Mann was ceded to Scotland but became a shuttlecock in the Anglo-Scottish wars. Mainland absentee barons treated it as a chattel and ranch. High taxes in the 18th century fostered smuggling all around Britain, and in Mann, this reached such a pitch that the London government took over. In 1765 they bought out the feudal rights from the baron, who in that era was the Duke of Atholl. They considered merging it with the county of Cumberland but opted to govern directly, with the title "Lord of Mann" returning to the monarch (since 2023, Charles III). (It's called "revestment" - when the monarch creates a lordship he/she "invests" it, so this is the reverse, only for once not involving treason and lopped heads on pikes.) Mann was not included in those versions of the United Kingdom constituted in 1603, 1707 or 1801. In 1868 the island was granted a degree of local autonomy; it re-invented itself as a Victorian holiday resort and also invented a thousand-year tradition of Manx parliament that in reality had enjoyed little sway on the island.

The island is 33 mi (53 km) miles long from northeast to southwest, and 13 miles (22 km) at its widest. It's hilly, effectively an outlier of the English Lake District and the Scottish lowland hills, suitable for small-scale farming. The hills draw mist and clouds ("Manannan's Cloak") and the maritime climate is mild. Summers are cool with sunshine and showers. Winters are seldom bitter, and the highest peak Snaefell at 621 m is named for being the only spot where snow might linger. The island is congested during the TT Races in June, busy through August, then quiet the rest of the year with many amenities closing down Nov to March.

The TT motorbike races, which commenced in 1907, are the Isle of Man's top tourist draw. It was illegal to race motor vehicles on the mainland so racing began here, as it did in Ireland. "TT" stands for Tourist Trophy but could equally stand for time trials, as bikes depart at ten-second intervals and aren't racing head-to-head. The course is on-road, a triangular lap of 37.730 miles (60.721 km) from Douglas to Peel then Ramsey then back to Douglas, with a series of races in different categories. Roads are closed to the public during races and official practice; that sounds obvious, but it took them twenty years to think of it. The course is dangerous and in the 1970s riders boycotted it, so the TT lost its Grand Prix status, with the premier races moving to Silverstone off-road circuit in England. And the grim statistics only include those killed during the official event - they omit the wannabee visitors who blat around the course outside race days, and those caught in their path.

English is spoken by all. Manx is not likely to be heard — there isn't a Gaeltacht as in Ireland or Scotland — though the government is trying to promote it, and in one primary school Manx is the language of instruction. You'll see many street signs in Manx.

The Adult Visitor Holiday Pass covers most major attractions, is valid for two weeks and costs £35 in 2024. Buy it at the first attraction you visit, and you'll break even from about the fourth. But there's a long list of heritage organisations whose members get in free (National Trust, English Heritage, National Trust for Scotland, Historic Scotland, Cadw, Irish OPW, and on and on it goes...) and they may somehow forget to mention this.

Laxey Wheel is the giant waterwheel symbolic of the island. This wheel and its smaller sisters pumped the lead mines carved into the hillside.

Castle Rushen is an impressive fortress in Castletown.

Peel Castle is on an islet reached by road, with its curtain wall encompassing a ruined cathedral.

House of Manannan also in Peel is an excellent museum of the island's story from Celtic times through the Viking period to the Victorian holiday resorts.

Prehistoric sites of burial and ritual are found near Port St Mary and near Laxey.

Cregneash near Port St Mary is a restored Manx crofting village.

Calf of Man off the southwest tip is a birdlife reserve.

Hike — the longest trail is Raad ny Foillan, The Way of the Gull, a 95-mile (150-km) footpath around the coast of the island.

Fish — There are numerous places to fish from piers and in lakes. Permits may be required in some.

Cycle — You need to be fit, the roads are hilly.

Stargaze — The Isle of Man is a premier stargazing destination, boasting 26 official Dark Sky Discovery Sites. A notable spot is Cruinlagh, named after the Manx Gaelic word for "to orbit," which was selected in an IAU competition to name the exoplanet WASP-13b.

TT Races are held over a fortnight in May / June. The island is chock-a-block then, and accommodation, ferries and flights must be booked well in advance. The next races are Sa 5 - Sa 12 June 2027, with practice and qualifying laps over the preceding week. The 2028 races are provisionally M 29 May - Sa 10 June, tbc.

The Manx pound (£) is equal in value to the British pound sterling (ISO code: GBP). Manx coins are of the same shape and denominations as UK ones, plus a £5 coin. Manx notes have distinct designs and are issued as £1 (depicting Tynwald Hill), £5 (Castle Rushen), £10 (Peel Castle), £20 (Laxey Wheel), and £50 (Douglas Bay). UK Sterling is also legal tender, and Scottish, Northern Irish, and English notes and coins freely circulate. However Manx notes are not legal tender in the UK, and may attract poor exchange rates beyond, so trade them before leaving at any branch of the Isle of Man Bank.

Retailers may accept euros but are under no obligation to do so, and may offer sub-par rates.

Shopping: Many UK chain stores are represented in the island, mainly in Douglas.

Manx specialities include smoked kippers and Manx Tartan.

No duty-free sales travelling between UK and Isle of Man, but they are available to and from the Republic of Ireland.

The Isle of Man serves traditional fare to a budget audience. Indian, Chinese and Italian places are uncommon.

Fish is a major component but may have travelled many miles to get here. Offerings include takeaway fish and chips, smoked kipper, crab baps and queen scallops, and these last are often locally-sourced.

Pubs are often a good bet for food. Douglas, Ramsey and Peel have the most dining choice, while Port St Mary and Port Erin have few options. Many places are closed on Monday.

The minimum age to purchase alcohol is 18. Unlike in the United Kingdom, 16-year-olds may not consume alcohol with a meal on licensed premises.

All the towns have bars, and these are often a good choice for food. There are pop-up bars during the TT.

Breweries: Douglas has Okells, Bushy's, Radical Brewing and Kaneen's. The Isle of Man does not have a vineyard.

Distilleries: Fynoderee in Ramsey makes whisky, Seven Kingdom in Douglas makes gin and vodka.

There are camping and caravan sites around Douglas, Peel, Ramsey and Port St Mary, and pop-ups during the TT. Camping is not permitted on the Calf of Man.

Most hotels and B&Bs are in Douglas, traditional seafront places, but many are frankly tired and overdue for refurbishment. The Premier Inn is a rare example of a mainland chain. Many B&Bs folded during the Covid-19 pandemic and have not re-opened.

The island is lacking an upscale destination hotel. It's not known what will become of the former Castle Mona. Top scores for comfort and service are awarded to the Comis, a golf hotel on the road from Douglas to Castletown.

University College Isle of Man (Colleish-Olloscoill Ellan Vannin) is in Douglas and offers degree-level courses accredited by the University of Chester.

There is seasonal work in the tourism and hospitality industry, but visitors need a work permit from the Isle of Man Government. There are small offshore-finance, gaming and IT sectors, but these are miniscule compared to the Channel Islands.

Care of valuables, beware traffic especially during the TT, and safety at sea, are your main concerns on this very safe island.

The emergency number for police, fire and ambulance is 999, call free.

The emergency number is 999, same as in the UK.

For anything less, call the MEDS service on ☏ +44 1624 650355. They can advise (for instance on late-night pharmacies) and may direct you to the out-of-hours doctor based in Noble's Hospital at the northwest edge of Douglas. This is not a drop-in service, you must have an appointment, and your own transport unless it's a 999-grade ambulance emergency.

You must have adequate travel insurance. The Isle of Man has a reciprocal health care agreement with the United Kingdom, so British visitors here receive urgent care free, as do Manx visitors to the UK. It does not cover the cost of repatriation. Noble's Hospital is modern and well-equipped, but something complicated (say, a bypass operation following a heart attack) would necessitate an air ambulance to the UK costing £20,000.

People from the Isle of Man are called "Manx". Don't call them British, and never ever English.

The Isle of Man is fairly socially conservative, has attracted like-minded settlers, and lacks the ethnic diversity of the UK. Its more repressive legislation has been repealed, but social attitudes linger. However, businesses welcome the raucous motley crowds that follow the TT, and anyone that doesn't like them stays home, twitching the net curtains.

There is a mythology that the word "rat" is unlucky here, say "longtail" or some such euphemism. This is a modern meme, with a bogus legend of a rat spoiling a medieval event. Do not hesitate to name the beast if it scurries across your accommodation or shows its fuzzy face on the Calf of Man, where an eradication programme is under way.

The country code for the Isle of Man is +44, the same as the UK, so to call between them you do not need to dial +44.

However, when visiting the Isle of Man be aware UK mobile networks don't cover IoM so your phone will be in roaming mode. Consider buying a local SIM card if you expect to make a lot of calls. The local networks are Manx Telecom and Sure, with 4G coverage throughout the island; 5G has not yet rolled out. Manx mobile numbers have the dialling codes of 07424, 07524, 07624, 07924 and others.

Omit the dialling code if calling between Manx landline numbers, thus for 01624 111111, you just dial 111111.

Liverpool needs a few days to explore, then head south for Chester, the Welsh borderlands around Chirk and Llangollen, and the coast towards Conwy.

Heysham is within easy reach of the English Lake District. A scenic road threads southeast through the Yorkshire Dales.

Dublin and Belfast are both must-see destinations on the island of Ireland.

Silverstone in the English Midlands is now the venue for Grand Prix racing, with the motorbike event held in August.