Isle of Man

The Isle of Man is located in the Irish Sea at the geographical centre of the British Isles. It is not a part of the European Union and not even a part of the United Kingdom but a self-governing Crown dependency. The island is approximately 50km long and between 13 km and 24 km wide. Some 80,000 people live on the Isle of Man.

For centuries, the Island's symbol has been its ancient triskelion: three bent legs, each with a spur, joined at the thigh. The three legs relate directly to the island's motto: Quocunque Jeceris Stabit, traditionally translated from Latin as 'Whichever way you throw it, it will stand'.

I stayed on the island for three days and hired a car to get around. My first visit was to Castletown, the former capital of the Isle of Man which dates back to 1090. The town has narrow streets and small fishing cottages. The mediavel Castle Rushen (GBP 4.80) towers over the market square. It was built to protect the entrance to the Silverburn River and was gradually developed between the 13th and 16th century. Today, it is run as a museum and features various exhibitions on the history of the Kings and Lords of Isle of Man. The exhibition is well worth visiting and the castle keep offers superb views.

On my way to the southern tip of the island I stopped at Cregneash (GBP 3.30), a remote village situated in the south of the Isle of Man. Much of the village forms a "Living Museum" dedicated to the preservation of the traditional way of life on the island. The cottages have been preserved and display Victorian farming and fishing equipment as museum exhibits. Scenes from the 1998 film Waking Ned were filmed in and around Cregneash.

I ended up at Calf sound which is a body of water that separates the Calf of Man island from the mainland. The sound is about 700m wide and home to a large colony of seals. I had to climb across some rocks to get to the sea where I was met by three of them. The seals were quite curious and eyed me for a while before they vanished in the clear waters.

Set upon the hills near the village Laxey rests a giant: the largest working waterwheel in the world known as the Laxey wheel. It was built in 1854 and used to pump more than 1000 litres of water a minute from the Laxey mines some 200m away and 500m below ground. The mines employed over 600 miners at its peak producing lead, copper, silver and zinc till the mines closed in 1929.

One of the most spectacular sights of the island is Peel Castle. The castle was built in the 11th century by the Vikings. It stands on St Patrick's Isle which is connected to the Isle of Man by a small causeway. Although it was abandoned in the 18th century the castle remained fortified and new defensive positions were added as late as 1860. The buildings within the castle are now mostly ruined, but the outer walls remain intact. South of Peel, the rugged coast at Niarbyl features some traditional cottages and makes an ideal spot to watch the sunset.

Links:
Isle of Man Government Tourism Guide

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