Groudle Glen

We caught a bus and a tram to Groudle Glen today – it’s not far from Douglas, but very much ‘outdoors’ by comparison.

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As we had got there before the trains were operating, we followed a good path up one of the Glens.

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This is the viaduct that carries the road and tram over the glen:

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A bit further on, a road bridge had been cleverly adapted to provide an underpass as well:

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The glen was really lovely and peaceful!

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Eventually, we got to the railway station and got a little train to the cliffs

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At one time, this was a zoo, with polar bears and sea lions! Not much there now apart from the remains of the sea lion pool

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And of course a tea room

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It was quite windy on the cliffs, so we didn’t stay long!

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And headed back to the glen.

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After a bit more exploration of the glen, we got the tram back to Douglas and visited the tram museum, including a tour of the old trams and workshops (hi-viz jacket included)

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Then a quick beer, and the bus back to the hotel.
Luckily, the forecast rain didn’t arrive, though it’s not been so sunny today.

Castletown

The next coach journey was to Castletown – yet another fishing village, though this used to be the islands capital…
First was a lovely steak baguette washed down with some excellent local ale:

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We then visited Castle Rushen – a well preserved castle in the centre of the town.

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Great views from the castle walls.

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Some of the interior rooms were fitted out well:

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We then looked at the old village grammar school

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And had a wander around the harbour before getting the coach back to Douglas.

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A lovely day all told.

Calf of Man

We took a coach to the southern tip of the island, where the Calf of Man is just across a sound.

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The Calf is an uninhabited nature reserve, and there were lots of birds around, and seals swimming in the sound (which you might be able to see in this picture!):

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There was a very inviting coast path heading off in each direction, but not enough time to do more than grab a couple of geocaches:

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A really peaceful area, and nice in the warm sunshine with virtually no wind.

Port Erin by train

We walked to the Steam Railway station this morning, and caught the train to Port Erin.
Like most of the islands railways, it is 3′ gauge, so not quite full size, but not ‘small’ either. And far more comfortable than the trams!

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The line winds along the south of the island, occasionally with views of the sea:

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A lovely trip, and super weather as well.

Peel and Ramsey

We went to Peel this morning by coach (they pulled up the railway in the 60’s)…

We had a very interesting coach driver, who gave a detailed running commentary about the places we passed, including a lot of the TT racing course.

First stop was Tynwald, something to do with the government at one time. A nice church and ceremonial grounds though.

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Next stop was Peel, a lovely fishing village on the west side of the island.

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We went to a large museum about the island history

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Which also had an interesting temporary needlecraft display from the local WI. This is a map of the island:

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Next was Peel Castle, a ruin, but with enough left to get an idea of things. Good views of the sea and the town.

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Then it was time for a beer and lunch.

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After lunch, we got back on the coach to Ramsey, again following some of the TT course. After a quick look at the promenade and derelict pier, we caught a tram back to Douglas.

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The tram winds around the coast, with some good views of the sea.

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All in all, another nice day, with the afternoon being even warmer than yesterday!

Mountains and Water Wheels

It has been a glorious day today.

We took a bus to the other side of Douglas Bay, then an electric tram to Laxey.

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We then changed to the Snaefell mountain tram, which slowly climbed up to the top.

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A bit windier than on the coast, but a clear sky and views of most of the island (and bits of Ireland and Scotland).
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We also had time for a bit of geocaching and a coffee before getting the tram back down. An effortless way to go up a mountain!

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We left the tram at Laxey and had a beer and a toasted sandwich.

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We then walked up to Laxey Great Wheel.

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This is a restored water wheel that pumped water out of the local lead/zinc mines. A fascinating bit of victorian engineering. We climbed right up to the top – good views of the area and the wheel.

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After an explore of the other mining bits (including a short underground section), we walked back to Laxey and looked at a smaller water wheel

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Then the tram and bus back to our hotel.