The first thing that surprised me was the plane I flew on. It was a tiny little thing, holding maybe 50 passengers and boy did it make a racket! Yes I know, a bit like someone else you know! I was not prepared and turned my music up full-volume in an attempt to screen out the noise.
For this trip I stayed at an AirBnB. The listing was for a crofters cottage, but as I was staying alone the host suggested I stay at their house which used to be a school. When I landed on the Isle of Man it was dark and I was in a hire car - when will I learn?! Unfortunately rather than having a postcode to plug into the sat-nav I only had some printed off directions which relied on being able to see the landmarks. You know the sort - 'turn left at the white pub, if you hit the sea you've gone too far!'. Honestly, its a minor miracle I made it - and in a Nissan Micra the clutch for which was difficult to find!
My hosts were really excellent though. They made me a flask of tea every morning and let me borrow their Ordnance Survey Map for exploring. They even set me up with a chance to meet an academic hero at a classical concert. The event began with a rousing rendition of the Manx national anthem - I was like a fish out of water.
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| A cup of tea atop Snaefell |
When you have a kooky interest sometimes a sat-nav just will not cut the mustard! One day I went looking for a Viking ship burial which was on a random promontory near the coast; it was literally turn down the road marked 'quarry' and look for sign-posts.
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| What is the postcode for this? |
Abbeys, castles and museums
Even in the off season the Isle of Man has plenty to do. There were lots of familiar sites from my days as a student. It was amazing to me to sit in the ruins of Rushen Abbey, walk the ramparts at Castle Rushen (Peel was shut) and to see the Jurby cross in person complete with raven and symbols of Ragnarok.
The Manx are really on top of their museums; I found both the Manx Museum and the House of Manannan were good quality museums, although the latter is not for you if you are phobic of statues. The Manx Museum was, for me, the one redeeming feature of Douglas which is a tired seaside town.
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| House of Manannan |
The Isle of Man is beautiful. It is like Wales, if Wales were a rich, tax haven. Rolling hills, dramatic coast, the Calf of Man; all make for sensational scenery. One afternoon having seen the Jurby Cross I raced the sun to Niarbyl and watched the sunset. Watching the setting sun always puts things into perspective.
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| Niarbyl |
Speaking stones
Sometimes you don't have to go far from home to find people doing life and indeed heritage very differently. If you happen upon Maughold you would have thought its just a sleepy village without as much as a pub to its name. But take a closer look at the churchyard. In a three-walled hut in the grounds you will find 150+ fragments of crosses some of which are more than 1000 years old. And here's the clincher - you can touch them. No glass to mediate you and the experience of runes and pictures carved as monuments so many years ago. If carving is your thing, you really must visit before they all get put behind glass and monitored by CCTV.
On Sunday I drove the coastal road all the way back to the airport accompanied by David Bowie's greatest hits on the stereo. Boarding the plane I waved goodbye to the Isle of Man and was just about ready for the 9 o clock meeting.
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| Maughold Crosses |
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