Written with intimate detail and insider tips by an author born and
raised on the island, it offers a more personal, off-beat selection of
places to explore than other guides, and its text is infused with
vibrant stories and local voices.
Easily accessible from mainland Britain yet different enough to feel
like a real adventure, the Isle of Man is a remarkable destination in
the heart of the British Isles. With a strong sense of their own
cultural and political identity, Manx people take great pride in their
blend of Celtic and Viking roots.
At a thousand-plus years old, the Manx parliament (Tynwald) claims to
be the world’s oldest continuous parliamentary assembly, while music
and cultural events celebrate the island’s status as one of the six
Celtic nations.
Folklore and superstition are entwined with everyday life in ways
largely forgotten elsewhere: children still celebrate Hop tu Naa instead
of Halloween, bonfires are lit for Oie Voaldyn on 30 April – and woe
betide anyone who forgets to greet the fairies as they cross Fairy
Bridge.
Often described as “the British Isles in miniature”, this island of
50km by 21km harbours flat plains in the north, rugged hills down its
spine, beautiful sandy beaches in the west and craggy cliffs dimpled
with smugglers’ coves in the east and south.
Whether along main roads linking its major settlements (Douglas,
Ramsey, Peel and Castletown) or winding country lanes, from steam trains
or footpaths lined with coconut-scented gorse, it is hard to find a
spot that doesn’t provide a stunning view – whether out to sea, down
valley to an old fishing port or across heather-dappled hills.
From basking sharks to four-horned loaghtan sheep, the Isle of Man TT
motorbike race to Cregneash’s folk village, ghost tours to the Great
Laxey Wheel, Neolithic standing stones to the world’s oldest tram, the
new Bradt Isle of Man guidebook is the essential guide for discovering
this under-the-radar destination.
Contents
1 Going Slow in the Isle of Man
2 East
3 North East
4 Northern Plain
5 West
6 South
