Magical Mystery Tour June 2025 Part 4 Still in the Isle of Man

For our last few days in the Isle of Man we were trying to see as many different aspects of the Island as possible, as well as ride on all the different forms of transport. So we drove into Douglas so Chris could catch the steam train to Port Erin.

This route is used by Holiday makers and commuters, especially when the TT races close a lot of roads, so the fares are kept relatively low. He loved his 1 hour journey on the 3ft gauge railway. I met him in Port Erin, which is a lovely little seasidetown.

However, in World War 2 it was the location of 2 large internment camps. At the start of the war, many Germans, Italians and others perceived as potentially a threat were rounded up in the UK and sent to places like the Isle of Man. Men were kept under strict supervision and initially separated from their wives and children who were in a different camp. Conditions were poor, and although some were Nazi sympathisers or potential spies, many were naturalised Britains on the side of the Allies.

Next to the station is the little railway museum, containing 2 beautiful engines and lots of information about the history of the lines.

From here we set off to the Manx Aviation museum at the airport, which covered the history of flying here, especially from a military sense, but used lots of personal stories and anecdotes to bring it alive.

For example, one local minister realised that many local women, who's income had come from the tourism industry, were now in a desperate financial state. He set up a textile industry, which went from 6 employees in the vestry to 700 working in all the islands' towns making, among other things, uniform items for the Government- including 90,000 shirts and 2.25 million socks. Also, Vickers moved their production of airship fabric to the Palace ballroom in Douglas, as it was safe, and large enough to cope with huge lengths of fabric. We then visited the small but intriguing Nautical Museum in Castletown.

This focuses on the Peggy, thought to be the oldest surviving British yacht. Built in 1789 for George Quale a prominent banker and Politician, it was known to be armed with cannon in its heyday. More surprisingly is that it was discovered in 1935 under George Quayle's second house, in an almost secret cellar with a direct, but hidden route into the harbour. Speculation was rife that he made his fortune by smuggling, and certainly there is a lot of evidence to support that. There were secret rooms and cupboards everywhere, and one of his descendants found meticulous ledgers hidden away recoding deals in brandy, tobacco and silver. Also here built a special room just for him and a select few others. It looked like a ship's stern cabin. The guide showed us how part of it slid out and turned into a staircase that went down to the secret boat chamber below! The Peggy is currently at the Manx museum being preserved.

Next on to Rushen Abbey, home of Cistercian Monks, and built in 1134 just 2 miles upriver of Rushen Castle where the Kings and Government were based. It is now a peaceful ruin and lovely garden thanks to Henry VIII, but has various incarnations including a girls school, a jam factory, a 1920s tea dance establishment, and a 1970s nightclub owned by Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, who was born on the island.

Just upstream is this lovely Monks bridge also built in 1134.

It was a short drive from here to a super cliff walk to the Chasms, a natural phenomena of deep clefts in the cliffs, which have claimed the lives of people and animals. They are quite hard to see, especially as summer vegetation grows.

We then drove a little further to the Sound... a cafe with a great view across to the Calf of Man. There were birds everywhere, including Chough, and seals below.

A great end to our day out! We got changed in the loo and headed to see my old school friend for supper and a super evening of reminiscing.

After heavy rain overnight - the tent held up again, although we had forgotten how loud it sounds on the roof - next day we caught the electric railway from Laxey to Douglas.

Again, the track and carriages date back to 1893. The journey takes about half an hour. On arrival we hoped to switch to our one remaining transport option, the horse drawn trams, but today they were resting the horses! So we walked along the fairly blustery prom, admiring the rather grand architecture from it's tourism heyday.

The Gaiety theatre and Villa Marina is a Victorian masterpiece, with a 1929 Wurlitzer organ, but sadly we couldn't look inside so the interiors are not my photos.

Our destination was the excellent Manx museum, which ideally should be done early in your visit, as it covers the whole history of the island, but we had been making the most of the good weather. There was a super special exhibition about the work of Archibald Knox, who was a local artist, illustrator, jewellery maker and designer. From 1898 he created fabric patterns, jewellery, clock cases and silverware for Liberty's of London. He was deeply interested in the Island's Celtic history, and his work reflected this. He incorporated it into the design of many tombstones that he was commissioned to create.

The museum also had a great section on the TT races, with a warning of its dangers, and lots of history, including Viking gold and swords, and the charter when the island came under the jurisdiction of Britain.

From here we drove back across the centre of the island on an unusual quest. In the 1960s some red necked Wallabies escaped from a wildlife park here. It is estimated there are nearly 1000 living wild on the island and we wanted to see one. Sadly, the closest we got was this sign!

We did visit the Motor Museum in Jurby. I was a bit museumed out, but Chris went in and said there were lots of interesting cars and bikes, but it did have a surprising number of American cars and Humbers! All the vehicles had interesting descriptions and stories.

We then drove back through Ramsay, and out to Maughold village. The church here dates back to the 12th century, but the was a holy site from 450AD and is on the site of an early Christian monastery.

The church contains an impressive saxon cross, and a Viking font with its own fire extinguisher!

These are the foundations of one of the early chapels next to a well.

The church has an incredible collection of Celtic crosses, mostly 7- 800 years old.

We even spotted a beautiful tomb designed by Archibald Knox!

From here we walked out to the lighthouse and out around the beautiful cliffs.

The clouds were clearing, but we could see big storm clouds towards the Lake district in England were our friends were on holiday- fingers crossed it missed them! Back to the tent to start packing for the journey back to England tomorrow.

We were so lucky, and it didn't rain overnight, so we had a mostly dry tent to pack up in the morning. Proof we really did camp!

We set off at about 10.30 and drove to Douglas where we spotted that the horse drawn trams were running. We parked the car and just caught the next tram, pulled by Bobby.

The Clydesdale and Shire horses are bred here and start training at the age of 4. They are swopped every journey and were in beautiful condition and had lovely temperaments. They also had a wide range of trams including one called the toastrack!

We had completed our goal of trying every transport method! Our last task before the ferry was lunch.

We parked near the harbour, by this incredible art deco building, and had booked a table at the Little Fish restaurant on North Quay. It was super... and full on a Wednesday lunchtime!

What a finish to our Isle of Man holiday. We would certainly recommend it to anyone who likes great scenery with easy parking, a laid back feel to life, and who has an interest in history and transport. Avoid TT and event weeks unless that is your passion, as prices go up, accommodation is difficult, and many roads are closed.

We caught the ferry, not back to Heysham, but the catamaran, Mannannan, to Liverpool. It was flat calm again! We have just 4 days left of our holiday. So what next?