Yesterday we caught the ferry to the Isle of Man from Liverpool. Friday and Saturday were not the best days of our tour. We had spent a few days with our friend Val in Wiveliscombe Somerset and Val is coming with us to the Isle of Man. We had to catch the car ferry from Liverpool to Douglas on Saturday morning so we decided we would travel to Liverpool on Friday, stay overnight and catch the ferry Saturday.
We started out around 9am Friday in the rain. By the time we got to the M5 the rain was persisting down. About 11am we stopped at a services for coffee and the rain had stopped. Back on the motorway and onto the M6 there were warnings of delays ahead, then the M6 was closed between J18 and J19. This meant the traffic banked up for miles and miles. At J17 we left the Motorway to join all the other traffic trying to get around the closed section. We made it to our hotel at 8:30pm, a 12 hour journey that should have only taken 4 hours.
Checking into the hotel from hell didn’t calm us any and the shoebox of a room continued the downward spiral. Could only half open the bathroom door the get into the bathroom, the floor board creaked as did the bed. Outside our window all night were the smokers from the 24 hour bar and every time they went in and out the door banged, shaking our room above it.
We didn’t get much sleep so to be greeted by another day of rain didn’t improve matters next morning.
Once on the ferry the Captain announced that the trip should be reasonable with only a small patch of rough weather so the gloom continued. When we were within cooee of the island the sun was out and the afternoon looked to be promising.
Our accommodation was on the other side of the island which was 8 miles and yet again we were faced with road closures but this time there was no traffic and the island is so green and with such beautiful scenery that it didn’t matter. We have a self catering apartment in Port Erin and only a short walk to the Port. The day end with a lovely meal in a pub watching the sun set over the water.
Today didn’t hold a lot of promise but we headed out to Peel on the west coast. Here one of the delicacies of the island, the Manx Kippers, are produced. After walking around a ruined castle on a headland of the bay and being nearly blown away we headed for the smokery and a kipper bap washed down with a mug of coffee.
Heading further up the coast we went to the motor museum. Here they had a collection of cars and motorcycles from some very old to some odd more recent models
The day had brightened some what so we headed for Ramsey on the east coast. This took us along part of the TT circuit. WOW I don’t know how they can ride at speed on this track and I agree with the Late Barry Sheen that it certainly is a dangerous circuit, Even so I still want to be able to drive the whole circuit before we leave.
In Ramsey the sun was shining so we managed a walk in the sunshine.
The wind is still up so not sure what tomorrow will be like but that’s another day.
The past few days we have been staying in East Sussex. We wanted a base to explore Kent and be able to stay in a Oast House. We stayed at the Playden Oast Inn Just outside the town of Rye.
Steve Blackstock 