Travel Through the Isle of Man on a Harley-Davidson

By Peter & Kay Forwood

The Isle of Man on a Harley (16/10/98 - 18/10/98)
Distance 150 km (119073 km to 119223 km)

This is part of the fourth section of our around the world trip.
Complete Trip Overview & Map

Coming from the Republic of Ireland
 

16/10/98 Off to the Isle of Man, that small country nestled between Great Britain and Ireland, famous for it's annual TT motorcycle races. The gale force 9 – 10 winds cancelled the Seacat replacing it with a vomitingly rolly older ferry and doubling the two hour journey giving plenty of time to encourage that landlubbers fear. That same wind brought driving rain when we almost succumbed to a $US 51.00 a night B&B but managed to find a sheltered spot in a closed farm tent park for $US 10.00, managing to divest most of the saving over a pub dinner.

17/10/98 Wind and rain so bad the ferries aren't running at all today so it's laundromats, cyber cafes and museums. The Isle of Man has the oldest continuous parliament in the world, over 1000 years old, (strange I thought Iceland had the same claim) and although a separate country is heavily reliant on the U.K. for foreign affairs. Main industry, a tax haven, thus finances. It has the usual history of fighting and wars in this area and it is funny how a successful coup ends up being a liberating force 300 years on and a failed one becomes a martyr to the cause. Yet coups happening in the world today are all seen as being anarchy.

Riding the Isle of Man, TT track 18/10/98 We toured the TT racecourse, taking side detours to look at castles and seaside resorts. The course is 37.73 miles long (60 km) and the race over 6 laps. It has a long history having started in 1907 and the whole island booms to the two-week motorcycle racing event. Travelling a circuit around the island's main road through small towns and lead riders average over 110 miles per hour (175 km/h). After riding the loop in bitter weather we again boarded the ferry for our return to Liverpool. A friendly island with lovely Victorian waterfronts and electric trams, that strange short tail Manx cat and the four horned sheep, left to the locals and financiers for the winter.
 

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Story and photos copyright Peter and Kay Forwood, 1996-
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