The Isle of Man is a hidden gem in the Irish Sea
A pretty Cheshire town or the hills on the edge of the Peak District are likely to be the top picks for a weekend escape without the hours of travelling.
The Isle of Man is also home to an abundance of wildlife. During the warm season, basking sharks can be spotted off the west coast where they come to feed on plankton, while the north of the island is home to a population of red-necked wallabies, thought to be the largest of its kind in the northern hemisphere.
However, with just a quick ID check at the airport needed I was soon on my way to the island’s capital, Douglas, to check into the Claremont Hotel. Arriving at the electric railway, I boarded a smart, old-fashioned wooden tram, opting for a seat on the side of the coastline, to take me up to Laxey and then onto Ramsey.
Further up the coast is Ramsey, another seaside town with a sweeping bay, a picturesque harbour and a quaint town centre. Their passion is further exemplified by an ambitious project the distillery took on for the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, which saw the team take 11 barrels of their Manx rum across to the island’s Tower of Refuge, a striking historic structure that can be seen from the beach at Douglas bay. It was built by the RNLI's founder Sir William Hillary to provide shelter for shipwrecked sailors.
An extensive wine list helps you to pair your meal with the perfect glass, but if that’s not enough there is a whole wall of wine to one side of the restaurants, featuring hundreds of different wines available by the bottle. The generous starter portion was almost enough to fill me up, so choosing the special - a whole sea bream, served with cafe de Paris butter, potatoes and chard - for my main course was perhaps ambitious. But the freshly caught fish was cooked simply and tasted delicious.
Castletown’s main attraction is Castle Rushen, an old medieval fortress that is one of the most well-preserved castles in Europe.
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