All pictures are 1024 × 768 pixels, in either orientation. Panoramas are wider, for obvious reasons.
I'm still working on the review of the trip - it's as un-concise as the one for Iceland, and the picture links took up so much text space I've had to host them all here instead.
REVIEW LINKS: Day One – Day Two – Day Three – Day Four – Day Five
| 04.07.2013 – DAY ONE: PRELIMINARIES | |
| Breakfast is served! |
| Paul Soares Jr. warned us about the spy chickens. He was right. |
| Manx funny money |
| 04.07.2013 – DAY ONE: DOUGLAS | |
 | The Tynwald building |
 | Manx on display at the government offices |
 | A Triskelion lamp post |
| 04.07.2013 – DAY ONE: MORE OF DOUGLAS | ||
 | Yn Arreyder, "the Watcher", the modern sculpture outside the Manx Museum | |
 | A bridge back to civilisation | |
 | Manx flags fly over the promenade | |
 | Douglas' War memorial | |
 | The famous horse trams in action | |
 |  | The Manx Electric Railway, Hollywood style - as another train leaves |
 | The Terminus Tavern, an ale house of great reputation | |
 |  | Having a ride on the horse tram |
 |  | MONEY SHOT: the Tower of Refuge in Douglas Bay, as seen on the 2004-13 5p coin |
| 04.07.2013 – DAY ONE: IN THE PUB | |
 | A TT grandstand where Ballacottier Road meets the A18 |
 | A fine pint, definitely... |
 | ...and a fine ale house to serve it in! |
| 05.07.2013 – DAY TWO: TYNWALD DAY AT ST. JOHN'S | |
 | Rural Manx scenery just outside the village |
 | Bushy's promotional 2CV - much slower than a TT racing bike! |
 | Traditional Manx dances on the ceremonial field |
 | Tynwald Hill, set up for the ceremony |
 | More dancing in the stalls |
| 05.07.2013 – DAY TWO: THE AFTERNOON EVENTS | |||
 |  |  | Viking swordsmanship outside the Manx tent |
 | Looking down the river of reeds at Tynwald Hill | ||
 |  | MONEY SHOT 1: Looking down the river of reeds at St. John's Chapel, seen on the right of the 2004-13 £1 coin | |
 |  |  | Juggling with burning clubs to entertain the local kids |
 | The St. John's War memorial, which wasn't visible from the grandstand | ||
 | The Tynwald Exhibition had (unfortunately) been temporarily taken down - although we wouldn't need it today anyway... | ||
 | Help yourself to bollan bane, the lucky Manx herb | ||
 |  |  | The Royal Marines demonstrate hand-to-hand combat |
 | Everything you ever needed to know about Tynwald Hill | ||
|  | MONEY SHOT 2: Tynwald Hill now stripped of its ceremonial tent, seen on the left of the 2004-13 £1 coin | |
 | The World Manx Association's banner - in Manx tartan, of course | ||
 | Eight-year-old Fergus Cain from Bunscoill Ghaelgagh (just across the road) wrote about Minecraft... in Manx! | ||
 | Yn Chruinnacht - join them if you're interested in any Celtic culture, languages included | ||
 |  | The fairground stalls: featuring Manx culture and music, charities, games for the kids, god-botherers, and competing ice cream vans | |
 | St. John's Millennium Stone - other Manx settlements are mentioned on the platform below | ||
 | The plaques in front of the reed-strewn path honouring famous Manx people | ||
 | The Isle of Man Wind Orchestra provide mid-afternoon entertainment | ||
 | Proudly wearing his Manx tartan kilt | ||
| 05.07.2013 – DAY TWO: IN SEARCH OF MONEY SHOTS AND ANCIENT LEGENDS | |||
 | Me? Pleased to see a church? St. Sanctain's, in Santon parish, is home to... | ||
 |  | MONEY SHOT: Santon War Memorial, as seen on the 2004-13 1p coin | |
 |  | Almost another MONEY SHOT: in search of the "Ancient Keeills of Mann" 2000-03 1p coin I found St. Trinian's chapel, just outside Crosby. The windows aren't the same, though, and eventually I found out the keeill I really wanted was St. Michael's chapel, on St. Michael's Isle, just north of Langness. Still, this one is full of myths and legends... | |
 | ...does anyone see the Buggane of St. Trinian's yet? | ||
 | Was this the hole that the Buggane's hand reached through? | ||
 | The chapel's ancient runestone survives today | ||
| No Bugganes are at home at the moment | ||
| 05.07.2013 – DAY TWO: BACK AT ST. JOHN'S | |||
 | Tynwald Hill at sunset | ||
 | A temporary pub was set up in this café, as the Tynwald Hill Inn was closed for refurbishment | ||
 |  | "All together in the Floral Dance!" | |
 |  | Not from Scotland: the Ellan Vannin Pipes and Drums, all wearing Manx tartan | |
 | The Play People prepare to entertain us with fire. Lots of fire. | ||
 |  |  | Whirl it, throw it, "accidentally" set your mate on fire... |
 |  |  | The girls get their chance... |
 |  |  | ...Turkish style! |
 |  | "I've never done this before and I'm probably going to screw it up..." | |
 |  | Skipping and limbo... with fire. All in a day's work... | |
 | Her name is Lauren. And she was terrified. | ||
 |  |  | A huge, fiery finale! |
| 06.07.2013 – DAY THREE: AROUND PEEL | ||
 | The ruins of a church, which is too late to have been the work of the Vikings... | |
 |  | Bilingual street signs: some in English first, some in Manx first |
 |  | The statue of Fenella, and the (artificially created) beach she watches over |
 | The town and the main beach, from the castle mount | |
| 06.07.2013 – DAY THREE: MORE OF PEEL | ||
 |  | A look down Peel Harbour and the River Neb; swing bridge both closed and open |
 | Peel's maritime memorial, include a useful barometer and an inscription in Manx | |
 | Manx cider: it exists! | |
 | My presence at the Creek Inn, a favourite with the Manx branch of CAMRA. Note one beer from Bushy's and four from Okell's. | |
 | Moore's smokehouse - what is it they sell again? | |
 | A look inside the smokehouse | |
 | Moore's finest wares - ideal for breakfast the next day! | |
| 06.07.2013 – DAY THREE: TRADITIONAL MANX DINNER | ||
 | Battered Manx queenies on Fenella beach, surrounded by scallop shells? Don't mind if I do... | |
 | Fenella beach itself: small and less crowded than it was earlier | |
 |  | "Heritage beer" in the Creek Inn's cabinets |
 | Dinner at the Creek: Loaghtan lamb steak! | |
| 06.07.2013 – DAY THREE: LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING | ||||
 | The river in Glen Mooar leading to Spooyt Vane | |||
 |  |  | Spooyt Vane itself: three different angles for the White Spout | |
 | In the jungle... just outside Kirk Michael | |||
 | Bradda in the foreground, Port Erin in the background, Port St. Mary in the distance | |||
 |  | Approaching Milner's Tower from Braddan, and a closer view; the Calf of Man is in the background | ||
 |  | MONEY SHOT: Milner's Tower, as seen on the 2004-13 50p coin | ||
| Port Erin again, without the obstruction of Bradda | |||
 |  | The Calf of Man; Chicken Rock is directly behind it | ||
 | Up Milner's Tower: someone's been here before me | |||
 | The tower gave a limited view... | |||
 | The top of Milner's Tower | |||
 | An unidentified defensive structure on Bradda Head | |||
 | Also on Bradda Head, a remote, ruined house | |||
 | Powerful refreshment after a long day | |||
 | The Manx Arms in Onchan, at closing time... | |||
| 07.07.2013 – DAY FOUR: THE LAXEY WHEEL AND MINES | |||
 |  | Now that's what I call breakfast: Moore's traditionally smoked Manx kippers | |
 |  |  | The "salmon river" that Laxey's name derives from |
 | Where the Great Laxey Mines railway starts - closed because it was Sunday... | ||
 | The Lady Evelyn, the 50' wheel that once pumped the Snaefell mine dry - now restored and rehoused in Laxey | ||
 | The Manx Electric Railway passes the main road | ||
 | The first sight of the Great Laxey Wheel, a.k.a. the Lady Isabella, in the distance | ||
 |  | 72½ feet of Laxey's most famous landmark, in all its glory - with the prominent Triskelion, obviously | |
 |  | More of the wheel, which was restored in 2004 with 150 years on the clock | |
 | I wasn't going to miss this photo opportunity | ||
 |  | Looking down Glen Mooar, along the shaft that was once attached to an enormous pump at the far end | |
 |  | The best shots I could get of the actual cranking mechanism | |
 | Don't get your hands trapped in the spokes... | ||
 |  |  | Views from the top: back towards Laxey, and two down the glen - one showing the Manx flag, as you'd expect |
 | I didn't investigate that pond further - if I had it might have confirmed if this is a statue of a salmon... | ||
 | ...because that's the salmon river again, down below | ||
 | The cistern, which holds the water to power the wheel, sits behind here | ||
 | Minerals found in the Laxey area | ||
 | Entering the only part of the Laxey Mines that is still accessible... | ||
 |  |  | Inside the mine: damp, and dark - unless there's a small crack above |
| 07.07.2013 – DAY FOUR: GOOD FOOD AND BEER | |||
 | Post-mine refreshment at the Shore Hotel, courtesy of their in-house Old Laxey Brewery | ||
 |  | Sunday roast, served on a table with a ship's compass set into it? Don't mind if I do! | |
 |  | Laxey's finest watering-hole, advertising its wares | |
 |  | And for dessert, bonnag: the Manx answer to the Welsh bara brith | |
| 07.07.2013 – DAY FOUR: UP SNAEFELL ON THE MOUNTAIN RAILWAY | ||
 | The leaving of Laxey | |
 |  | The train slowed as we passed the Lady Isabella again |
 |  | The Manx countryside, along the Mines Trail |
 | The remains of the end of the mine | |
 | The site of a former motorcycle museum - on the TT course, but out in the sticks | |
 | I wonder who Mari is? | |
 | Looking west at Sulby Reservoir, as the railway coils round the summit of Snaefell | |
 |  | Looking northeast to Ramsey, and the summits of Clag Ouyr (foreground) and North Barrule (background) |
 | Looking east along the track we've just come up, and to Laxey | |
 | If not on top of the world, then at least on top of the Isle of Man - 621 m above sea level | |
 | The family having fun on the triangulation point helpfully took the next photo after I did the same for them... | |
 | ...but I'd have broken more bones if I'd tried to get up on the pillar! | |
 | Another look at North Barrule and Laxey, but standing still this time | |
 | Waiting for the train that never comes? | |
 | The greatest driving road on the Isle of Man - the A18 Douglas to Ramsey Mountain Road, and an exhilerating part of the TT course | |
 | Seen from the summit: the Manannán leaves Douglas for Liverpool | |
| 07.07.2013 – DAY FOUR: THE RETURN TO LAXEY | ||
 |  | Old Laxey harbour: the anchor was retrieved from a shipwreck in 1890 |
 | Another Triskelion: this time a cobblestone mosaic near the seafront | |
 | King Orry's Grave, part one, by the side of Ballaragh Road | |
 | King Orry's Grave, part two, practically in someone's back garden | |
| 07.07.2013 – DAY FOUR: IN AND AROUND RAMSEY | |||
 | Ramsey's swing bridge, near the docks | ||
 | Approaching Albert Tower | ||
 |  | MONEY SHOT: Albert Tower, as seen on the 2004-13 2p coin - even if a bit of artistic licence has been taken | |
 | Albert Tower from the other side, showing the entrance | ||
| 07.07.2013 – DAY FOUR: THE EVENING IN DOUGLAS | |||
 | Douglas hails its TT heroes - Mike Hailwood in this instance | ||
 | The start and finish line of the TT circuit, a permanent feature along the A2 | ||
 |  |  | The leaderboard: six laps of the Mountain Course, just over two hours, and you can follow it here |
 | Evening refreshment from the Doghouse Brewery in Jurby, courtesy of Douglas' Albert Hotel | ||
 | "Jough" - the Albert's house beer; it does translate as "drink", and it's really Okell's Bitter in disguise | ||
 | The one hostelry I visited that evening - I didn't need to look for another | ||
| 08.07.2013 – DAY FIVE: CASTLETOWN & CASTLE RUSHEN'S OUTER AREA | |||
 | The entrance to the gardens at the rear of the castle | ||
 | The Speaker's Gardens, named in honour of the former Speaker of the House of Keys, Sir Joseph Qualtrough | ||
 |  |  | More of the outside gardens, with the statue of Captain John Quilliam and the accompanying compass-shaped fountain |
 |  |  | Signposts in the gardens welcome us to Castletown - in English and Manx |
 | The cannon outside the castle - donated much later after the buildings were finished | ||
 | Castletown harbour | ||
 |  |  | The main entrance, the innner gate, and the reminder of whose history we are going to see |
 |  | The central keep, where the main body of the exhibition is | |
 |  | Cannons and stocks | |
 |  | Thatched huts - probably not original! | |
 | The inviting prospect of a walk round the walls | ||
 |  | The central keep, from on top of the outside walls | |
 |  | Castle Rushen's famous clock, plus Triskelions - and one on the flag for good measure | |
 |  | MONEY SHOT: Castle Rushen clock, as seen on the 2004-13 20p coin | |
 |  | Castletown, seen from the outer walls | |
 | The cannons and stocks, from the outer wall | ||
 | The Old House of Keys - one of Castletown's Story Of Mann attractions that I couldn't visit because I ran right out of time | ||
 | The pile of logs concealing the entrance to the dungeon | ||
 |  |  | Down you go, in you go, and now that's all the view you get for the next 20 years |
 | The red light's burning bright tonight in the next-door dungeon | ||
| 08.07.2013 – DAY FIVE: THE KEEP AT CASTLE RUSHEN | |||
 | Mind the murder holes above the portcullis! | ||
 | Apparently this contraption was to haul supplies up to the kitchen | ||
 | Bishop Thomas Wilson's prison cell | ||
 | A replica of the tombstone of King Magnus, the last Viking King of Mann - as seen at the Manx Museum | ||
 | Another replica - of the Manx Sword of State, as seen for real on Tynwald Day | ||
 | Replicas of the tools used to build the castle... | ||
 |  | ...is this why it took 300 years to finish? | |
 | Guarding the prisoners in the oubliette | ||
 | The portcullis from above - the murder holes have long since been filled in | ||
 |  | The usual residence of a high-ranking official - hence the en-suite toilet | |
 |  | Further rooms - one for a senior guard, and one above the gatehouse - a junior guard, maybe? | |
 | Attentive readers should already recognise James Stanley and Iliam Dhone on this information board | ||
 | Satifying my inner numismatic geek, along with Castle Rushen being shown on a Manx fiver | ||
 | Manx weights and measures, as were once governed from here | ||
 | A reminder that this castle was once the obvious place for the seat of government, before the Old House of Keys was built | ||
 |  | ...and then the castle was used as a prison, with suitable medieval conditions for the inmates | |
 |  |  | Castletown, seen from the top of the keep, with Langness in the third picture |
 | The Flag Tower | ||
 |  | The Bell Tower | |
 | Castletown harbour, from up high | ||
 | Another view of Castletown, with Castletown Bay in the background | ||
 | The mechanism of Castle Rushen clock - missing for essential repairs... | ||
 | Cannonballs of various sizes | ||
 |  | The Medieval Banquet Hall | |
 | Tansy; a hallucinogenic and toxic herb best used sparingly and best kept away from Sue Perkins | ||
 | If only that banquet was real... | ||
 | "Don't drop the peacock!" | ||
 | The fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh Lords of Mann; we've seen the seventh several times already - James Stanley | ||
 |  | The Lords' Great Chamber | |
 | The Lords' Treasury | ||
 | The Lords' New Dining Room, from the 17th Century | ||
 | A contemporary world map in the dining room, which was remarkably accurate for the time - until we get to the Pacific Rim... | ||
 | A map of the Isle of Man from 1598 is... not so accurate! | ||
 |  | The Presence Chamber; James Stanley will tell you a story of his time as Lord of Mann | |
 |  | The kitchen - completing the circular tour that started at the goods lift | |
| 08.07.2013 – DAY FIVE: RUSHEN ABBEY | |||
 | Further evidence that Manx National Heritage's quest for preservation will stop at nothing | ||
 |  | The abbey's gardens have been used to grow fruit - used to make jam with - and for concerts | |
 | A model reconstruction of the abbey being built | ||
 | The Old Corpse Road connection: the abbot of Furness Abbey, in Cumbria - home of The Crier Of Claiffe, so the story goes - was also in charge at Rushen | ||
 | The Cistercian monks' diet: dull, dull, dull, dull, dull! | ||
 | The monks were also sheep farmers? Good job they weren't Welsh... | ||
 | A model reconstruction of the abbey at its peak, before Henry VIII took a sledgehammer to it | ||
 |  | The abbot's lodgings, now turned into a museum of sorts, and where live archaeological digs are still taking place | |
 |  |  | Some of the exhibits on show: pottery, glassware and coins |
 |  | Supposedly the MONEY SHOT: the 2000-03 20p coin may say "Rushen Abbey", but this canvas is as close as the place would get to the depiction on the coin. The wax monk at the House of Manannán was far more like it! | |
 |  | The Pigeon Tower, and the former site of the stairs behind it | |
 |  | The Chapter House - completely covered by vegetation until Manx National Heritage bought the abbey | |
 | The East Range | ||
 | The church - symbol of the domination over the monks' lives | ||
 | The Cloister Arcade | ||
 | The West Range - fenced off as there's an archaeology project ongoing here | ||
 | The South Range | ||
 |  | The final shots of Rushen Abbey bring the "heritage" part of this five-day tour to an end | |
| 08.07.2013 – DAY FIVE: DEPARTURE AND THE AFTERMATH | ||
 | When in the Isle of Man, do as the Manx do and go to Shoprite, supporting the local economy | |
 | The Ben-My-Chree waits for us in the harbour | |
 |  | One last ice cream before I go, at its primary outlet |
 | I will... | |
 | All abaord the Ben-My-Chree | |
 | The Camera Obscura, one of the many things I couldn't fit in during my five-day stay | |
 | Leaving port... | |
 | A last look at Douglas and the Tower of Refuge | |
 |  | Fishing boats going about their business as we sail away |
 | Looking south towards Douglas Head and Little Ness | |
 | Looking north towards Clay Head | |
 | That's what was making all the noise on the way here! | |
 | Irish Sea oil rigs and wind farms | |
 | This boat is on its way to Belfast | |
 | On board the ship by the bar | |
 | Constant reminders of who I've been sailing with, and where to... as if I could ever forget! | |
 | The Manx gold hoard: total value, £17.16 - and no, I'm not going to spend it! | |
