Isle of Man

From MaxTravelz

The Isle of Man (in Manx, Ellan Vannin) is an island in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland off the coast of Western Europe. It is a United Kingdom crown dependency (and therefore not part of the United Kingdom itself); the UK is responsible for defence and foreign affairs. The island has its own government (headed by a Chief Minister) and parliament - "Tynwald" (consisting of the democratically-elected "House of Keys" and the nominated "Legislative Council".) The Isle of Man is not a full member of the European Union, but an associate member.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Climate 4.2 Terrain 4.3 History 5 Get in 5.1 By 'plane 5.2 By boat 6 Get around 6.1 By train 6.2 By car 6.3 By motorcycle 6.4 By tram 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact

Regions

Administrative divisions 

There are 24 local authorities.

Cities

• Douglas - Capital
• Castletown
• Peel
• Ramsey

Other destinations

• Calf of Man - Small island bird sanctuary

Understand

Climate

Temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time.

Terrain

A plain in the far north, with hills in north and south bisected by central valley. One small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary.

Highest point 

Snaefell 621 m

History

The Isle of Man was part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland. The Duke of Atholl sold the sovereignty of the isle to the British crown in 1765, henceforth the British monarch has also held the title "Lord of Mann". Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Celtic language.

National holiday 

Tynwald Day, 5 July

Constitution 

unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act, 1961, does not embody the Manx Constitution

Get in

By 'plane

A number of airlines operate regular serives to the Isle of Man from regional airports throughout the British Isles such as Manchester, Liverpool, Dublin, Belfast, London (Gatwick, Luton, London City) and Birmingham.

The Isle of Man Airport is located at Ronaldsway, near Castletown, in the south of the island. There are regular bus services from the Airport to Castletown and Douglas.

By boat

Ferries operated by the Steam Packet Company to Douglas from:

• Liverpool, England - 2h 30m (Fast craft) / 4h (conventional ferry)
• Heysham, Lancashire, England - 3h 30m (conventional ferry)
• Belfast, Northern Ireland - 2h 45m (Fast craft)
• Dublin, Republic of Ireland - 2h 50m (Fast craft) / 4h 45m (conventional ferry)

Get around

By train

The island has two main historic narrow-gauge railways, both starting from (separate) stations in Douglas.

In the south of the island, the Isle of Man Railway is a historic narrow-gauge steam railway operating between Douglas, Castletown and Port Erin (except during winter months).

In the north of the island, the Manx Electric Railway runs between Douglas and Ramsey (using the original historic tramcars from the 1890s.)

Additionally, the Snaefell Mountain Railway (to the summit of Snaefell) starts from Laxey, where connections with the Manx Electric Railway are available. The Groudle Glen Railway is a small steam-operated railway (take the Manx Electric Railway from Douglas and change at Groudle Glen.)

By car

Cars can be hired from various locations on the island, including the airport and Douglas Sea Terminal. Local agents operate on behalf of major international rental firms.

The Isle of Man has a very extensive road network which is passably well maintained. Congestion is low (outside Douglas at rush hour). Rules of the road closely mirror those of the United Kingdom with the exception that there is no overall speed limit for private vehicles (in other words, in a derestricted zone there is no blanket 70 or 60 mph limit like there is in the UK). Drive on the left. It is illegal to use a hand held mobile phone whilst driving. Petrol is expensive, even by UK standards.

However, Manx driving standards can be variable. Cars have no annual roadworthiness test (in contrast to the UK) which in combination with the salt spray from the sea can lead to some fairly spectacular rustbuckets on the road. Headlights are often left unlit except in pitch darkness. Some drivers habitually pull out of side-turnings in front of oncoming traffic and meander slowly down the middle of the road. Rear view mirrors are not always used.

There are, sadly, a number of fatalities on the roads every year - often involving visiting motorbikers (often unused to driving on the left). Despite the absence of speed limits outside urban areas, caution is advised.

Caravans may not be brought to the island.

By motorcycle

The TT races, held annually in June, are unquestionably the greatest motor racing event on the planet. For this reason, every motorcyclist has heard of the Isle of Man and will try to make the pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime, if only to find a nice clear piece of road and hurtle down it at 180mph totally legally.

By tram

The island's capital, Douglas, has a horse drawn trams operating along the Promenade (linking with the Manx Electric Railway.)

Talk

Languages 

English, Manx Gaelic (there are no native Manx Gaelic speakers although there is a movement to revive the language).

Buy

Many UK chain stores are represented in the Island (mainly in the capital, Douglas); for example, Boots, WH Smith, Ottakar's, Marks and Spencer, Woolworths, B&Q. The island has its own supermarket chain, Shoprite, with branches in Peel, Douglas, Ramsey, Castletown and Port Erin. UK-based supermarkets (such as Tesco) also have branches. There is a small 'lifestyle' shopping centre at Tynwald Mills near St John's, with a number of outlets selling upmarket clothing, furnishings and gifts.

Uniquely Manx products include Smoked Kippers and Manx Tartan.

Eat

Manx food is often very good and continues to improve. Some good restaurants and bistros can be found. Fish and chips are also popular. Catering standards are often significantly higher than those in the rest of the British Isles (assuming your culinary experiences in the UK are limited to Harvesters or NHS Hospitals.) Crab baps are available from a kiosk on Peel Quay.

There are several varieties of Manx cheese. Boxes of Manx kippers can be ordered for delivery by post.

Drink

The Isle of Man has two breweries, Okells and Bushy's. The Isle of Man has a beer purity law that permits no ingredients in beer other than water, yeast, hops and malt. Accordingly, a well-kept pint of Manx beer is worth seeking out.

Sleep

The majority of hotels are located in Douglas, including the traditonal seafront hotels on the Douglas Promenade. Standards can be variable - some are rather dated and in need of refurbishment. More luxurious hotels (up to four stars) are also available.

Learn

There is no university on the island, although the University of Liverpool runs some courses. There is an Isle of Man College.

Work

The Isle of Man has very low unemployment, largely because of the financial sector. Seasonal work in the tourism industry is available, but note that a Work Permit is required to work on the island (including persons from the UK.) Permits are obtainable from the Isle of Man Government - see www.gov.im

Stay safe

The Isle of Man is generally a fairly safe place. In an emergency contact the Isle of Man Constabulary (the island's police force) on 999.

Town centres have real glass in bus shelters and graffiti has become a thing of the past.

Stay healthy

Health conditions are very similar to the UK. The island has a well-equipped modern hospital (Noble's Hospital, near Douglas) but some complicated medical conditions may require removal to the UK.

Respect

The Isle of Man is still a fairly socially conservative place, although some major social reforms (in line with the rest of western Europe) have been legislated for by Tynwald, the Manx parliament. The island was one of the last places in western Europe to decriminalise homosexual practices.

Capital punishment for murder was offically abolished as recently as 2002 - although no execution had taken place on the island for over 100 years. Corporal punishment has also been abolished - it was used for young male offenders until the mid 1970s.

The Manx are very proud of their identity; the Manx flag will be frequently seen. To dismiss the island as just a "tax haven" may cause annoyance; the finance industry is the major employer and considerable efforts have been made by the Manx authorities to improve the regulation and propriety of this industry. Nevertheless, taxes are considerably lower than in the UK - although Valued Added Tax is the same by agreement between the Manx and UK Governments.

The UK is often referred to simply as "across" (i.e. travelling across to the UK.)

Contact

Further information is available on the Isle of Man Government website: www.gov.im