Thanks for your comment, in a way the Isle of Man is stuck in a time-warp. Old trains, cheap beer (about £3.50 a pint!) and paper banknotes. May be a reason why people like to live there in spite of the isolation of being on an island.
Thanks for a great video, Clive! I've wanted to get to the Isle of Man ever since we had a Manx housecat when I was quite young 60+ years ago, but I've never made it. I'm planning a trip to western Scotland via the Glasgow Airport this Fall and your video is not only quite informative but also made going to the isle tempting. However, based on your experience and the comment here about the new ferry's tardiness, I wonder about going via Liverpool as an option, where there's the smaller and older ferries. I've heard about the rail and sail tickets between Ireland and Scotland before, but the ones to/from Man are news to me, and I'll look into them via Liverpool too. Again, a wonderful video! Thanks!
Thanks for your comment. Before commiting yourself check the Steam Packet website as some of the ferries from Liverpool are hi-speed ferries which are more susceptible to bad weather. We've had a weird summer with winter type storms this year, don't know if it's going to become typical with climate change. At least if you go from Liverpool you have the advantage of being in a city and not so vulnerable to connections not working. Like I say in this film, travel is not without anxiety and that's part fo the fun of travel - always having a Plan B. I have a video on my channel about Plan B!
The Manxman's a good ship, but not the most reliable... Should you visit the Isle of Man again, I'd recommend trying the Horse Tramway and the Manx Electric Railway. I was working on the Isle of Man Steam Railway up until last year after our 150th Anniversary. Enjoyed my time there for the most part.
Thanks for your comment. I'll bear those suggestions in mind on a future trip to the Isle of Man. I was intending to do the Horse Tramway on my last day in Douglas, but it was pouring with rain and I needed to dry out my things in the hotel room having cycled there from Peel. I'm always happy to leave something for another visit!
@@Clivestravelandtrains And there's a museum at Port Erin for the Isle of Man Steam Railway. Anything you want to know about the railway, it's all there.
That's an interesting comment, as my observation was that if they introduce a bigger ship which clearly has more people and vehicles on board, then the port handling processes need to be reviewed in line with that. I was quite surprised when watching the loading at Douglas (on the return journey) that a large number of cars were required to reverse over the linkspan onto the ferry. Observation of behaviour on single-track roads (of which we have a lot in Scotland!) would tell you that many drivers struggle to drive backwards. At Heysham the process for foot-passengers reclaiming checked baggage was utterly chaotic. I pointed this out in a letter of complaint to Steam Packet, but my reply was the usual bland corporate cut-and-paste rubbish we are used to now.
Don't use Rail Sail it is over priced. My local station to Douglas (with railcard) £179. Rail to Heysham £79. Ferry £79. A saving of £98. If I had split ticket the rail it would have been less.
Thanks for your comment. The rail fares in Britain are a minefield, especially for the unwary. For me the advantage of Rail Sail was that it has the status of an open ticket and I could travel on any train I liked, and change the return date if I wanted. I sometimes travel on open tickets for the flexibility you get, even though they are dearer than non-changeable non-refundable tickets.
Nothing has much changed since John Betjeman took the Sneafell tramway. Very nice video, Clive. Greetings from Spaarndam.
Thanks for your comment, in a way the Isle of Man is stuck in a time-warp. Old trains, cheap beer (about £3.50 a pint!) and paper banknotes. May be a reason why people like to live there in spite of the isolation of being on an island.
Nice adventure, Clive! I wish I was so sporty 😅
Thanks for your comment, as always!
Thanks for a great video, Clive! I've wanted to get to the Isle of Man ever since we had a Manx housecat when I was quite young 60+ years ago, but I've never made it. I'm planning a trip to western Scotland via the Glasgow Airport this Fall and your video is not only quite informative but also made going to the isle tempting. However, based on your experience and the comment here about the new ferry's tardiness, I wonder about going via Liverpool as an option, where there's the smaller and older ferries. I've heard about the rail and sail tickets between Ireland and Scotland before, but the ones to/from Man are news to me, and I'll look into them via Liverpool too. Again, a wonderful video! Thanks!
Thanks for your comment. Before commiting yourself check the Steam Packet website as some of the ferries from Liverpool are hi-speed ferries which are more susceptible to bad weather. We've had a weird summer with winter type storms this year, don't know if it's going to become typical with climate change. At least if you go from Liverpool you have the advantage of being in a city and not so vulnerable to connections not working. Like I say in this film, travel is not without anxiety and that's part fo the fun of travel - always having a Plan B. I have a video on my channel about Plan B!
The Manxman's a good ship, but not the most reliable...
Should you visit the Isle of Man again, I'd recommend trying the Horse Tramway and the Manx Electric Railway.
I was working on the Isle of Man Steam Railway up until last year after our 150th Anniversary. Enjoyed my time there for the most part.
Thanks for your comment. I'll bear those suggestions in mind on a future trip to the Isle of Man. I was intending to do the Horse Tramway on my last day in Douglas, but it was pouring with rain and I needed to dry out my things in the hotel room having cycled there from Peel. I'm always happy to leave something for another visit!
@@Clivestravelandtrains And there's a museum at Port Erin for the Isle of Man Steam Railway. Anything you want to know about the railway, it's all there.
The new ferry is a disappointment as a reliable service. It's often late sailing or sometimes not at all. The old steamships were dependable.
That's an interesting comment, as my observation was that if they introduce a bigger ship which clearly has more people and vehicles on board, then the port handling processes need to be reviewed in line with that. I was quite surprised when watching the loading at Douglas (on the return journey) that a large number of cars were required to reverse over the linkspan onto the ferry. Observation of behaviour on single-track roads (of which we have a lot in Scotland!) would tell you that many drivers struggle to drive backwards. At Heysham the process for foot-passengers reclaiming checked baggage was utterly chaotic.
I pointed this out in a letter of complaint to Steam Packet, but my reply was the usual bland corporate cut-and-paste rubbish we are used to now.
Don't use Rail Sail it is over priced. My local station to Douglas (with railcard) £179. Rail to Heysham £79. Ferry £79. A saving of £98. If I had split ticket the rail it would have been less.
Thanks for your comment. The rail fares in Britain are a minefield, especially for the unwary. For me the advantage of Rail Sail was that it has the status of an open ticket and I could travel on any train I liked, and change the return date if I wanted. I sometimes travel on open tickets for the flexibility you get, even though they are dearer than non-changeable non-refundable tickets.