Today was a much better day than yesterday! We arrived in port at Douglas, the capital of The Isle of Man, at about 8:30 AM. The temperature was in the high 50's and expected to reach the 70's. The sky was perfectly blue with no hint of clouds.
The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown dependency (it is not part of the Commonwealth) in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland. It’s known for its rugged coastline, medieval castles and rural landscape, rising to a mountainous center. In addition to English the islanders speak the Manx language, which at onetime was almost dead, but now there are actual schools where only Manx is used. The currency is the Manx Pound. They also use the British Pound, but the Manx Pound is only usable on the Isle of Man.
In addition to being a modern financial center, the island is most known for the TT. The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world as many competitors have died.
The world’s greatest motorcycle road racers gather to test themselves against the incredible ‘Mountain Course’ - a 37.73 mile course carved out of the island’s public roads. To date, 265 riders have been killed on the famous Mountain Course at various events since it was first used in 1911. There were five deaths in this years race.
It took 3 dockworkers to hoist the ships ropes. They are not small.
On the hill overlooking the City of Peel stands a stone tower known as Corrin's Folly. This monument was built around 1806 by Thomas Corrin, who owned the hill and much land nearby. It is about 4 stories high, and is near a small cemetery where he and his family are buried. (the cemetery where I took this photo is in the valley looking up to the hill).
Outside of Peel we visited Cathedral of Isle of Man. The Patron of the Cathedral, St German of Man, was a Celtic missionary and holy man who lived from about 410 to 474. St German's Day is celebrated each year on 13 July.
The original cathedral of St German was inside the walls of Peel Castle and was built sometime in the 12th century when St Patrick's Isle was in the possession of Norse kings.
The current Cathedral was constructed from 1879-1894.
After leaving the Cathedral, we visited the interment camp of Knockaloe.
The Centre for World War One Internment tells the story of the Knockaloe Internment Camp, its guards and staff and over 30,000 German, Austro-Hungarian and Turkish civilian men who were held as internees behind its barbed wire between 1914 and 1919.
Based in Patrick Village, near Peel, in the west of the Isle of Man, the area was the site of the largest ever WW1 Internment Camp and was central to the British Government's Enemy Alien Policy.
I wasn't particularly interested in this stop initially, but the visitor center (which used to be an old school) was very informative. I was not even aware of this interment camp from WWI. There is actually nothing left of the camp itself, except the fields, which are now used for sports and exhibitions.
Fields which is where the barracks were located. (taken from the bus)
Behind the visitor Center was a nice old church and graveyard.
We then entered the city of Peel proper. It is located on the islands west coast.
I don't know if these gulls are waiting to play or waiting for a game to watch...
Peel Castle from across the bay.
Looking out the inlet, from outside the castle wall.
We had a little time left after walking through the town and decided to walk around the castle.
The next few photos were taken from the bus as we crossed from Peel to Port Erin at the south tip of the island.
In Port Erin we boarded a narrow gauge steam train which has been restored. It dates from the late 1880's. The trip from Port Erin back to Douglas took about an hour and fifteen minutes. We were served lunch from the dinning car and it was surprisingly good. We had a draft Becks to wash it down.
The Isle of Man has been a resort site for England for over 150 years.
After departing the train, we decided to walk back to the ship rather than take the bus.
Our ship awaits us.
I can see why this was a hazard for the early mariners in the area.
We rested for a while and then attended the Captains farewell cocktail party. Not really a party, just free drink, appetizers, and a brief explanation about our debarkation on Friday.
Tomorrow will be our last night on the ship. We dock in Fishguard in the morning for tours, then travel to Bristol where we well debark to make our way to Oxford.
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