Isle of Man Heritage Railways

Make your own way to the Empress Hotel, Douglas where your Tour Manager will meet you and assist with check-in. Enjoy a relaxing dinner at the hotel this evening. 

 

After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we board our coach and drive along some of the island’s famous TT course today. We will see Tynwald Hill in St. Johns, one of the island’s most distinctive landmarks and a cultural and political icon that can trace its origins back to the early Viking invaders and the beginnings of the island’s independence as a self-governing crown dependency. We then continue on to Peel, on the Island's west coast, where its golden sandy beach and beautiful bay are dominated by the impressive ruins of Peel Castle. After a visit to ‘Royal’ Ramsey, on the island’s north east coast, we then head for the old mining village of Laxey. Home to the Great Laxey Wheel, probably the island’s most iconic monument to Victorian industry, it is here that we board the Snaefell Mountain Railway, the only electric mountain railway in the British Isles. The summit of Snaefell Mountain lies some 2,036 feet above sea level and from up here, on a fine day, there are magnificent views of the “Seven Kingdoms”. Returning to Laxey, there may be time to enjoy some personal exploration before heading back to Douglas. Enjoy a relaxing dinner at the hotel this evening.

Today is free for you to explore at leisure. Douglas, the island's capital, presents a unique blend of holiday resort, finance centre and historic working harbour. Take a stroll along the waterfront with its sweeping views of Douglas Bay and its horse drawn trams, a unique legacy of the golden age of Victorian tourism. Not to be missed is the centrally located and award-winning Manx Museum (free of charge), an ideal starting point to a rich journey of discovery of the island's history. You may like to take a trip back over to the west coast and explore the charming fishing port of Peel, with its expansive sandy beach, Manx kippers and a chance to try the island’s national dish of queenies (small scallops). Sitting at the mouth of the harbour is impressive Peel Castle, once the stronghold of the Viking invaders who arrived here in the 9th century and which, still to this day, is steeped in legend and myth. The House of Manannan is another award-winning museum that leads the visitor through a fascinating tableau of Celtic and Viking exhibits and includes a replica Viking longboat that was sailed over from Norway to celebrate the Tynwald Parliament’s millennium in 1979. Dinner is once again included this evening.

 

After breakfast, our coach transfers us to the station where we enjoy a ride aboard the Isle of Man Steam Railway from the capital, Douglas to the seaside resort of Port Erin. A short stop in Port Erin offers a chance to perhaps pay a visit to the Railway Museum, or maybe enjoy a pleasant stroll and take in the majestic views of the bay, Bradda Head and perhaps even the distant Mountains of Mourne in Ireland. From here the coach will then take us on to the southernmost point of the island and the breathless setting of The Sound, probably one of the most scenic settings anywhere in the British Isles. Overlooking the craggy splendour of the Calf of Man, the area is abundant with seals and birdlife and you may even be fortunate enough to see dolphins playing amongst the swirling tidal pools. Cregneash village was one of the last strongholds of the Manx language and customs which characterised the crofting way of life on the island. An opportunity to take a short walk through the village offers a chance to catch sight of a Manx cat, or perhaps one of the island’s indigenous four-horned sheep, known locally as Loughtans. From here we then continue on to Castletown, the island’s old capital and site of Castle Rushen, one of the finest medieval fortresses anywhere in Britain. There will be a chance to explore something of Castletown’s rambling old streets and harbour-side, before we head back to Douglas via the charmingly named “Fairy Bridge”…remembering of course to say hello to ‘Themselves’ as we cross. Relax and enjoy our final dinner at the hotel this evening.