It was decided that a trip to the Sunny Ole Isle was in order for Easter, only trouble was that our "spring break" was the week leading up to Easter. But that aside it was a good time to "reboot". So Off we went for the week. I have to say that it was a great trip. The weather was okish but then what were we expecting. At least it didn't snow and flights went on time. Here is the trip!
We've arrived at Manchester Airport in the UK and Isaac in indulging in a sausage roll and watching TV in the lounge...
Louie is just listening to music, I on the other hand am exhausted and just woken from sleeping on the couch in said posh lounge!
The house were we stayed on the Island was supurb. This house was built in 1951 and was fantastically modernized and a delight to stay in. Look at those windows!
This is the dinning room
The view (on zoom) from a bedroom
You could also see the peir
We were staying in Port Erin and it has a great sweeping bay and here are some of the cliffs
and sights one day I set out to walk to my parents house
I love the chimney pots and the lighthouse is on the beach
This is a favorite pic of mine
Also this one with the mix of houses and cliffs and sea
The water is so clear!
This is the Calf of Man, a small Island at the tip off the Isle of Man the most southerly point
This is an entrance to a Glen (Bradda)
And a coastal path along to the Headland
How fantastic is this, a tin bath in a farmers field
A favorite house that all me and my sisters love. I love this house, we call it the Punch Bowl and it is truly spectacualr and it sits at the far end of the bay over looking the beach below and Bradda Headland.
There were Daffodils along the way (and yes this is still the walk to my Mum and Dad's house)
How about this for history, a victorian post box....see the VR
The golf course ...the yellow in the vegetation's are gorse plants
Past Cooils Farm. (where mum and dads milk come from)
Oh some sheep in the field
And yes this cat posing for me, on a house being renovated!
Horse Chestnut tree already bursting into life
Our favorite pussy willow...so pretty and a lovely reminder of spring.
That's the willow that the above branch is from and wow is it ever gnarled
The Studio where Caroline, does her fantastic art. It's a really cool place. My sisters Studio is always a place to visit and it's got lots of interesting buildings on the site
She pointed out this mortar to me between some stones...very swirly
The studio itself and check out the holes high up on the side of the right hand building. That my friends is a wild bee hive! Yes in deedy
Travelling country roads with Caroline
Lots of trees look like this on the Isle of Man
Gorse and in the background fir plantations
How about that for a road. What a view !
The gnarly trees that freak Caroline out!
More views
And whats this ? someone on a horse!
We could see as we drove "the Plains of Heaven" (yes it is called that) that the Boat was coming in...look at the wake of the boat and how calm it is...there is always a reason for calm...
More fab trees
Now I took this picture to show the buildings and to say something about the string of lights. Then I realised that I had actually taken a picture of CCTV cameras, positioned to look in all directions!
Starbucks Isle of Man and boys occupied
This is a shot from a bus window and this is Castletown Sq.
Around the Castle there are gardens and I managed to snap this as the bus drove past
And get a view of the harbour at Castletown
Louie wanted this shot to show the main shopping street in Douglas, the main town and the cliff in the background!
One morning we got up and the hillside was on fire...they were burning the gorse. Farmers do this to clear it from the land and it is very oil rich! so burns well. You could see this fire for miles
We have gone to the neighbouring village/port of Port St Mary and you could still see the fire
But we were fine
Happy
in heaven
How could you fail to be otherwise
Mine is queenies and bacon in a bap! (Queenies are small scallops and they are really sweet and tasty)
Definitely needed coffee and this was a good one
Fantastic fresh fish also sold here
Those are scallops and they have the roe as well...Delicious and caught locally
This is where we were and of course Damian knew the man who's shop it is!
Oh so happy! and that was a genuine smile by all three
The moon one night .........
telling me the next day storms were coming in. That is Bradda Headland and I even managed to get a seagull on the chimney pot
Sheltering from the wind and show you also the gradient of the slope....lots of those hills on the Island
This is a patch of land...it's been like that since I was a little girl. Not sure why...the wall is fantastic though
Port Erin has a steam engine and Station...so of course we took pictures
Just posing you know
This is inside the station
That would be a real coal fire
Lovely fan light above the door
And a great cup of coffee served here
Train is now ready for departure
Ah relaxing on holiday
These crows are sort of famous..well to me maybe and some others. They have lived in these trees in Port St Mary for years...so they are quite a feature. They have quite an extensive colony
This is the trees and look at the hill they live on....
It over looks the bay
Rather a nice promenade here in Port St Mary
it was a fishing village
tides out now
Still quite a few boats
Now that is wild garlic, also known as stinking Roger!
the rocks in Port St Mary are quite special
These boats look quite sweet and the houses below, stone manx slate cottages
over look the harbour
This walk way is called the Cat Walk and it spans the area of the rocks
They are amazing geologically speaking, these are slate and they have been moved and tilted
as you can see from this picture. (Like the door in the wall?)
Here are the rooks coming home to roost
One of the eggs that didn't make it...still a stunning colour!
Sunset in Port Erin just fading
and the mist coming in
The tide is out and all is still
In Douglas the next day, it's sunny and spied cherry blossom
Jolly clouds and calm sea
The tower of refuge looking stunning in Douglas Bay
A Boat taking shelter in the bay
Quite a view from one side of the bay to the other
This is the sea terminal roof and you may see why it is called "the lemon squeezer"
Damian being silly with Caroline
Paul is always ready!
We went over the mountain and this is some of the views
Sheep cling to the mountain side
This is the other side and desent into Ramsey
Seagull malking a lot of noise along the habour
That's a baby seagull! Huge isn't it
That is a pigeon who has found some shelter...Paul pointed this out to me while sat in the car at the harbour in Ramsey
Also that further along the windows had more pigeons....he thought that he could attract them as he was convinced they were looking at him...they weren't!
More coffee
Daffodils at the side of the road, quite a show
Then the day we were leaving the storm really came in
Resting at Caroline's!
The airport and please bear in mind the follwing pictures are of the sky around the airport in the space of say, 20 minutes.......note the wind sock! and low visibility
Bands of cloud and note the flag!
Bands of cloud and sky changing colour
Visibilty improving
Windy and bright
To the South West Sunset
Boys oblivous
Seas very rough!
Biggest rainbow ever
Some really amazing clouds
Sun has now gone down and we got on the plane, it was fine until we got to Manchester and the cross winds had arrived there and it was bumpy, but he got us down and then we came home to West Chester....all in all a great trip!
