All in expect to spend 1-2 hours if you rush it or 3 hours plus if you take your time to take in every part of the House of Mannanan. Prices are £6 for adults, £3 for children (under 18) or £14.50 for a family (2 adults + 2 children) ticket. If you hold on to your ticket there is nothing to stop you nipping out for your lunch and then returning later. The House of Mannanan is situated right across the road from the Creek Inn which serves food. There should be no shortage of car parking available as there is now an additional overflow car park in place. Being a modern facility disabled access is good and there are toilets on site. For those with very yound children there is a small play are situated right in the centre featuring themed playgroud equipment and colouring in.

I spent years driving past the House of Manannan each day before I eventually went in. I was very impressed and have been back several times since. On an island that lacks things to do with kids when the weather isn’t so nice the House of Mannanan is well worth a visit.

The House Of Manannan is a post from: On The Isle of Man

Let me come straight out and say this up-front, no matter how much you may hear Manx people whinging about Public Transport on the island, we do have excellent services compared to just about any other part of Great Britain. However whether or not you need to hire a car will depend on the type of holiday you are planning on having because at the end of the day public transport isn’t going to get you to everywhere you may want to see. Also keep in mind that if you have a bad back the combination of really bad roads (away from the TT course) and buses is not a good one. If you are in anyway delicate it might be better to avoid the buses.

If you are visiting the island for a few days and are planning on sticking to the main towns such as Douglas, Peel, Ramsey, Castletown or Port Erin for your sight-seeing then the buses are fine. I think the longest gap betweens buses to those places during the working week is perhaps an hour, so nothing really, most run every half hour. If however you are more interested in visiting some of the less well known spots on the Isle of Man such as some of the many national glens, smaller villages or plan on doing any sort of outdoor activities then you’d be much better off hiring a car. The Isle of Man isn’t a big place but the taxis are expensive and if you thought you’d get away with using a couple of taxis instead of hiring a car for the week then I’m afraid you’re going to be in for a shocker with the prices.

Would I Hire A Car?

Yes I would. So much of the Isle of Man’s beauty as well as natural appeal is found by wandering away from the towns. Whilst there ARE buses to places like Niarbyl and The Sound Cafe, they are not very frequent, not to mention cheap, and you may find yourself spending the best part of a whole day transfering between buses to get to somewhere a little bit of the beaten path. If I was visiting the Isle of Man for a week or more then I’d absolutely insist on hiring a car.

Car Hire On The Isle of Man

It’s very simple to hire a car on the Isle of Man, most of the local companies have deals with major car hire, holiday and airline companies that make hiring a car as part of your booking very simple. If on the other hand you want to look for the best deal then they can also be found on car hire comparison websites like this one or this one.

Do I Need To Hire A Car When Visiting The Isle of Man? is a post from: On The Isle of Man

Webcam of Port Erin Breakwater on the Isle of Man. – Please click image for original source and live updates.

Port Erin Breakwater Webcam is a post from: On The Isle of Man

The Arboretum in question is actually situated right next to Tynwald Hill, it is also known as the Tynwald National Park, it was opened to mark the Millenium Anniversary of Tynwald. It’s actually a very pretty spot with large numbers of ducks and other water fowl present in the large pond. The pond is surrounded bu numerous species of trees and well worn paths provide a guide around the grounds including the bridge that splits the pond in two. If you follow the path to the right of the pond you’ll find a small childrens playground half way up the hill and then further up the hill a shelter which has been known as “The Witches House” for as long as I can remember. As well as excellent views over the Chruch and Tynwald Hill the flat grassy area around here is great for a picnic. There are also benches dotted around the lower part of the Arboretum in case you get tired and need a rest.

Bringing some bread with you is a must and the ducks are extremely friendly so you’ll find no shortage of takers looking to get in on your bread action. It can get quite muddy in certain parts of the park so wellies are probably a good idea if there’s been rain around when you plan to visit. The Arboretum car park is directly of the main road passing through St Johns and there are usually plenty of spaces available. Being on one of the main roads there are also no shortage of buses that pass by and the nearest stop is within not much more than 100 yards. Access is free and the Arboretum is open all year around. Whilst you are there you might want to have a look for the Geo-Cache that is hidden in a certain area of the park.

Feeding The Ducks is a post from: On The Isle of Man

Getting blinds wasn’t actually a new thought for us, ever since we had the conservatory built and the blinds put up in there we’d thought about adding them to other rooms in the house. The real trouble was in trying to get somebody around to do it. The very well-known local company that did the conservatory never seemed to be available; we really did want to give them the business out of loyalty. It was only through word of mouth that we heard about a national chain that was not only highly recommended but also running a special offer at the time. They answered the phone first time (as opposed to the weeks I’d been chasing the others), they were around to measure up within 2 days. The blinds were ordered and on the Isle of Man within 12 days and when they actually came earlier than expected I got a phone call to arrange fitting the very next day. All for a very good price (Less than £90 for a large living room window).

Isle of Man Blinds – Who We Recommend

Hillarys Blinds – A national chain but the husband and wife team who operate the Isle of Man franchise from Farmhill provide a superb service backed up by excellent prices. Like I said we have used others previously but the whole process from initial enquiry to fitting was faultless with Hillary’s and they come highly recommended. You can even arrange an appointment online.

Isle of Man Blinds – Who We Recommend is a post from: On The Isle of Man

In short much like all property markets it comes down to supply and demand, however the island has a couple of nuances that don’t help things.

First of all there is the situation regarding stamp duty, capital gains tax and inheritance tax, or to be more precise the lack of it. Isle of Man property is a great investment and when you add in the benefits of having a local address there is a booming trade in new build flats…or rather there was. As these aren’t aimed at first time buyers but rather investors you could charge what you like for them. This is what happened and as a result there are many new developments on the Isle of Man that are either empty due to stupid prices (builders haven’t been able to get their head around the fact the party is over) or because they were bought by people who may only use them a couple of weeks a years. For example friends of ours recently returned to the island after working abroad and decided to rent before settling permanently into a house. In one of the most luxurious apartment developments on the island, out of 16 apartments only 2 had people living in them! The rest? Well I’m sure they make a great address for somebody looking for a Manx address to put on their CSP forms.

The second issue is that of the type of person moving to the Isle of Man. Is there a subtle way of putting this? Probably not, rich retirees. People retire to the Isle of Man, that’s why there is still plenty of movement in the upper middle and above priced properties. It’s a great place to retire for many reasons. This keeps those property prices in a certain range which drags the bottom up. People moving from their first or second home to their second or third are competing with people looking for a comfortable retirement castle. The only way to compete is to get as high a price for your existing house as you think you can and bridge the gap. Except they’re not selling. In the last few years the number of house sales at the lower end has reduced enormously. Look what you’re getting for your money, who in their right mind is going to pay £220,000+ for a 3 bed, 1 bathroom thrown up new build semi? Yet if you want to move into that £270,000 second home how can you possibly bridge the gap unless you’re within 40 or 50 thousand pounds?

And this is why I think Isle of Man property prices are so high, essentially you have a situation where certain types of property are selling for very high prices whilst everything else remains fairly stagnant. Imagine if only 2 houses sold on the island this year, 1 for £1,000,000 and the other for £500,000, the average house price on the Isle of Man would be £750,000. The chances are of course that demand will subside (more than likely as a result of tax changes on the island) and the market will re-balance inline with average earnings. The question then of course will be do you really want to buy Isle of Man property?

Isle of Man Property – Why Is It So Expensive? is a post from: On The Isle of Man

When:- Saturday 16th (1pm to midnight) and Sunday 17th (1pm to 7pm) July

Peelstock is now in its 6th year and only continues to become ever more popular. This year for the first time the festival will be held over 2 days. Organised by the Tommy Clucas Memorial Fund the festival as a whole is a way of raising funds in the name of Tom, one of the islands most popular sports stars who was tragically killed during racing in the Manx Grand Prix in 2004. It’s a great community event and very much family friendly.

Prices for Peel Stock 2011 are £8 and £4 for adults on the Saturday and Sunday respectively. Juniors (aged between 14 and 17) pay £5 on Saturday and £2 on the Sunday. Children are free if accompanied by an adult. Tickets are only available to buy on the gate.

This years running list (subject to change) looks like:-

Saturday
13.00 – 13.45 Joshua Dillon
13.45 – 14.30 John Wilkinson
14.30 – 15.30 Nick Barlow
15.30 – 16.40 Grambo
16.40 – 17.50 Native
17.50 – 19.00 White Elephant
19.00 – 20.10 The Heights
20.10 – 21.20 Maldune
21.20 – 10.30 Uber Room
22.30 – 00.00 Caution Runners

Sunday
13.00 – 14.00 Hoodoo Nation
14.00 – 15.10 Mollag Band
15.10 – 16.20 Fecktones
16.20 – 17.30 Halfway Home
17.50 – 19.00 The Shedmen

For more information check out the Peelstock Website – Peelstock

Peelstock 2011 is a post from: On The Isle of Man

The following images are in pairs, the top image is the original, the bottom image is a Red/Cyan Colour Anaglyph and can be viewed in 3D using old style cheapo 3D glasses. I’m currently working on a way of giving people access to the original stereoscopic HD image so that you can print them out.

Peel Marina

(Original none 3D)

(Use Red/Cyan 3D Glasses To View This Image)

Peel Breakwater

Peel Castle

Peel In 3D is a post from: On The Isle of Man

The Glen Helen hotel is actually situated on the TT course about 4 miles away from Peel and approximately 10 miles from Ramsey. Glen Helen itself is one of the islands better known glens and makes for a very pleasant walk. You are also within easy distance of St Johns and Tynwald Hill as well as the shops at Tynwald Mills. Whilst this location isn’t great for those without some form of transport (there is ample free parking available if you want to bring a car or bike) taxis to and from Peel/Ramsey are not overly expensive (Peel being a 5 minute ride).

The Glen Helen Hotel features 17 en-suite rooms, each has TV, the tea and coffee facilities you’d expect and access to a wireless network for the internet. There is also a large 120 seat function room available for hire for those thinking of holding a special occasion. The Glen Helen is also a popular spot for locals to eat thanks to the Restaurant which offers a good selection of dishes at affordrable prices. The Sunday lunch is especially well thought off.

Overall then the Glen Helen Hotel is a great place to stay for those not afraid of being a little out of the way. It is always popular but over the TT fortnight especially is an incredibly sought after place to stay.

Check Glen Helen Prices And Availability

Glen Helen Hotel Facilities

• Banquet Facilities
• Bar / Lounge
• Coffee / Tea Maker
• Conference Room
• Hair Dryer
• High-speed Internet
• Parking
• Restaurant
• Shower
• TV

How To Find The Glen Helen Hotel

Glen Helen Hotel is a post from: On The Isle of Man

Watch the Eye Spy SecurityTT Streaming Webcam Live

TT Live Streaming Webcam is a post from: On The Isle of Man