25-Apr-2023
Yesterday was Day 65, aka go-to-the-Isle-of-Man day. By way of the ferry from Heysham.
We left Newark at about 0700. We stopped briefly at the bottle bank and at a service station, and four hours later we were just up the coast from the ferry port. The journey took slightly longer than we'd anticipated. Ms G. Maps decided to divert us from our original route, because of queues on the motorway. But the alternative, though very scenic, was also quite slow going.
One of the great views out from our ridge
We had a few hours to spare before catching the ferry, and we spent them very profitably at Half Moon Bay.
We had a bit of a disappointment at the cafe, which takes only cash. We'd been hoping for a nice big breakfast, but we could rustle up sufficient coins only for two bacon baps. Nice bacon baps, generously filled. But a little on the light side, given it was going to be a long day.
Nevertheless, a walk and some fresh air cheered us back up again:
Anna Gillespie's Ship against the big, big sands
St Patrick's Chapel, which dates back to the 8th century, and is therefore unlikely to have been founded by St Patrick. Beautiful, though
And here's our ferry coming in
Unique rock-hewn graves
The ruins look down on St Peter's...
... which hosts the early/mid-10th-century hogback, probably originally a memorial or grave-cover
A splendid little church
Adventuring over, we headed for the port. It was a smooth sail (and we made up for our light lunch with tea and cake on the boat):
View from the top
Driving off
It's not too far from Douglas to Ballaugh, the closest village to where we're staying. Again, the drive took a little longer than we'd envisaged, because they've closed the mountain road (our preferred route), and we had to backtrack. Ms Maps really struggles with the Isle of Man (and her pronunciation of place names is often totally incomprehensible).
Our accommodation is at Close Taggart. We're in Thie Lough, the left half of the barn conversion in the picture at the top. The complex -- consisting of two rented cottages, the owners' home, and a large garden -- is down a long, winding drive, off a very minor road, so we really are right in the middle of the countryside. You hear nothing except birdsong, the occasional farm animal, and the sound of the wind in the trees... It's wonderful.
We arrived just before 1900 yesterday evening, and all we really had time to do was unpack, and drink a celebratory bottle of wine. Today, we've been able to settle in a little more:
Downstairs, there's a living room and a kitchen
Upstairs, there's a bedroom, a bathroom, and...
...my favourite room, the study
Nigel hard at work
Well, hard at work when not distracted by the local wildlife in the meadow that the study window looks onto. Here's a curlew
And here he is again, having a bath
One of the many hares
And a couple of pheasants, half-hidden behind a bush
The garden is also a delight. It's divided into a multiplicity of quiet, secluded areas, with seats, summerhouses, and viewing platforms judicially positioned so that you can always find somewhere that's out of the wind.
The drive
The back of the former barn
Glimpses of the garden
So happy to be here.