In 2023, during one of our trips to the Isle of Man, we stayed at a wonderful place called Close Taggart.

Everything about it was idyllic. It was a good jumping-off point for all kinds of walks, and offered a cute but comfortable cottage, a delightful garden, lovely hosts, and oceans of restful quiet...

Really, if you're looking for a country place to stay on the Isle of Man, you absolutely couldn't do better. Book here!

Anyway, when you leave, the kind owners gift you a Manx cat, and enjoy watching the progress of their various proteges as they radiate out to all manner of destinations.

Possibly not many of those kitties go as far as Malaysia. But Taggart (as we called our adoptee) was very much up for the adventure. He met Manxman in Singapore; made himself at home in Kuching; accompanied us on various Tynwald Day outings; and coped with moving house, and sharing a mat with Hugo.

We've kept in touch with Taggart's folks all these years, and today, finally, we managed to organize a meet-up!

We bused to Ballaugh (cat in rucksack), and walked the pretty lanes to Close Taggart:




We had morning tea together, and caught up on a lot of news.

And then we did a tour of the garden. Which was even lovelier than I remembered. It's full of little tucked-away walks and places to sit, which alternate beautifully with long vistas over the fields and out to the hills.

Our hosts insist they have no expertise. Their only guiding principle was a dislike of straight lines, and a preference for gentle curves. But this was a field when they first bought it, and now it's exquisite. To me that's genius...









We said goodbye, and headed for Sulby, again along the lanes:


We ate lunch sitting on a bench outside the Methodist Chapel. We'd hoped for a drink at the pub, but that was not to be.

Instead, we rode the bus back to The Strang, and called in at The Roundhouse for a much-needed coffee before tackling the last hill home.

And here's the kitty, exhausted after his long day out: