surfing

The Isle of Man really needs a swell with either a powerful NW or Southerly element to it to make an impact on its coast. When it does, the west coast is the place to be. Achingly beautiful farmland gives way to beaches, points and reefs. Unfortunately, this doesent happen with as much frequency as a lot of us would like.

Nestled in the centre of the British Isles, there is plenty of windswell but the outer reefs where you really need to be surfing don't even break on anything less than 2 metres. Nov to Feb is your window here, look out for deep Aleutian lows tracking west of the Irish coastline. Anything that stalls or passes close to the coast of Ireland is going to be right in the pocket for you.

introduction

The Isle of Man (in Manx, Ellan Vannin) is located offcoast in Western Europe. It is an island in the Irish Sea, between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. It is a self-governing Crown dependency, not part of the United Kingdom, though UK is responsible for defence, external relations and ultimate good-governance of the island. The Isle of Man has its own parliament (called Tynwald), laws, traditions, culture, cuisine and postage stamps. But as a holiday island it is best known for its very agreeable and relaxed pace of life, along with a wealth of attractions and places to stay.

 

 

history

The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom but is a Crown Possession with a large degree of independence. The Isle of Man has its own Government and unlike Scotland and Wales, it has no representatives in Westminster.

Originally Celtic, it was conquered by the Vikings and became part of the Viking Kingdom of Sodor and Mann (Sodor being the Southern Scottish Islands). The Southern Scottish Islands were eventually lost leaving Mann to be ruled by it’s own Kings before being conquered by Scotland and then English Lords. It came into the possession of the Stanley family in 1405 who were also made Earls of Derby in 1485 and then when there were no male heirs in 1736 it passed to the Dukes of Atholl. The Derby’s gave up the title in 1505 and became Lords of Mann instead, on the grounds that it would be better to “be a great Lord than a petty King”.

The third Duke of Atholl was induced in 1765 to surrender the regality and customs duties to the Crown for £70,000 and an annuity of £2,000 after pressure from England because the Island had become a major smuggling centre and a refuge for debtors in the Eighteenth Century. The Fourth Duke was appointed Governor of the Island in 1793. He felt that the compensation accepted by his predecessors was insufficient and after more haggling his remaining privileges were bought for £417114. Since then the Crown has been represented on the Island by a Lieutenant Governor with the Queen or King being Lord of Mann.

Today the Isle of Man is largely self-governing, though to avoid customs, indirect taxation is the same as the UK.

what to pack

A small backpack makes a good carryon bag and will be useful in daily life.  Women: remember to take a good flat pair of shoe's.... And for everybody: pair of comfortable walking shoes will be great for sightseeing. Beach clothing & sandals will be useful if you are going in the warm season. Just keep in mind that summers are usually quite cool, so tak som warm clothes. Try to choose classics, and items that you can mix and match. Have at least one set of nicer clothing for more formal occasions.

Definitely take along some bug repellent spray, good sunscreen and sunglasses! Better take your medicines with you (esp. anti hastamine tablets), as the brands can be unfamiliar. By the way, getting a trip medical insurance would be a good idea.

All the gear if you plan to camp: a good sleeping bag and tent that are good for very low temp; special gas container u can use for heating food and water; a sturdy backpack or a cargo pack with a good daypack. Invest in a portable water filter or at least take some puri-tabs or boil the water.

Bring plenty of memory for digital cameras and bring plenty of batteries.

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