Crews explore Douglas on our first full day on the Isle of Man
Position 54° 08.84 N 004° 28.94 W Douglas Inner Harbour, Isle of Man
Douglas is a lot bigger than we had expected. Its Brighton-like seafront is just the start of the sprawling town that stretches back up into the hills that surround us. The crew of Calm Voyager had envisioned the place a lot smaller, and a lot more rural. We’re happy on this occasion to be wrong, because it looks like we’ll be here till Saturday.
The forecast for the weekend is once again saying a passage back to Conwy might be doable, while Friday, which we had pencilled in as a departure date, has started looking a bit rough.
Crews have dispersed today, all taking off on their own to explore the capital of the island. The seafront boasts a decent sized beach, which looks like it’s only exposed at low tide, while there’s more than a sniff of handkerchief-on-the-head, seaside holidayness about the town.
One thing immediately noticed last night is that smoking ban introduced on the mainland doesn’t apply here. It already seems strange to walk into a restaurant to see people smoking. We’ve been told the island is “ruled by the queen, but has its own government”. With this comes its own licence plates, own language (Manx), and its own rules regarding smoking in public places.
But the best thing about the Isle of Man so far is the weather. We’ve had an unprecedented two days of little or no rain. Right now the sun is out, the seagulls are singing and it’s altogether very pleasant on this island in the middle of the Irish Sea.
Photos:
Douglas seafront
A bit of beach cricket
Inner harbour
