UK Trip Part IV

I took this photo from the car as we traveled along a back road off the racing circuit.  I loved the emerald green of the trees and bush lining the road with the blue sea in the distance. This was one of the clear sunny days - beautiful!

*The Isle of Man is an island in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, with a population of over 75,000. It is a British Crown Dependency. It has a small islet the Calf of Man, to its south.

 

The Isle of Man has a coastline of 160 km and claims 12 nautical miles of territorial waters, but only holds exclusive fishing rights in the first 3 miles. Its land area mass is 572 square km and is roughly three times the size of Washington. 

The island's terrain is varied. There are two mountainous areas divided by a central valley which runs between Douglas and Peel. The highest point in the Isle of Man, Snaefell, is in the northern area and reaches 620 meters (2,034 ft) above seal level. The northern end of the island is a flat plain, consisting of glacial tills and marine sediments. To the south the island is more hilly, with distinct valleys. There is no land below sea level. *

Driving down the mountain in the car, we reconnected with the race circuit and stopped at Cryg Ny Baa 

If you click on the link above, you'll see a very similar photo of this famous restaurant to the one I took below. You'll also notice that the website photo was taken during the year when there is no crash protection around the area.

 Creg-Ny-Baa Restaurant at the bottom of the mountain on the race circuit

 Some of the hundreds of private bikes parked at the Creg-Ny-Baa restaurant before a race

 Another angle of the Creg Ny Baa corner along the race circuit. The riders above are all tourists. (The professional 2012 TT riders were, at this stage, preparing their machines and themselves for the race)

 The crash protection between the spectators and the race track

 The tourist bikers enjoyed many a [fast] ride down the mountain past the Creg Ny Baa

 Grant and Kevin looking intently at something/someone in the crowd, while Clive looks at the camera!  

Always on the look-out for interesting photo opportunities, I spotted a guy doing a promotion for a gold-painted BMW motorbike. He turned around just after I'd taken the photo and invited me to pose in front of the bike. He said he'd mail my photo to me, but although I gave him my address, I haven't received anything!

 Couldn't be more clear, could it? 

 Joe Cool poses in front of the golden motorbike while I snapped him

We drove back into Douglas where we stopped  on the Promenade for lunch at the Terminus Restaurant

While waiting for our lunch on the deck of the Terminus Restaurant, I photographed this sign on the mountain above us

*Messrs. Bruce and Saunderson were behind the construction of the 3 feet track gauge railway, which first opened in 1893. The original line ran from Douglas to Laxey and in 1899 the line was extended to include Ramsey. 

The Manx Electric Railway claims to be the longest narrow gauge vintage railway in the British Isles. Over seventeen miles of line border the coastline between Douglas and Ramsey. All the operational trams are original, with the newest dating back as far as 1906. Trams 1 and 2 are the oldest dating back to 1893 earning them a place in the record books as the oldest regularly operated tram cars in the world. Sadly many trams were destroyed by a fire in 1930 at Laxey Depot.

The Isle of Man Tramways and Electric Power Co collapsed in 1900 following an expensive expansion program, but by 1902 a new company with mainland funding had taken over and the Manx Electric Railway ran on till it was bought by the Manx Government in the early 1950's. Times were changing though and by the mid 1960's decline of tourism hit the railways. The mid 1970's almost saw the closure of the line, but opposition kept the trams running.

The Manx Electric Railway started out as public transport mainly for tourists, but also saw its lines used for the transportation of goods and animals. It became a part of island transport which managed to stand the tests of time and progress.  *

The Electric Railway coaches are open-sided so in view of the cold weather and our thin African blood, we opted not to do the trip. 

Have a great week, everybody! 

Note: All passages marked * - * are quotes from Mr Google.