Re: Manx Spirit! In my defence, I do like to sample local beverages wherever I go, and was slightly disappointed that "Sir Norman's Bar" at the Sefton did not stock any of the local Ales (e.g. O'Kells - available in most other IOM public houses). In their Wisdom (pun intended) the only locally produced beverage stocked seemed to be Manx Spirit), but to their credit, the barmaid produced a print-off from Wikipedia which contained some introductory notes - I've never received that kind of service anywhere before!
For any travellers who might be tempted to indulge on a future departure, potentially sore heads may be cleared by riding in the open trailer cars on the two days when rides on the Manx Electric Railway are scheduled (as opposed to sitting in the enclosed surroundings of the Winter Saloon or Tunnel Car which is likely to be hauling it).
This sort of leads me into the return crossing, where it is worth mentioning that unlike the "Hell's Angels" at the front of the catamaran, no-one was actually seasick sat at the back!
On a more serious note, and to add to Jonah's comprehensive review, at least a late night arrival offered the opportunity to admire the simple chains of lights (illuminations) all along the seafront at Douglas as the catamaran docked. The Tower of Refuge is also illuminated until midnight, its floodlights slowly working their way through all the colours of the spectrum, as seen from Sir Norman's (or a front hotel room).
I didn't do the House of Keys (although I'm beginning to wish that I had, having read this review!), as I wanted to split my time in Castletown between Castle Rushen and the Nautical Mueum. Sadly the latter was closed for refurbishment, and the weather took a turn for the worst. I beat a strategic retreat back to the (Steam) railway station and took shelter is one of the nearby pubs, where the landlord even offered me a paper towel to dry off, as I enjoyed a refreshing pint of O'Kells as we awaited the suggested train departure.
Ramsey was a little bit disappointing, although it did allow a break of journey. Points of interest were the iron swing bridge (1892), the Victorian architecture on the hotels near the seafront which were being "done up", plus the only Manx Cat to be seen during our stay (and oh boy, did it love the attention!) There is also a small boating lake, the surroundings of which offer a short pleasant walk.
The time spent in Peel is too short for early season. Eg. Peel Castle closes at 16:00, so few of us actually made it inside. To be fair though, it is an impressive ruin and can be appreciated from the vantage point of the neighbouring hill which overlooks St. Patrick's Isle. I chose to visit the Transport Museum, which is the IOM's smallest, where the curator even offered me a cuppa. It contains just two rooms full of local transport paraphernalia, and its largest exhibit is the Peel P50 microcar, an example of which was driven by a certain disgraced former presenter on BBC's Top Gear (who ironically came up with an even smaller version several shows later dubbed the P45!)
The third full day is of a more relaxed pace compared to the intensity of the second, with the anticipated highlight of a journey on the Snaefell Mountain Railway. Unfortunately, the peak was sometihng of an anticlimax, with visibility down to practically zero with the low clouds and strong winds, although there was half an hour to warm up with a hot beverage in the tearooms! The train does however, pause shortly after departure on ascent to allow passengers to photograph the Laxey Wheel from a different perspective (there is a visit to it on the second full day). The late morning / early afternoon is spent visiting Groudle Glen where there is a very short tourist railway and another tearoom. Trevor our TM also generously walked a few of us around the glen, although the walks would not be suitable for anyone with mobility issues.
On arrival back at Douglas, a few of us ventured towards to the Manx Electric Railway's own Museum. It is a single room, and seemed rather disorganised and full of clutter, in spite of it being newly opened last Summer. It's free to enter (donations welcome / souvenirs available) and only opens on Sundays. I think that we were quite fortunate in that one of the Railway's custodians offered to show us around and give us a talk on the rolling stock which had been put on display in the yard, which featured the world's oldest working passenger carrying electric tramcar.
On the day of departure, it was also the first day of the horse-drawn tram season along the promenade at Douglas, and so a final rail journey was undertaken (although I think the troad raffic "spooked" the horse a little bit as we approached the terminus at Derby Castle). There was also time to visit the Manx Museum and do a final bit of souvenir shopping in town.
All in all this was an excellent holiday, full of wonderful characters (both locals and JY travellers!) the only issue for me being the difficulty in identifying travelling companions on the initial crossing. Thankfully, our TM was there upon arrival (just after baggage reclamation) with his JY grey / lime sign held up high for all to see.
