Sorry for the delay in getting this bike tour onto our Web Site, however here goes :
We met at the Pier Head for 10:30am Friday morning, all 12 of us rearing to go in the summer sun at the Isle of Mann ferry terminal.
We had Brian, Gill, Sandra, Colin, Jim, Alan, Eddy, Barbara, Julie, Elaine, Derek & myself.
The Mannesman Sea Catamaran arrived at 11am & we were sailing at 11:20am. The crossing was flat & fast. Arriving at 2pm in Douglas. We rode up to our guest house' Wicklow Hills' were
Sue our host met us. After settling in for half an hour we met outside for our first ride
Friday Afternoon Ride
We followed the coast road through Onchin Head to Laxey approx 18 miles round trip. We intended to ride further to Ramsey but it started to rain heavily. We took lots of photos of the Laxey wheels stopping in Port Laxey for tea & coffee (Good Steep Hill in & Out) we stopped again on the way back at the Liverpool Arms for refreshments, A couple of locals told us of an alternative road back which passed the steam railway, so that's what we did, coming out on the old coastal road following the railway lines into Douglas. As we were crossing the carriageway to our guest house Derek's bike got caught up in the Tram lines & he took a fall, we stopped & helped him up, he was a bit shocked but none the worse for wear. Wet & windy we arrived back at 6pm. After a good nights sleep & a hearty Full English sorry Isle of Mann breakfast we planned our next ride.......
Saturday Morning Ride
We rode up hill to the start of the 'TT' motor bike course in Douglas then rode downhill towards Port Sodrick & Port Erin. Derek wanted to follow the coast so we detoured onto what the locals told us was a walk/cycle path, we found out that it was not for touring & barely passable in lots of places, so we rode back onto the main road, we stopped in a lay-by not far from Ballebeg when a Range Rover Crashed into A Transit van narrowly missing our riders, the Isle of Mann is quite hilly in places & our guys coped well with the bigger hills. We stopped in a little village called Colby in a hotel that Brian found. We eventually arrived in port Erin but decided to start back & find a place to stop nearer Douglas. We found a quiet pub in a small village called Crosby, the locals told us of a cycle track that was once the railway track, going back into Douglas, so we followed this path approx 7 miles back to Douglas. Saturdays weather was overcast & sunny, nice for riding, arriving back at 5:30pm having rode approx 45 miles
Sunday Morning Ride
Sunday was a day for choosing what you wanted to do. Some chose to visit the shops,some chose to relax & get the train to Ramsey & some chose to ride. Those riding started out for Ramsey but the weather got very foggy & misty so we diverted to Port Groudle where the old victorian zoo was in the 1900's. they kept Polar Bears & Seals in sea penns. They even built a steam train line to get the visitors up the rocky coastline, we walked up & had tea in the railway cafe, it was a good experience to see the old photos & the remains of the zoo ......
We all made our way back to Wicklow Hills, picked up our bags & were on the sea cat for 3pm sailing for Liverpool, arriving back in Liverpool for 5:30pm it was very wet when we docked & we all had a distance to ride home, except Alan who got picked up
Looking forward to the next one ................................
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