Isle of Delight - Riding the Isle of Man
If the TT is too OTT for you, Stuart Barker discovers there are 48 weeks every year where things needn't be 'Mad Manx'
Imagine an island where car drivers are actually aware of motorcyclists and pull aside to let you pass. Imagine an island where bikers are actually welcomed and valued rather than shunned and looked down on.
Think of a place where pubs are decorated with pictures of bikes and bike racing, where almost every corner shop sells biking videos, where the local supermarkets use posters of Neil Hodgson as a marketing tool, and where the local ale is called 'Blade Brew.'
Now conjure a country where there are no tankslapper-inducing cat's eyes on many of the roads, where special grippy paint is used for road markings, where bike theft is almost non-existent and where there are no speed cameras. That's right: no speed cameras.
Sounds too good to be true, right? There is such a place and it's right on your doorstep: it's called the Isle of Man. An independent country with the oldest parliament in the world, the Isle of Man has long done things its own way. And when its parliament permitted car (and later bike) races to be held on public roads in 1904 when the British Government would not, a biker-friendly nation was born.
The TT and Manx races may provide some of the best biking entertainment in the world for four weeks of the year, but two-wheelers are welcome all year round on Mona's Isle and that's what makes it such a great place to tour.
And at just 30 miles long and 12 miles wide, it's possible to see most of the island in a weekend trip, which means you can keep your costs down while still having a great break.
It goes without saying that if you want to see the Island avoid the manic TT period, unless partying and watching the races is top of your agenda. Thankfully, my other half is Manx born and bred, so I couldn't have had a better guide to help me find the best roads on the Island (the locals always use a capital 'I' when referring to their country).
I based myself in the capital, Douglas, because that's where there's most happening and its two-mile promenade is still one of the finest anywhere, as long as you avoid braking on the horse-shit-strewn tram rails!
There's all you could want from any decent sized town to keep you amused and practically everywhere is biker-friendly, from pubs and clubs to restaurants and shops. The people of the Isle of Man have been born and bred to bikes and it shows. I mean; where else would weaning babies be wakened at 5am to the sound of racing two-strokes?
