ITINERARY

Day 1 Taxis pick you up from your door to take you to your waiting coach. We then travel north to our overnight hotel near Preston.

Day 2 After a morning travelling through Pendle Hill country, we take the early afternoon ferry from Heysham to Douglas arriving at approximately 5.45pm and being transferred to the Rutland Hotel.

Day 3 Today is Tynwald Day on the Isle of Man! We travel to St John’s to the ancient site of Tynwald Hill to join the annual open-air celebrations of the 1000-year-old Manx Parliament. You can enjoy the festivities from your seat in the grandstand. In the afternoon we visit the Sounds Visitor Centre for spectacular views over the Calf of Man, a beautiful rugged island home to a large bird population and a substantial seal colony. We then stop in Castletown, the island’s ancient capital which is dominated by Castle Rushen.

Day 4 Travelling via Maughold Head we stop in Ramsay at the Grove Museum of Victorian Life with time for refreshments. We continue to Peel on the west coast, and a visit to the House of Manannan, an award-winning exploration of the island’s Celtic, Viking and Maritime traditions.

Day 5 This morning we board the Manx Electric Railway and travel to Laxey, the site of The Lady Isabella, the largest working waterwheel in the world. We then transfer to the Snaefell Mountain Railway, the only electric mountain railway in the British Isles, and continue to the summit where there is a café and, on a clear day, amazing views. We return via Laxey to Douglas, again by rail.

Day 6 A free day to enjoy Douglas. Maybe visit the Manx Museum, take a horse-drawn tram, take a boat trip to spot basking sharks, or take the steam train across to Port Erin.

Day 7 Departing after breakfast, we take the early crossing from Douglas to Heysham and make our way to the south coast and home.