Truly Haute Cuisine on Snaefell

Over the last few years, Isle of Man Transport has been having quite a turbulent time trying to reduce their losses and it is now under more pressure than ever to produce more value for the taxpayer's money. May of the changes have been most controversial, though in my opinion many of the bus route alterations have been excellent, most notably, the Airport and the South buses also serving the airport.

Also extremely innovative have been the 'Train Specials' with trips for Hop-tu-Naa/ Hallowe'en, Rail Ale, Wartime Weekend, Star Gazing on Snaefell etc. and now during the Mountain Railway Season, there are evening meals in the highest licensed premises in the British Isles, at the Summit Hotel. Caroline Cain, chief routemeister and social secretary of the Parish WAGs (Parish Walk team which includes the wives of Julian Thomas (12 finishes)David Cain (6 finishes)Jock Waddington (8 finishes including 4 consecutive wins) and me (7 finishes) organised for Irene, Louise, Teri, herself and luckily the Parish HABs to have dinner up there a few weeks ago. There are two sittings and they require you to order in advance (which fortunately Caroline made a note of) and it was our immense fortune to have perhaps the most beautiful evening of the summer and we congregated outside the Terminus Tavern for pre-train drinks, which were consumed gratefully by Irene & me, having had a rather fraught afternoon of arrivals which at one point made it look as if we'd have to drive up the Mountain. We were able to sit on the outside carriage which underlined our luck with the weather and the 35 minutes to Laxey disappeared in no time at all, especially as I was still having to conduct business on my telephone, trying to resolve a miscommunication with a taxi company.

There was a very short wait for the Snaefell train and we ascended through the picturesque Laxey Valley before winding up around the Mountain itself with views of Ireland, Scotland and Cumbria in evidence. The food was excellent, as was the company but I the main feature was the excitement of our Haute Cuisine. It doesn't get much hauter than that in our neck of the woods ;) Such was the mildness of the evening, we were able to stroll around in our coats between our main course and sweet which improved our digestion but didn't go down quite so well with the staff as we were on the later sitting and we all had a train to catch. At £40 including the meal and fare, it was really good value and definitely something I'd recommend.

Kaisers Rule The Villa Marina

Last Tuesday, Terence and I went to see 'The Kaiser Chiefs' at the Villa Marina. Having witnessed the excellent 'Mike & the Mechanics' with Rocheford and their collective bucketful of hits fail to draw an audience of more than a couple of hundred, I was fearful for the bank balance of the promoter and the reputation of the Island as a music venue having a band with no more than a half dozen charting ditties to its name being able to attract a decent crowd over two nights.

I had prevaricated about whether to go as Irene was struggling with a cold (that she got from Happy and has now generously passed on to me) but eventually decided to get tickets on Tuesday afternoon when Terence (my 14 year old son) expressed an interest despite not really being a fan.

Obviously, I needn't have worried because they only had two tickets left on 'Re-sale,' which meant that I had to pay cash and they couldn't be reserved.

We are a bit lucky living here in the Isle of Man because everywhere is easily accessible and our family lives in a house which is 5 minutes from anywhere in Douglas but I felt that it would be a bit much if we arrived at the door in an hour and a half still unaware of whether we'd be at the gig or not, so I managed to persuade the lady on the desk to hold the tickets for three minutes for me while I jumped on my push-bike and went hell for leather down the hill.

The support group as mentioned in yesterday's IOM Examiner by Terry Cringle of all people were good but I think that not having any vocals at all probably didn't help them grasp the attention of the crowd.

The Kaiser Chiefs and particularly front man, Ricky Wilson performed with great energy and used the audience well to create a fantastic atmosphere.

At one stage they stopped the gig to find out the football score but if they felt any disappointment about their beloved Leeds United, they hid it well. However, they were playing the mighty Seasiders, so they should have known! *The eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted that this picture wasn't from this year's gig. Due to a technical error (me being born) I was unable to access my photographs from my old phone without borrowing it back from Terence.

Karina

Sunday 26th August was a beautiful day here on the Island and after another terrible Saturday, it was very welcome.

I had one of those rare moments when I actually managed to come up with a good idea at the right time and an hour or so later, we were heading off down to the Sea Terminal for an afternoon cruise to Dhoon Bay and back.

The M.V. Karina is a 65 foot pleasure craft, built in Dartmouth just after the war. She was purchased by the Laxey Towing Company in 2000 and Captain Stephen Carter provides daily outings around the Island or alternatively, you can hire her for private parties.

For more of her history and information see:

Captain Carter provides an illuminating commentary and although I knew many of the stories he told and facts he related, I learned a great deal too.

Personally, I've never seen a seal on the east coast, so I was very excited when told to look out for them on a certain rock. Unfortunately, they must have heard word that we were on the way and must have decided to go out for their Sunday roast.

And it was a similar situation with the feral goats, though everyone else said they could see them.

To round off our afternoon, we took the horse tram for the first time in ages and sat and had a drink in the sunshine at the Terminus Tavern.

The 2 hour cruise on the Karina cost £12 and the horse tram £3 for the single journey. Tea and coffee is sold on board the vessel but not much else besides a few snacks. Another family had taken their own picnic, so that may be well worth considering if you take one of the trips.

Premium Experience in the Premium Lounge

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. Ltd. receives a quite a lot of bad press, not all of it entirely fair, especially as I imagine not everyone who is quick to criticise really comprehends the complexities of running a ferry and freight service to and from the Island.

Personally I hold no brief for the Steam Packet and indeed am not beyond having a pop at them myself when I feel it's justified (see http://michaelswelbeckblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-seat-is-reserved.html)which I wrote about a year ago.

However, credit where it is due and I think their customer service standards have improved immensely over the past 20 years or so.

Last weekend, Irene and I nipped across for a couple of nights to see her mother who lives in Kendal (some of our longer term clients may even remember her living at the Hotel). We picked the right time to go and were extremely lucky with the weather, despite conditions around the U.K. being unstable, especially down at the Olympics where they copped a soaking on Sunday morning.

Because of the sailing timetable, we travelled to Liverpool and returned through Heysham which best suited our needs but the Ben-my-Chree was extremely busy with a full complement of passengers, including some children's parties.

(Was too relaxed to remember to take photographs of the view etc. so I nicked this off www.steam-packet.com ;)

Although we had found seats and there were plenty of others dotted around, it was quite hectic, so I had the idea of enquiring about the Premium Lounge in which we had never been.

It costs £17.00 per person which initially sounded a little steep to me but tea and coffee are free, as are all soft drinks and a supply of biscuits, magazines etc, so having done a quick calculation, we took the plunge and five minutes later were installed in luxury.

There are leather aircraft style seats which recline without pinning in the person behind you, therefore giving prize that taller specimens of the race yearn for: ample leg room.

Some of the chairs have 'Sky News' fed onto a screen in front of them but we opted for the superb panoramic view, overlooking the bows and the ocean beyond (apparently the blinds are drawn on night time sailings for navigational purposes.)

The steward whose name I unfortunately didn't take note of, was excellent throughout the journey and it was a great pleasure to drink out of proper mugs and have our drinks in glasses instead of plastic.

As we approached the Island, sipping our beverages as we watched Manannan unfold his cloak, I can honestly say that I've never had a more relaxed homecoming and it was worth every penny of the £34.00 for the privilege.