Dine in Style with Isle of Man Railways

Irene & I were lucky enough to be invited to the Isle of Man Railways Dining Car in August and we are extremely grateful to 'Inside Track' (our longest standing tour company who have been bringing us railway enthusiasts since 1997) for enabling us to experience it.

Boarding commenced at 18:30 and we were able to relax for half an hour with a drink before the train departed whilst we perused the menu and the Beverage List.

The 'Hooded Ram' mentioned on there, I was surprised to learn was actually hand pumped real ale, brewed in Hills Meadow Industrial Estate, just a few metres from the railway line and I for one was certainly impressed. To me the dinner choices were well balanced:

Irene chose the Corned Beef Hash and the Seafood Pie, whilst I plumped for the Leek & Potato Soup and the Shoulder of Lamb.

The starters were served during the initial journey from Douglas to Port Soderick and my soup was really tasty if not quite hot and then the train pulled up before the station, so we all had a view of the coast as we ate our main course.

Irene's pie was huge and after I had demolished my lamb, I reluctantly came to her aid and enjoyed both meals.

Our trip continued down to Castletown where we were given 45 minutes or so to enjoy the surroundings. You'll be amazed and shocked to learn that Irene & I took Clive (Tour leader) to the 'Sidings,' formerly 'Ducks Nest,' to further sample some more local ale (Bushys in this instance.)

The return journey was very atmospheric although my photograph probably doesn't do it justice I'm afraid and by this time of the evening in August, we'd lost the views. We both had a lovely rhubarb crumble for our sweet.

Isle of Man National Transport has invested considerably in converting the carriage and restoring the beautiful bar area, so I hope the venture is a success and that I am able to make a small contribution by publicising it in this medium. It does have its fair share of critics, including a close chum of mine who is very financially switched on but it really is a marvellous experience, so I would urge you to give it a try whether you are a local or one of my readers from further afield.

They are also still running the 'Pie in the Sky' (astronomy nights) and sunset dinners on the Mountain which I think I have previously recommended on my blogs.

If you are a railway enthusiast and enjoy being in a tour situation, the company to come with is 'Inside Track' who whilst perhaps not being the cheapest option on the market, their Tour Leaders have a depth of knowledge, enthusiasm and willingness to 'Go the extra mile,' for their clients that you won't find anywhere else.

Below is the link to their website: http://www.railwayholidays.com/

There's A New Star in The Welbeck Sky

It's possible that you won't believe this but I have on occasion been accused of hogging the limelight, being a self-publicist and even being a local celebrity (z-list ;) )

Most of which is usually associated with my racewalking feats.

What some people don't know is that Irene and I started racing together back in 2003 and this year was the first time since then that she didn't enter the 85 mile (137k) Manx Telecom Parish Walk because she had promised to support our chum Caroline Cain.

So when people exclaim in surprise, 'Oh you walk too?' she is usually too modest to point out that her first finish in the aforementioned race was faster than mine by a good 15 minutes.

However, all this might now have changed because while I stopped after 22 miles of last Sunday's Ramsey Bakery 'End to End Walk,' she completed the entire 39 miles and won her age category (21 - 25 I think.)

Irene at Bride near the start of the race.

On an absolutely beautiful (though a little hot for some of the athletes) 129 of the 218 starters completed the course which is surely the most scenic point to point course used in the British Isles.

Irene and Andy Fleet of Altrincham finish at the Calf Sound.

Congratulations to Richard Gerrard and Michelle Turner (Who also set the women's record) who were overall winners.

As well as being the top male athlete in the event, Richard also works for the secondary sponsors Royal London 360 and here he is in his other role representing his employers giving Irene her prize and certificate.

Costa Del Blackberry & The Tram Horses Trot Off On Sabbatical

We had a day off yesterday and couldn't quite decide what to do with ourselves, both Irene & I having been out training early in the day.

Both our ideas had been thwarted, Adventurous Experiences www.adventurousexperiences.com had no places on their kayaking expedition and Manx Sea Quest www.manxseaquest.com was doing a full day trip to Port Patrick, so having spent much of the last month walking past this years early and plentiful supply, we opted for blackberry picking.

Although they are all over the Island, we fancied a coffee on the Promenade at Peel afterwards, so we went on the coastal path, just South of Knocksharry.

Having failed in our attempts a couple of weeks ago when our bag collapsed and we had to eat them all (that's our story and we're sticking to it,) this time, we managed about two pounds each, so I think it will be blackberry clafoutis on the menu tonight and hopefully, soon we'll have apple & blackberry crumble.



Having finally scrubbed our purple stained hands, there was just time to return to Douglas and catch the last horse tram until 2016*. It was with great excitement that I saw it was the double decker as I have never been on it but it was short lived because once again, we hadn't organised ourselves quickly enough and it was full.

It was very atmospheric down at the Derby Castle Terminus, so we stopped, had a drink, took some photographs and then went for a look around the stables. They had brought down about 20 horses and they really are impressive beasts.



* For those who haven't heard, it would have been possible to maintain the horse tram service next year but this would have doubled the length of the Promenade regeneration scheme, so the decision was made in order to keep the considerable disruption to a minimum.