On Board with Davy Morgan TT 2017

Although our business has been sponsoring riders since 1978, especially in the MGP & TT Classic, it's been a few years since we have had a rider in the TT itself.

We were approached by a team last winter and I'm pleased to announce that for the 2017 season The Welbeck Hotel & Restaurant will helping to support Davy Morgan.

The good news is that he is very easy to spot as he wears a shocking pink helmet.

Davy is an experienced campaigner, having begun racing in 1994 and he won several Irish Clubmans' Championships.

Sensibly, he served a 10 year apprenticeship on the roads before taking on the TT course and was the winner of the Senior Manx Grand Prix, breaking the Lap Record in 120.68mph (2004.)
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He has regularly finished in Top 10 of the Main Irish Road Race Championships and being a keen two stroke man has won the 250cc class at both the premier international Irish meetings, the North West 200 in 2005 and the Ulster Grand Prix in 2012.

Davy must have a pretty big mantlepiece as he has a major collection of TT Bronze Replicas and is a regular podium man in both UK and Irish road races.

2016 was another successful year, with wins in the non-finalist Scarborough Gold Cup, another victory at Skerries and numerous escond and third placings, culminating with having been invited to the Macau Grand Prix last November.

Davy came a highly respectable 6th place at last weekend's Tandragee 100 on the ZX10 Angry Bee Kawasaki but unfortunately he pulled in because of the conditions in the second race, a decision vindicated by the cancellation of the rest of the meeting due to the weather.

Funds providing, (and if there are any more willing sponsors out there, the team would be grateful for any extra support*) he will have a very busy year, riding on our shores for the TT, the Sothern 100 and the Classic TT.

We expect that we will see him some evenings at the Welbeck and he even gives his name to the Davy Morgan Welbeck Grill which consists of pork chop, chicken fillet ,pork sausage,small sirloin, gammon egg chips and choice of sauce as an extra. 

* If you too wish to contribute to Davy's campaign, you can join his supporters club by sending a message to Facebook on https://www.facebook.com/davymorgan71/ to be sent a form or by contacting Jane Brookes manxie03@hotmail.co.uk

An Afternoon in Magnificent Maughold

A bit of a walkablog about our expedition to the North of the Island yesterday. There are lots of pictures on https://www.facebook.com/WelbeckHotel/?fref=ts if you don't fancy the full read. Basically from Port Moaar, we followed the Raad-ny-Fiollan (Way of the Gull) marked by pictures of white birds on a blue background.

The original idea was to catch the Manx Electric Railway in the morning and head off for Ballaglass Glen but due to a little over indulgence on the bed front, we eventually decided to take the car.

Opposite the Glen Mona Hotel, there is a small grassy lane which runs alongside a stream. Despite some board walk, it can me a little damp under foot here and in a few other areas of we traversed, so boots or quite sturdy trainers would probably be the best option.

This takes you across the MER track and down to the ford where the Port Cornaa Road forks off to the Cashtal-yn-Ard Road and we opted for the latter.

For those of you who don't me, I was a long distance race walker and I have used this road many times over the years in training and even directed people on occasion to the the ancient burial site, so this was a great opportunity to visit Cashtal-yn-Ard instead of thundering past as I would have when I was an athlete.

It is only 300m off the single track road and is a collection of stones, thought to date back to 2000BC. Apparently there was once a megalithic, chambered cairn which was built as a monument and though this no longer exists, it is still supposed to be one of the best preserved sites of its kind in the British Isles.

We then continued on down past the back of Ballaglass Glen (The Walk from there to Port Cornaa and down to Laxey was covered in 2013 http://michaelswelbeckblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/walkablog-heads-north-well-south.html and then up to Port Cornaa Halt

The end of daffodil season is coming but there are still plenty of late blooming examples along the roadside, as well many others, including a very pretty purple flower, we couldn't identify.

Having walked the last few miles on tarmac, it was a pleasure after dropping down to the outskirts of Maughold, through the dreaded, Ballajora (well it's dreaded by many travelling in the opposite direction) to turn along to Port Moaar and then to be back on the trails.

Some ares are reasonably challenging, so a fair level of agility and fitness is required.

It always amazes me how few people you meet on these footpaths; there were only two other people between here and Maughold Head, apart from some sunbathers on one of the beaches, though it was a great irony that as soon as I returned to Facebook Land later, one of my friends had covered a very similar route.

A little further along form the photograph below, we saw our only seal of the day, idly fishing just a few metres off the cliff side, though unfortunately, he (I think) seemed camera shy.

The views from the top of Maughold Head are amazing but it is a lung busting hike to reach the summit! This is the gateway to the Brooghs (For some reason the Northern Brooghs have an 'H' but the Marine Drive Broogs do not) which is a dramatic walk along the top of the cliffs, looking towards Ramsey and the North of the Island.

We finally arrived back on the bitumen for a short hop down to Port-e-Vullen which is a very picturesque little bay but be careful if you are following our route towards the North as it is only signposted for people heading South (probably South East or due East actually) and very easily missed.

Also, you have to be careful not to go at high tide as we did all those years ago and had to scale across the rocks.

When you come off the path at Port Lewaigue, it is only a short stroll back to the main road. Of course, we managed to mistime it, so that we didn't make either the bus or a tram and had to walk back into Ramsey to catch one though there would be an opportunity to either take public transport back or continue on the Raad-ny-Foillan. However, after over 3 hours, it decided enough was enough for us.

The good news is that the Glen Mona Pub is once again open, following major refurbishment. The bad news is that all the detail on Facebook and the internet from the former regime is still there and the new owners are having a nightmare failing to remove it, so make sure you use the correct FB icon if you require information https://www.facebook.com/GlenMonaHotel/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf
We enjoyed a well deserved pint there but unfortunately were too late to eat. Please support it though, as the country pubs need to be used if they are going to survive.

Langness - I'll Get to the Point, Shortly!

Irene and I spent the day at Langness yesterday.

It was ironic that having spent our first 90 minutes on a Beachbuddies clean up, that I should inadvertently have littered the beach myself by dropping my car key somewhere!

Despite searching for another half an hour, it refused to be found and I had to be rescued by our brilliant daughter, Lucy who went to our house and retrieved the spare key , then drove to Castletown to give it to us (A scary vision of the future for the poor girl?)

Therefore, the first part of our walk was into Castletown to wait for her. From Derbyhaven to the town, there is an under rated beach and it is very picturesque, if a little longer journey than you'd initially think, especially in wellies!

You pass Hango Hill where Manx rebel, Illiam Dhone was executed (shot not hanged) the Rope Walk and the exterior wall of 'Lorne House,' before you can cross the bridge into the town itself.

There is a new Costa opposite the Castle and behind the 'Glue Pot,' where even if you are not a fan of the chain coffee houses, the view is fabulous on such a sunny day.

Having somehow clung on to my marriage despite aforementioned lack of key, luckily for me, you cannot stay angry and miserable for too long, surrounded by such beauty bathed in sunshine, that's shimmering on the water.

Langness, literally means 'Long Point' and indeed it has a long history, is rich in wildlife and has some incredible geology.

We parked on Derbyhaven Bay, adjacent to the Golf Course which is reputedly the best on the Island. It is currently owned by South African businessman and 100 mile walker, Philip Vermeulen and the 'Road Hole,' featured some years ago in Peter Aliss's book about his favourite 18 holes.

There is a single track road which leads to a bigger public car park by the lighthouse.

Many of the historic sites in the Island now have signs with QR Codes on them. I downloaded the App on to my telephone and used this feature for the first time to learn more about the area.

Its greatest claim to fame and a fact known little outside the Isle of Man is that it staged the first ever Derby horse race, which I am always quick to impress on people who come here from the Epsom area. The Derby family were Lords of Man before the reigning UK Monarchs took the title.

There are many birds, including herons, choughs, oyster catchers and a litany of gulls. There are lots of grey seals and I managed to catch a baby swimming on video, see Welbeck FB page https://www.facebook.com/ and lots more pictures.

The geology is amazing all around the promontory but of particular interest are the Arches which have apparently been formed relatively recently by sea erosion. They have what is known as 'Unconformity,' the lower halves having been formed 480 million years ago while the upper halves were caused by flash flood depositing gravel only 350 million years ago.

Replacing the Herring Tower which is unlit, the lighthouse was built in 1880 after requests from mariners and to this day you can see why, with the jagged, partially hidden rocks around the coastline.

It was formerly the home of erstwhile Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson who was married to Manx lady, Frances Cain who still owns the property.

There was controversy when Clarkson blocked off a popular footpath, so people wouldn't pass immediately by his kitchen window. Happily, the path has been re-opened and the living accommodation is now used as a holiday cottage.

Ms Cain's father Robert was a war hero who was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Carrying along around the footpath, we eventually came to the area where a flock of the famous Manx Loaghtan sheep graze. Unfortunately, there was a recent case of sheep worrying in what is a clearly delineated place.

The golf course is re-joined at the famous 17th hole where players have to tee off across a cove, into which I imagine there are many, many balls!

We passed the sadly dilapidated Golflinks Hotel, on this occasion, we decided that we'd had enough and decided not to go on to St Michael's Isle which is another interesting visit.

A great day out and two sun burnt faces. Well worth exploring if you are in the the Island!

Legally Blonde at The Gaiety Theatre

Irene didn't fancy listening to fake American accents all night but I had insisted that we go and watch 'Legally Blonde' because we hadn't done anything 'Different' for a while even though I hadn't a clue what it was about.

To be honest, when the opening number started, I wasn't sure if we would make it to the interval, as everything was pink, the accents were indeed a little grating and it looked like being a saccharine version of 'Grease.'

We stayed with it and were both extremely glad that we did because it was very funny (particularly after the interval) and uplifting, with great singing, dancing and athleticism (How anyone can skip at full tilt and still sing is mind boggling.) It even has a bit of a plot and though you'd basically guess the ending after a few minutes, there's murder and suspense along the way.

If anyone is familiar with the director and choreographer, Anthony Williams' and/or his work, you could see his personality shining through this musical, with its humour, big dance numbers, costumes and the slick professionalism with which it was performed and staged.

Anthony's sense of fun pervaded the cast and they all seemed to enjoy being there; as usual with these local productions, you have to constantly remind yourself that they are all amateurs, with the exception of the brilliant, Harry Lydon, who is hilarious as Kyle B O'Boyle.

The lead role is played by Ann-Marie Craine and there are other starring performances by Lisa Dancox and Liam Kaneen.

My mother also saw the show but was very near the front in the stalls and found it a little noisy for her taste, so a tip may be to be a little further back or sit in the dress circle where we had no issue.

This show deserves success, so make sure it's a sellout.