What a Difference a Year Makes

http://michaelswelbeckblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/dont-mention-mint-sauce.html



That was March 2012. Note the sunglasses, the tee-shirts and if you're feeling exceptionally brave you could go look at the whole blog posting and see my hairy uncovered legs. (I seem to struggle with the 'Blogger link button, so I'm afraid you'll have to copy & paste)



This is March 2013! And in Douglas, we have the best of it. Below is a picture of Glen Maye, complete with abandoned car, with thanks to Pete Bradley who posted on Facebook.



Looking on the bright side, at least we're getting this now instead of July/August like last year

New Website, News & Events, Old Blog

The Welbeck Website will be totally revamped and replaced shortly and therefore my blog and the latest news etc. will be split, so that the news section will contain information relevant to the business while I continue to waffle about rubbish that I hope one or two of you will find interesting.

Although much of the time, I do wonder occasionally whether there is actually anyone out there beside my Indian friends whose comments I think are trying to boost the ratings of some far flung website rather than illuminate my witterings with any relevance.

However, since I opened with 'Toolbox takes a holiday' in 2010 (brilliant irony that this was posted on April Fools Day, unintentionally I might add,)according to the blogger.com stats I've had nearly 17,000 page views, though we've never again seen the toolbox

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When considering when to come to the Island and of course the Welbeck Hotel and Restaurant, it may be an idea to check the events happening over that period.

On the IOM Government website there is a comprehensive method of checking for things of interest to you.

www.visitisleofman.com

I have also reproduced some of the headline 'What's On' features until the end of April.

IOM Student Festival of Sport 21-24 March

J M Nicholson Art Exhibition opens 23 March

Rush Hour on the Railways 29 March -2nd April

Easter Festival of Running 29-31 March

Egg Rolling at Cregneash 8 April

CAMRA Real Ale Of Man Beer Festival 4-6th April

Murder Mystery on the Railway 12-13 April

Cycling Sportive TT Course 20 April

Sara Killey 50k Walk 21 April

Pie in the Sky (stargazing and supper) 26-27 April TBC

The Guild * (Prom Parking) 26 April - 4 May

MMRC Manx Classic Cars Sprint and Hillclimb* 25-27 April

Welbeck Wednesdays

For the month of March, we are offering a main course, sweet and coffee for £14.00 every Wednesday.

Ring now and book your table!

Of course, we are still open every other day for breakfast from 07:15 to 09:30 (10:00 weekends,)

Lunch Monday to Friday 12:00 to 14:00 www.welbeckhotel.com/sampleweekday.html">

Sunday Lunch 12:30 to 14:30 www.welbeckhotel.com/samplesunday.html">

Dinner daily from 18:30 to 21:30 every night of the week.



Sample Menu Only

The Following is our Inclusive 'Table D'Hôte three-course menu (including starter, main course, sweet & coffee or food to the value of £22.00) priced at £22.00 plus supplements where applicable and also our individually priced 'A la Carte' menu.

Starters

Cream Cauliflower Soup garnished with Crispy Smoked Bacon - £4.75

Asparagus wrapped in Proscuitto with Tarragon Dressing- £4.75

Manx Queenies with Garlic and Bacon - £6.25 (tdh £1.50 extra)

Melon Welbeck - £4.75

Deep Fried Brie with Summer Fruits Coulis - £4.75

Smoked Salmon Salad - £4.75

Manx Mushrooms with Garlic Stilton - £4.75

Chicken Liver Pâté - £4.75

Manx Kipper Pâté - £4.75

Prawn Cocktail - £6.25 (tdh £1.50 extra)

Main Course

Roast Manx Chicken with Garlic & Herbs - £14.00

Grilled Manx Spring Lamb Cutlets - £14.00

Escalope of Local Beef in a Manx Whisky and Cream Sauce - £14.00

Seared Venison Loin served on Croutons with Chicken Liver Pâté - £16.00 (£2.00 extra)

Pork Steak in Breadcrumbs stuffed with Manx Cranberry Druidale Cheese - £14.00

Cold Meat Salad - £14.00

Pan Fried Duck Breast with Toasted Almonds & Sherry Jus - £14.00

Steamed Fillet of Sea Bass with Ginger, Spring Onions, Garlic and a Dash of Thai Fish Sauce - £14.00

Fillet of Plaice with stuffed with Spinach & Mushrooms in a White Wine Sauce - £14.00

Deep Fried Fillet of Smoked Haddock in Crispy Batter - £14.00

Baked Salmon Fillet with Honey and Grain Mustard Glaze - £14.00

V Peppers stuffed with Rice & Gratinated Cheese Sauce -£12.00 (tdh -£2.00)

V Penne alla Vegetariana - £12.00 (tdh -£2.00)

V Manx Mushrooms en Croute - £12.00 (tdh -£2.00)

10oz Manx Sirloin Steak - £17.00 (tdh 3.00 extra)

8oz Manx Fillet Steak - £18.00 (tdh £4.00 extra)

Pepper Sauce - £2.50

All of the above served with Potatoes & Vegetables

(Salad or Chips by request)

Please ask to see our Dessert & Coffee Menu

Fabulous New Activities on the Isle of Man

The demographic of the visitors to the Isle of Man (and of course the Welbeck Hotel & Restaurant) has evolved over the years and although we still have the beautiful beaches, the transport network and all the Manx National Heritage sites, not to mention the fabulous scenery, there is no doubt that many of today's holidaymakers want to interact with our surroundings.

Therefore, over the last few years, several new enterprises have sprung up hoping to tap into the market, so the intention of this blog is to make you aware of more of the possibilities that a trip to the Isle of Man can offer.

www.adventurousexperiences.com/ Adventurous Experiences have been around quite some time now and provide Sea Kayaking, Gorge Scrambling, Coasteering, Hill Navigation & Rock Climbing. I can personally vouch for the kayaking and the boats are really excellent and not just standard tourist fat unsinkable things.

Gorge Scrambling

At South Barrule there are already a series of Mountain Bike Trails but opening this May is a tree climbing course with zip wire and pedal karts. Initially it will be mainly for children but they are currently constructing some more challenging sets for older teenagers and adults.

Ape Mann Adventure Park

www.facebook.com/pages/Ape-Mann-Adventure-Park/147791105369335

Unfortunately, their website is only being built at the moment but above is a Facebook page that has plenty of photographs.

Another new company is running Segway Tours. I reckon Irene & I will have to review this one for another blog



http://www.segwaypt.im/

More in a slightly different vein another time.

Latest News from The Welbeck

Here at the Welbeck Hotel & Restaurant, we still have vacancies for this weekend and indeed all dates up to and including Easter.

This weekend sees the return of the Irish Junior Racewalking Squad. The branch of athletics is on a high at the moment in Ireland following their excellent showing at the Olympics with Robbie Heffernan coming so close to bronze in the men's 50k. Many of their current stars including RH and also World Championship silver medallists, Gillian O'Sullivan & Olive Loughnane raced here in the not too distant past, so their coach, Michael Lane will be hoping that some of these young athletes will be the next crop of future Olympians.

www.manxharriers.com

They will also be hoping to remove some silverware from the Isle of Man at Saturday's Ascot Hotel sponsored Manx Open Walks.

There is a sporting occasion that begins the following Friday too but it couldn't be more different than this week's fare. The B.D.O. Isle of Man Darts Festival with some well known stars including 'The Count' Ted Hankey and a strong Dutch contingent comes to the Villa Marina. For a full preview, see:

http://www.bdodarts.com/1740/11-02-2012/27th_Isle_of_Man_Darts_Festival_March_9th_to_11th_Preview

On 23rd March, I went to Ramsey for my fourth weekend in a row, this time to watch our son Terence and his friend (Tom & Terry you heard it hear first ;)) play in aid of the Northern Lights Studio Project.

More Sunshine - Get Here Quick!

The chill from last week remains but fortunately, we saw the last of the Siberian wind on Friday and ever since, we've been blessed with some beautiful weather with pleasant breezes.

Indeed, Sunday was so sunny, it even induced Mrs. George to come out of hibernation and we set out for Douglas Head to walk the short Marine Drive loop.

There was this black swan in the harbour.

We decided to take the lighthouse route as I needed the toilet and the facility by Battery Pier is one of the few that you do not have to be prepared with a twenty pence piece to use these days.

As we climbed the steps it is now difficult to imagine that many years ago, this area would was a developed hive of tourist activity during the summer. There was once a funicular railway, leading to all kinds of amusements, including rides and even a tower of which they found the foundations whilst renovations were being carried out at Manx Radio.

Photograph by David Lloyd-Jones

There was the Douglas Head Hotel which has now been extended and converted to apartments and all that remains to give a clue to its former usage is the outdoor stage and the Great Union Camera Obscura which was restored a few years ago and is now run by volunteers and opened at weekends during the season.

Old photographs can be see on the http://www.imuseum.im/collections/RelatedPlaces.mth?entryid=2888646

Of further interest to historians and Manx railway enthusiasts is the entrance to Marine Drive where there was an electric tramline that ran to Port Soderick which must have been a truly spectacular journey.



There was a toll keeper's house on the left hand side.

It is one of my favourite walks and I was too busy enjoying it to take any more pictures and of course I had to work hard to keep up with the athlete. As Irene was making her comeback, we turned off at Keristal instead of carrying on towards Port Soderick and she was delighted to see some little black lambs.

We passed the Nunnery, back into Douglas ready for a coffee and luckily we noticed that Dave Dentith had re-opened and re-named MASH, the Quayside Coffee House & Bistro. It was fabulous to be able to sit in the sunshine sipping my latte.



Finally, before heading home, we visited Douglas Market. Originally, the site also included the area that is now the Manx Legion Club and the current building was designed for selling fish. Unfortunately, it has seen busier times, so they are presently inviting ideas for its future use whilst inviting different stallholders to see if they can generate interest.
Another stunning picture by David Lloyd-Jones
www.facebook.com/ManxArtisanMarket?group_id=0"



Irene bought a 'Supremes' vinyl album, brand new for only £1.99. I think her plan is to storm DJ's hutch at the 'Courthouse' nightclub (just discovered they're not called discos any more,) tie up the purveyors of the headache material they were playing the other night until they confess they have been converted and promise they WILL play at least one Motown set per hour without threatening to get their big big mates on her ;) OOps but that's a different story :)

Don't forget, The Welbeck Hotel Restaurant is open for breakfast,lunch and dinner. Pop over and stay or book in your friends from across. We have accommodation available from now until the end of May and still plenty of dates in the summer.

Sunday Morning Sunshine

Douglas Bay

I missed my usual Saturday morning walk with my friends and Parish Walk rivals this week as we had spent Friday night in Ramsey to celebrate our wedding anniversary but by the time dawn broke on Sunday, I was feeling very lucky.

The miserable drizzle and strong wind had given way to a truly beautiful morning and therefore, I even built in a couple of quick stops to take photographs and one of the major advantages of living in the Isle of Man is that you .

Looking towards Douglas from the middle of nowhere, you can make out Chibanagh Plantation in the background

Unfortunately, I am not technically adept enough to overlay my route onto a map, so a brief description will have to suffice. I headed off down Tromode Road, turned on to Ballafletcher, past the Hospital on to the Mount Rule Road all the way though into Crosby. I then went up past Ellerslie Depot and the Manx Language Centre on the climb up to the and over the crossroads with the Foxdale Road. At St. Marks, I followed the signs for Ballasalla but then took a left towards the Blackboards. After a brief flirt with the main route to the Airport, I then used the Old Castletown Road before taking the right towards Port Soderick Station, Marine Drive, Douglas Head and then back home. 35 kilometres or nearly 22 miles in old money.

A rare cloud (well rare for last Sunday morning anyway) floats on the summit of South Barrule

Welbeck Hotel & Restaurant