Castle Rushen ------ dominates the skyline of Castletown, the ancient capital of Mann as well as being a castle that is just bursting at the seams with the history of the island. When we visited there was a re-enactment of a past battle performed by the sealed knot and this just added to the authenticity of the whole surroundings. Most of the castle is accessible and is well way marked with directions and maps so that you don’t loose your way. The ramparts are especially well worth visiting as the view over the town and surrounding areas is fantastic. Other buildings of historic interest close by include the old school house and the Old House of Keys where the Manx parliament used to sit........................................
Langness ------ is
one of those places where it’s better to have all the time in the world
rather than rush it. It’s also necessary to have a good pair of
binoculars, as this is one of the islands best locations for bird
watching. Just park your car up either in the car park at the end of
the very narrow track that criss crosses the golf course or on the edge
of the track where there are numerous stopping places and relax. It was
here that we had the pleasure of watching a pair of choughs, a bird
that is found here often but is very rare elsewhere. If you are feeling
a bit more energetic, then a walk along the many paths in this area can
guarantee many points of interest just be careful especially with your
younger children. Once when we visited, our youngest went exploring as
she normally does and went way ahead of us. On the way back she asked
if she could jump down a drop of no more than four feet onto a little
piece of sand. We said yes, but it wasn’t sand it was just seaweed. Old
seaweed at that and she just sunk right up to the top of her legs. She
got the fright of her life and started to panic, I was quickly there
and pulled her out so there was no real danger. What was a problem was
the smell; it stunk. The seaweed must have been rotting away for ages
and this was now all over her and her clothes. We hadn’t got any spare
clothes in the car, what we did have though was a picnic blanket and a
couple of old plastic bags so it was off with her clothes which went
straight in the plastic bags and get her wrapped up in the blanket. The
drive home wasn’t the most pleasant that we’ve ever had and she
couldn’t wait to get in the bath. We tried washing the clothes but the
smell just wouldn’t come out and had to be thrown away in the end..................................................
Cregneash ------ if you’ve ever seen the hilarious film Waking Ned then you’ll have seen Cregneash as it was filmed on location in this tiny Manx village. It is a working museum as well as home to it’s local residents and when visiting it’s as if you’ve stepped into a time machine and travelled back a few hundred years. At various times of the year they have special events where you can learn how the people of the island lived all those years ago. On the occasion that we visited it was woolly jumper day and you were shown the process of how they made their clothes from the shearing of the sheep through to the finished product which included the dying, spinning, knitting and weaving of the wool, it was fascinating to see all these old skills being used once again......................
The Sound ------ is as south as you can get on the island and is another place where
you can either relax in the recently built sound visitors centre where
you can enjoy a full meal or a snack whilst looking out of the
panoramic windows at the great number of seals that congregate on the
rocks below. Or you can take a brisk walk along the coastal path, the
Raad Ny Foillan. A rather nice though energetic walk to the chasms is
ideal and well worth the trek when you get there. This is where the
rocks have cracked leaving fissures in the cliff that you can step
over. Definitely NOT for younger children and those who like me suffer
a bit from the phobia of being scared of heights. When we visited it
was a nice calm day but we’ve been told that it’s great to visit there
at high tide on a stormy day and watch the sea explode in these cracks.
If you’re not feeling energetic to walk this well you can still visit
as there is a car park that you can reach from the village .
