The optimum way to get from Ramsey to Groudle Glen is via the adorable little tram cars run by the Manx Electric Railway. The price is pretty scary, though... At GBP 17 per person return, you definitely wouldn't want to be doing this often...

But it's an ultra-cute little vehicle:




It's also a very long time since we've done this trip, so I don't really begrudge our little (OK, big) contribution towards keeping this historic line open.

And it's a lovely ride. I'd remembered the route was very scenic (and with this iffy, will-I-do-sunshine-or-mist weather, it was even more so):









I'd forgotten the soundscape... The hum of the motor; the rattle of the wheels on the rails; the screech of the brakes; the "I'm coming" warning whistle; the creak of the carriage; the clacking of the windows... It's all happening auditorily.

We kind of messed up the walk... For a start, we didn't realize the tea-room on the cliff is open only when the Groudle Glen Railway is working. No cafe-coffee today then...

And then we inadvertently missed out half the glen's offerings... We didn't realize there was an upper bit to it, extending back under the road, and we didn't realize you could tack on Molly Quirk's Glen as well... So, it's another one for next time...

But what we did see was super-scenic, as we emerged from the wooded glen onto the rugged coast:













Good trip, despite not getting it quite right.