I grew up in Peel, and my family didn't often go to Ramsey. It was a whole 17 miles away, and you thought twice before undertaking a journey of those proportions... Plus, my parents preferred the south. I'm not sure why.

Our recent visits to the Island have made me very fond of Ramsey. I think its reputation for being sunny is justified; and I like the way the mountains rear up right behind the town.








This time we visited a few places in Ramsey that were totally new to me:

The Catholic church, for one. Its full title is the church of Our Lady of the Sea and St Maughold, and it is said to be "an exceptionally important building from the early twentieth century" and one of the finest of the churches designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, who also designed Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral. The building was erected in 1909-10, but modifications continued until 1946.





I was particularly struck by this terribly sad plaque:


It seems that Fr Barton campaigned tirelessly -- and effectively --for funds to build the church. But he died in 1908, aged just 43, leaving his successor, Fr John Walmsley, to minister in the new building.

Conscientious workers, take note...

There's a report of his demise in the fourth issue of that year's Manx Quarterly. It's full of the kind of melancholy detail you rarely read these days: "Dr Sugden was called in, and Nurse Kelly (of Douglas) also attended professionally. Everything possible that medical and nursing skill could devise was done with a view to promoting recovery, and indeed on Wednesday and Thursday of last week there were signs of improvement, which caused Father Rockcliffe, of Widnes, Father Barton's friend, who had crossed to be with the sufferer in his hour of trial, to be very hopeful. There was, however, a relapse, and on Saturday it was evident that the end was nigh."

May he rest in peace:


We tried out a couple of new coffee places this time, as we do.

Studio Umami is a cafe-cum-delicatessen with an interesting decor:





The Hutch is a dinky little place on Parliament Square. On our way down south today we just stopped by for coffee (sitting outside in the sun, which is a nice treat in October). But the salads look good, too.

Meanwhile, if you're starting from The Lhen, Ramsey is also your access point for Victory Cafe. Perched on the flank of Snaefell, this is one of our favourite cafes. The cloud was well down over the mountain on the Sunday we visited, and the skies were leaking a mean cold rain. But it was toasty inside; the food is always good; and it was great to catch up with a Kuching connection:



On the Ramsey walks front, Poyll Dooey Nature Reserve is a pleasant (if boggy) place for a stroll. It flanks the Sulby River and a protected salt marsh:




Finally, when I said, in this 2022 post, that we'd filled in the last piece of the Manx Northern Railway, I wasn't being strictly accurate. The last little bit is actually here, and finishes your Poyll Dooey loop very nicely:


I'll close with this, wondering if it will prove to be prophetic: