14-Oct-2024
Version 1 (Sunday): From Colby
Ironically, it was Manx Gold that alerted me to the presence of a standing stone and a fort very close to where we're living... So we decided to look for them on our hilltop route to Port Erin:
Maybe the remains of the "fort" referred to
here
Definitely the megalithic standing stone
Fab views all the way
Quartz is everywhere here
And you get to see the steam train!!
On the way down you amble past gorgeous little houses:
And once you've eaten your sandwiches on Port Erin's upper prom, and had a cup of tea in the Whistlestop Coffee Shop, you can catch the train back to Colby:
It's impossible to ride on too many steam trains... And every time I return to the Island, I'm surprised all over again by how tiny they are
One of the photos inside the carriage. This was taken at St Johns, scene of golden childhood memories. Nigel says these diesels are probably collectors' items now, but back then this was NOT the train you wanted...
Peel Station
These guys were clearing snow
The ride
I've talked already about the immense nostalgia that steam train rides evoke for me. They're bottled childhood. Incomparable.
Version 2 (Monday, aka today): From Port St Mary
You can take field tracks from the edge of the Island's southeasternmost town to its southwesternmost equivalent, stop for a break at the Whistlestop again, and take a different set of paths back:
Awesome start to the day, by the way
Heralding fabulous colours
A different engine today (only for watching this time)
Heading back, with glorious views
More quartz
More fuchsia
The amazing suspended tree...
One of the BIG stiles you have to negotiate on this route
Idyllic.