The Triskelion
It is absolutely no secret that I love the Isle of Man and sans work commitments, I would emigrate there tomorrow. We have only made the sum total of two visits to this Magical land, however I have the conviction to say that it is my favourite place on earth (so far).
I have been trying to figure out what it is that makes this Island so special to me and I think I can explain it with the help of the Manx flag.
The Manx Flag features a Triskelion shape made from three legs. The flag is often accompanied by the latin phrase "Quocunque Jeceris Stabit" which means "It will stand whichever way you throw it"
Whilst the slogan is of interest and speaks volumes of the resilience of the Manx people, it is the symbolic three legs that interests me.
You see the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the perfection status of this little haven is owed to three key characteristics.
Hospitality
As we sat on the ferry on the way over to the Isle of Man, we were filled with dread at the prospect of 4 hours of limited phone signal and mediocre wifi. So I did something I haven't done in years, I brought a newspaper in order to while away the hours of bobbing up and down in the Irish Sea.
As it transpired I completely wasted my money and read no more than the first 3 lines of the front page - roughly 27 times.
The reason for my distraction, was a lovely couple who we got talking to in the pet lounge. We discussed our dogs - the perfect starting point in a pet lounge. We then chatted about the fact we have a Youtube channel and discovered they are keen to start Youtube. We also found out a lot about boats (they live on one in Peel). In fact we chatted for 3 out of the 4 hours.
This brings me to my first point. Only on the Isle of Man ferry, can you talk to complete strangers for 3 hours and disembark feeling like friends.
This quickly discovered familiarity with complete strangers was replicated on New Years Eve, when a young lady in the pub which were drinking in took multiple cigarette breaks just to walk past and fuss our Cockapoo Tessie. When I later went to the toilet, I had to chuckle when I heard her tell her bemused Boyfriend in a rather loud whisper, that Tessie's Dad has just gone to the toilet. I had only been in the pub five minutes and our dog had earned me celebrity status.
Our reason for being on the Island at New Year was to stay with friends Mark and Debs who we met 4 years ago at a Motorhome show. Since then, they have spent a fortune on attending our wedding, spent a fortune on supplying us with Manx Cider and been two of the most supportive people we have ever met. Whenever you're sad, got something on your chest or you need something, you can always rely on them.
So that's my first observation of the Isle of Man. The amazing hospitality of its inhabitants.
Safety
On our first visit to the Island, Mark and Debs chauffeured us everywhere as we flew over and had no vehicle. I found it a massive shock when I got out of the car and was actively encouraged by Mark to leave my £600 vlogging camera on the car seat in plain site of any prospective thieves whilst we popped into the pub.
In the UK if I had done that, there would be roughly a 10% chance it would still be there on my return. That 10% chance is also based upon no one noticing it.
The Isle of Man is very different. I am told car crime is virtually non existent. Where after all can you take a car to when there are only around 3 ferries a day off of the Island.
Now it is naive to say that crime doesn't exist here, however upon reading the local paper I discover a great deterrent. It appears if you are prosecuted for a crime on the Island, your name will be put into the Newspaper along with your address so that you can be shamed by everyone on the Island. What a great deterrent. Given the population and the size of the Island, most people would know someone who knows you.
I love Cider from the Isle Of Man Cider company and as such ordered a case to be delivered to our friend's house. When the delivery arrived, the guy opened our friends porch and began unloading it there. It was like he knew the door would be open. This is something which I am told is common place on the Island. Leaving doors unlocked for deliveries.
It's not just physical safety that you get on the Island but also a feeling of financial safety and a feeling of not being ripped off. I was astounded when we were able to park for free outside the castle in Castletown and also on the cliffs at Port Erin.
The Island has a feeling of safety about it. Like a warm blanket to a baby. Whilst on the Island, I felt just as content as a wrapped up baby.
Sheer Beauty
Two days before our departure, Debs took us to the Derby Fort at Derby Haven. This point gives you amazing views in every direction on the compass. The top 4 adjacent photos were taken there. Hopefully you will agree and find beauty in the images for yourself.
This 360 degree beauty is certainly not something that is unique to Derby Haven. Port Erin, Milners Tower, Peel, Laxey and Snaefell Mountain are all places where we have found beauty every way we look.
It's actually said that from the top of Snaefell you can see 6 different Kingdoms - The IOM, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Heaven. We can neither confirm or deny this claim however as the day we went it was foggy and we could barely see the Kingdom of the Isle of Man.
Another thing that makes the Island so beautiful is a distinct lack of litter. Presumably due to the respect that the Manx people have, owing to the aforementioned consequences of breaking the law.
As an Avid Train/transport enthusiast, I feel that I should also mention that it is not just the views that are beautiful but also the restoration of the trains and Trams. In actual fact the use of the trams and steam trains as a commonly used mode of transport is beautiful in itself.
Whilst speaking of restoration, I have also never seen a medieval castle with the level and standard of upkeep of Castle Rushen, in the Town square at Castletown. Incidentally this is my favourite place on the Island and a place which I found provided me with complete inner peace.
Summary
So there we have it. My view is that the key to why the Isle of Man is such an awesome place is the triad of Hospitality, Safety and Beauty.
