Isle of Man

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The Isle of Man is an island country in the Irish Sea. It's about 50km long, 10km wide, and has a population of 80000. It's got a green, mountainous landscape - think Ireland, but smaller. The island is independent from the UK, from Ireland and from the EU - although at the moment it's a UK 'crown dependency', the Isle of Man has always been independent from any other power. The island has a grand Celtic and Viking history, and a unique cultural heritage. Nowadays, the Island is often called the motorbike capital of the world, with 60km-circuit road races and several large festivals (eg. TT festival, Manx Grand Prix) held in the summer.


Getting onto the Island

It's almost impossible to hitchhike to and from the Isle of Man - the only way is to crew a private boat, or get a ride in a private plane or helicopter.

So it's best to swallow your pride and buy a ticket.

By ferry

In the summer, you can travel twice daily to/from Liverpool (2½ hours), Heysham (3½ hours), and twice weekly to/from Belfast (2¾ hours), and Dublin (3 hours).

In the winter, you can travel on Fridays and weekends to/from Liverpool, daily to/from Heysham and monthly to/from Belfast and Dublin. NB!

  • in winter, the journey is 4 hours from Liverpool
  • during bad weather (60km/h winds or stronger) ferries are often delayed or even cancelled, this often happens in December or January
  • if you are on a ferry in December or January, then say hi to your last meal

One-way foot passenger tickets (to/from any destination) cost £15. This price can rise however during the TT festival (first two weeks of June), the Manx Grand Prix (last week of August), and on holidays such as December 24th-26th, Easter Day etc.

Use http://www.steam-packet.com for ferry bookings, timetables and more.

Don't bother to try hitchhiking - only passengers with tickets (on foot or in vehicles) are allowed on the ferries.

By plane

Several airlines operate flights to/from the Island from airports across the UK and Ireland, as well as the Channel Islands, and sometimes Paris. Plane tickets usually start at £30 (including taxes) for the close destinations such as Liverpool or Manchester. Although they are more expensive, planes are sometimes a better option when travelling from long distances (eg. London), and they are a good option during winter.

See http://www.iom-airport.com/enquiries/destinations.xml for a list of all flights to/from the Isle of Man, and links to the airline websites.


Hitchhiking around the Island

I've never heard of a hitchhiker on the Isle of Man before. But it should work well. People here are very trusting (they leave house doors open, car doors unlocked etc) so I don't think there should be any difficulties. But the island is small... really small. it takes 3 hours to walk the width of the island, and the length can be walked in a full day. You're unlikely to be in a driver's car for more than 30 minutes.

More info coming soon...

Main towns/villages:

Also, try hitchhiking the TT course!

Applications-office.png This article is a stub. This means that the information available to us is obviously insufficient. In these places little information is available or the description is severely outdated. If you have been there, whether hitchhiking, for travel or as part of an organized tour − be sure to extend this article!