I never been there but want to see at least a smal part, maybe a couple or 3 days. Looking for a adv kind of person that has been there, plans on going this year (late APR early JUN). We ,my wife and I, can get to the isle but don't want to commit (pay) for 2 plus weeks to get a place to sleep for 2 or 3 days. Open to ideas or thoughts from other inmates, is this a foolish dream or what?:huh
Probably tough over the TT fortnight (25 May - 7 June), but you could try it for the start of practice week. The tourist website would be a good place to start - http://www.visitisleofman.com/accommodation/isle-of-man-hotels.aspx But if you just want to see the beauty of the IOM go earlier and rooms should be plentiful.
My dad and I went there last year and if you don't have a place by now for race week you're probably SOL. If you're planning on riding over then if you can find a place for race week you may be out of luck for a ferry booking. What we did was we went over for practice week and loved it. No crowds, still got to watch all the practices every day, and was really easy to get from one place to another. Wasn't hard to find a place either. We flew in but I believe there were a lot of ferry crossings still open for that time too. Honestly, if I go back, I'll go back for Race Week again. I'd probably try to stay at the Edelweiss Hotel though; the Bushy's tent got a little "loud" at night.
Look up a website that has a title something like "Home Stay Isle of Man". Just a month ago, they still had availability. Private home owners are looking to fill rooms, and may not want to rent for the entire 2 weeks.
Isle of Man It's stunningly beautiful and peaceful. Worth while going even if you can't make the TT Make sure you have a Toad in the Hole with your Bushys when you go to the pub:dg
Haha uh yeah. I started looking in January last year and barely found something for practice week. Let me know if you want the list of all the hotels in Douglas, cab drivers, places to eat, etc. It's a LOAD of fun and if you ever watch them on TV you'll be floored when you spend £35 for a lap of the course. We had a local rally driver/cabbie take us around. 85mph over the mountain in the corners. God only knows how Connor Cummins survived his crash 2 years ago. It's a long damn way down.
From the context, I'd guess it means friends; as in friends you might spend time with out in the bush (forest). I would have pegged that as an Ausie term, though. It is good to keep up on this stuff, so we're not completely lost during conversations in the UK.
You can fly to London (and several other cities), and from there to the IOM 365 days/year. During TT week it will be a lot of hassle (expensive) to get any vehicle onto the Island. If you really want to see the TT do you like camping? Foot passengers on the ferry from Heysham, Liverpool, Dublin or Belfast are not expensive. From experience, foot passenger ferry tickets from Belfast are available right up to, and during the TT. Taking a bike to the TT is fantastic, but nowadays, during race week, the circuit is closed most of the time due to accidents. Public transport is very good and means you can drink more!
I hope to make it some day myself...BTW there is a good documentary on the 2012 IOMTT at http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeracorrespondent/2012/10/201210381442860175.html
Yeah, I stayed at the Empress Hotel right on the central promenade when I went to TT'94. Lovely place, right in the centre of all the happenings. The year I went, Bushy's pub was still open, over by the end of the promenade closest the ferry dock.
Either avoid the TT weeks to see the island, or pay a fortune and be herded like cattle during the race weeks. Flights from Liverpool are the cheapest. Ferry from Liverpool is great with views of the historic city from the Mersey estuary, maybe worth a night or two in a hotel there also, The Beatles story including Mathew Street, Museums, Albert Dock complex, and famous pubs. Our trail riding trips to IOM are always away from the TT dates, stunning riding in stunning scenery. Plenty of history to see and kippers for breakfast and cod 'n' chips for dinner. Peel is my favorite area to stay on the West side of the isle, cute harbour and a couple of decent pubs. The local folks are great, no problems at all. Take a look at the tourist website, there's plenty of info available. The Manx car rallies are worth seeing too. T.
Well that little piece of information has me second guessing my bike rental plans (which would save me $1,000 or so). $1,000 is a lot of Bushy's.
Only the actual race circuit is affected and closed during the races and of course they open back up when the racing is over each day.. ...but you can ride your bike all over the island and travel to different parts of the track , by taking alternate back roads / lanes etc....it's very busy during the racing weeks but everyone is very rider friendly and in tune with what's going on...Bushys is good..but don't forget the Guiness!...We (Wife) flew into Dublin...rented a couple of twin 800 BMWs.(Celtic Riders)...got on the ferry from Dublin to Douglas IOM...had a hell of a good time....it's a must do on your bucket list!....
I definitely want to do some riding while we are in the UK. I had originally planned to rent near London, and ride to the ferry and on IOM during the race week. If the race course is closed a lot because of tourist crashes in the evening, and closed for the race during the day, it may not be worth the huge expense to have a bike for the whole race week (parked at the hotel). I may try to rent on IOM just for a couple of days, or I may rent for a couple of days near London. I have about a year to decide.
I don't recall such a huge problem with travelling around during TT fortnight. Of course it's busy,,,but any world festival like this is. During the actual race and practice sessions where the course is not open to regular traffic, as long as you park yourself, your bike, or car outside the course, and have not found a parking area where there are no exit roads out of your area, you are free to travel to different viewing areas while the racing/practice sessions are happening. If you park inside the perimeter of the course, then you are stuck until the sessions are over, sometimes 8 hours. When I did the TT in 1994, I rented a bike in London [Scootabout bike rentals, think they're closed now], and took 4 days riding up through West couintry and Wales before reaching Heysham on the Wed morning during practice week. I do remember there is an issue of those riding bikes from the continent getting into head on crashes because they started riding on the right instead of the left. That's the biggest concern for safety honestly. Mad Sunday was indeed mad back then, but at least everyone was going in the same direction. I remember 3 fatalities in Mad Sunday '94. IMO, going to the Isle of Man TT or the Manx Grand Prix without a bike is a total failure. You must immerse yourself in the theme of the events, and bikes simply rule the house during these times.
The TT isn't the only event! And if you're taking the family, I'd recommend the Manx GP. (Renamed this year http://www.visitisleofman.com/whatson/motorsport/festivalofmotorcycling.xml ). If you'd like to get a feel for the Manx, go over to the racing forum and have a look at ' Went to the Manx GP'. All the VERY FAST guys are going to be racing this year as well. On 'interesting' bikes. Kind of like in Steve G's shed........
