Douglas; Sunday, 27 July, 2003

Sunday, to work off the previous evenings Chinese involved going up the 2036 feet to the top of the islands only mountain Snaefell.

Unfortunately I am a lazy git so I got the mountain railway that climbs to the top from the town of Laxey where it connects with the electric railway.

The ride up makes for spectacular views over large parts of the island and when you get to the top the views are supposedly so good that you can see England, Scotland, Wales & Ireland as well as Man. Unfortunately on the day I went up there was a sea mist a cloud cover so I didn't see that much (including the bird mess that was on the stone pillar I am photographed next to!!)

The main feature of Laxey, at the base of Snaefell is the water wheel. Built to help pump the mines clear of water it is visible over a large area and from the top viewing platforms provides very good views over the surrounding area. 3 mines trails of varying length's and difficulties take you round the site, showing you the ruins of buildings that were involved in the mining process and how the site worked.

After Laxey it was back onto the bus into Douglas and then back out the other side to the South western town of Port Erin. This is where the southern railway is supposed to finish when it is working properly. I hopped on the shuttle service up to Port St Mary the next town along the coast and had a look around, as there was not much to see I went back to Port Erin and had a look round. The town is quite pretty but it's most distinguishable feature is its beach and bay that look exactly how a small bay should look with a wide sandy beach leading into a clear blue sea.