Friday, April 29, 2016


Tuesday 12th April

We drove to Laxey after saying good byes at the B and B. We like Port Erin and the stay had been relaxing. This morning should have been 6 miles of more steep hills, labelled, “ Not for the feint hearted!” but the cold, grey and wet weather wasn’t inspiring us and we just walked some of the heritage trail up to and around the wheel.

We parked in an empty (no surprise) car park by the beach. This area was used for the “jack store”. Black Jack was another name for zinc ore.

 The 3 to 4 hundred year old bridge that crossed the river had been washed away in the autumn and there was a lot of work going on here. A bridge made from scaffolding now connects the 2 sides. As we came back from our walk, workers had a large flexible bucket with one trout and several young salmon they had taken out the river as they worked on the old bridge, removing the huge boulders of rubble. This is a very good sign. I had read by the Wheel at the mine that the ore had polluted the waters. The salmon are back.

We visited the Woollen Mills that started life as powered corn mills until acquired by a silk weaver from Clitheroe who followed John Ruskin’s principals, using the motto “ from mountain track to the wearers back”. Steam production was only briefly used in the 1940s and 50s but today it is back to hand production. We watched Manx tartan being woven on a noisy loom. The mill sells souvenirs- perhaps a little pricey, though I am pleased with my sheepskin rug at £35. A rich chocolate brown , we hope it is Manx. It should be judging by the numbers of sheep we have seen on the island.

It costs £5 to visit the world’s biggest water wheel that is the Lady Isabella of 1854. It was used for driving the pump rods to force water out of the mine. It was a lovely walk to this, passing a heron, statuesque by the river. High up a hill is a school. They’d be fit around here! Nearby is yet another impressive waterfall.
 
 

The wheel itself can be climbed. In red, white and black paint it is an impressive site. It was working and it seems such a small amount of water is needed to turn it. We donned hard hats and walked the few steps you can go into the mine, glad of the protection as we bumped our heads on the ceiling.

We decided that we would have time to visit another Glen before going for the boat home. Groudle Glen is near Douglas. There was a car park marked on the map which wasn’t anywhere to be found today. The large hotel had closed and was boarded up though it looked like someone lives in parts.

We walked up and down trying to find an entrance after parking on the road. By the pub was a stone arch which we went through and down the steps. The path is quite steep and there are ferns all over the banks. The Victorians planted many different trees here to enhance the glen as a visitor attraction. It once had a dance floor, bandstand, fortune tellers, stalls and a playground. The narrow gauge railway that extends ¾ mile to the headland is the only attraction left and that wasn’t running today. It runs to “Seal Lion Rocks” station named after seals and polar bears kept in the zoo there in the glen’s heyday.

I prefer the ruins, especially the defunct and rusting water wheel, named Little Isabella, where a fisherman stood precariously with his dog fishing the waters. It would have been interesting to walk to the end of the train track if we had time.

Manannan left from Douglas a little late but without all the drama of the journey here. Apparently it had broken down on Saturday and had to have a tug take it in to port. Our car was one of 4 inspected by customs. None of us looked particularly shifty, in small cars and of retirement age. What criteria do they use to choose who they search?

It was calm on the sea and we had a delicious beef pie for our tea arriving back in Liverpool after 8. We both had better memories of the isle of Man than we did when we took our children in the 1990s. It has become more child centred and we liked the real ale from Man. Also we like that there is a reciprocal thing going between Manx National Trust and the National Trust which made visiting places much cheaper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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