We spent our last night in
England at an unusual hotel in Liverpool called The Liner. The whole place is
themed along the lines of an ocean liner, with windows like portholes and
everything is named as it would be on a ship. While the nightly rate is quite
reasonable, the place has stuffiness about it. There was no air-conditioning, just
a fan and the bar fridge was set us with new electronic monitoring which
automatically charges your account if anything is picked up. It was really
annoying that we couldn’t put anything of our own in there to keep cool, but as
I said it was quite good value, especially as it was a short walk down the
street to Lime Street Railway station.
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| Beware the electronic all-seeing fridge!!! |
We took a stroll that evening down into
the main shopping area of Liverpool and on to the docks area, which was, we’re
told not such a nice place in the past. It is now a vibrant tourist area with
pubs, exhibitions and other entertainment.
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| Not all things at the docks have been modified. |
Next morning our son Lach
notified us that he was arriving quite early from London on the Virgin train so
we strolled down there, met him and took his bags up to the hotel and left them
there in the cloak room with our bags. Then we headed back down to the docks to
the Beatles museum, which was interesting but a little disappointing. While it
was very well done, I thought the entry charge was a bit high.
Then we went to
another of the local pubs for a drink and then another stroll through the mall,
where we were entertained by a couple of excellent buskers.
We were just a little excited to
jump into a taxi that afternoon and head down to the dock to catch the ferry
across to the Isle of Mann. Standing on board watching the almost endless line
of bikes lining up to board added to our sense of excitement and anticipation.
It took quite a while to get everyone one board and after about an hour and a
half we were under way. We didn’t quite know what kind of trip to expect as we
had been told by one acquaintance on our travels that the Irish Sea can be
extremely rough. However, we were lucky enough to strike good weather and apart
from one short period of rolling seas, the trip was quite smooth and we arrived
at Douglas at around 9 pm.
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As we pulled into Douglas Harbour we passed the Tower of Refuge which was built on St Mary's Isle, a reef in Douglas Bay, in 1832. After several shipwrecks upon the semi-submerged rock, a refuge was built to provide shelter for survivors until help could arrive.
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The guy from whom we were renting our accommodation
met us and took us to our digs after a quick tour up to the track and pit area.
Of course we were all pretty tired so we were in bed early, anticipating
the next day and the week of racing ahead.
The first two days of our stay on
the Island, Thursday and Friday, were dedicated to qualifying sessions, so we
took advantage of this time to do a bit of a reckie of the track and also check
out the pit and main straight area. We walked up to Glencrutchery Road which
forms the finishing straight for the TT.
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| The whole community gets into the spirit of the TT. We saw these in a florist's window on our way out to the track. |
Imagine our delight as Guy Martin rode
past us on his trusty pushbike. He was headed to the public toilet block would
you believe, and we patiently waited ‘til he came out then approached him for a
photo. I don’t think he was too keen as he was on his way to a nearby tent for a
book signing session but he took it gracefully and made our day by smiling for
the photo. Thanks Guy! You made our day.
We then spent the next few hours
just hangin’ out around the pit area. It is so different to the GP here. The teams’
work areas are all set up in tents which are open to public view whenever there
are people in there working. It was great to be able to just stroll around and
see all the bikes and occasionally, if you’re lucky, catch a glimpse of riders
and other well known ‘bike’ celebrities such as Steve Parish and Milky Quayle
who was explaining to a group of primary school students how tyres were
changed, balanced etc in the Dunlop tyre tent.
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| John and Lach enjoyed checking out the bikes parked in pit lane. |
It really is a totally different
atmosphere to the GP. The average Joe Blo is made to feel included and welcome
in the whole phenomenon that is the TT.
That afternoon, John and Lach wandered
back to the track at the bottom of Bray Hill to watch some of the qualifying.
It was their first taste of viewing high speed racing at close quarters.
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| They also checked out the beer and view from Quarterbridge, a bit further round the track. |
On Friday we took advantage of our 7 day bus pass which
cost £23, to take a ride around the island and check out the best viewing
points for the races. Our first stop was the A.R.E. Motorcycle Museum at Kirk
Michael. There are over 100 bikes here but the collector obviously loves
Triumphs and Nortons. Entry is free but they do ask for donations for local
charities relating to the TT. There is a particular focus on machines
from the 1930s and all of the bikes are kept running and in pristine condition.
The collection is quite impressive and if you want to see more click here.
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| It was great to see this Laverda at the museum. This same model was John's first road bike purchase after we met. We both loved riding it although Mt Isa didn't provide ideal riding conditions. |
Our next stop was Ballaugh Bridge to
check out one of the more popular viewing spots for the TT. We had a couple of
drinks while sitting in the makeshift grandstand and enjoyed watching the
comings and goings of dozens of bikers. Then it was on to Ramsey, probably the
second biggest town on the island. The bus trip round the island took us over
some truly amazing roads and it is easy to see why so many people love to come
here and ride them during the TT. It is not a very big island but it is
beautiful.
Saturday was an early start as the
first race proper, the Superbike race started at 11 am. We had to get up early
to get around to our chosen viewing spot and because it was so early we decided
to walk around to Quarterbridge, a 15 minute walk from our flat. There is a pub
on one corner where you can get drinks if you want them and across the road is
a good little viewing area with a grassed hill, toilet and food van which costs
only £3 to get into. You get quite a
good view of the approaches and the corner itself and as with most viewing
places on the course, it is right beside the track.
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Michael Dunlop was the
first of the 2014 TT winners, taking out the Superbike race and his eighth win
at the TT, with our favourite, Guy Martin and the local lad, Connor Cummins
third.
That night we headed down to Loch Promenade and Bushy’s bar, which is really just a big tent set up on the esplanade. Most of the non-TT entertainment takes place here and there is a real party atmosphere, with fair rides and several other interesting bars along the street which runs parallel to Douglas Bay. We met lots of locals as well as overseas visitors and generally had a great time until midnight when it was obvious that the only priority for the establishment at Bushy’s was to get everyone out, no questions asked. Anyway we had a good time and got home safely with Jeanette in a taxi. Jeanette is a local lady who we met earlier in the night and as with most people we have met here, she was a lovely lady. |
| Naturally, boating is a popular pastime on the island, as witnessed by the crowded marina at Douglas. |
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| Lach just couldn't resist trying out the wild bull ride. |
Most people who come to the island on
motorbikes look forward to Mad Sunday, when the general public can assemble on
the finishing straight and then do a lap of the iconic Mountain Race Track. It
was quite a sight to stand up on the Grandstand and watch hundreds of bikes
fill the track waiting for the police to give them the go ahead. The atmosphere
was fantastic, especially when the assembled bikers did their own style of
mexican wave – a slow moving revving of engines which progressed from the front
of the assembly right down to the back-markers, probably a mile further down
the straight. It just brought a huge smile to your face.
Then we took the
opportunity to take another stroll around the pits before heading home to rest
up for a big day of racing on Monday.
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| The TT Zero class was introduced in 2010 for two wheeled vehicles powered without the use of carbon based fuels and have zero toxic/noxious emissions. This is a Japanese entry ridden by John McGuinness. |
We caught the bus round to Braddan
Bridge to watch Monday’s races. It was a great little spot with really good
seating so we didn’t mind paying the £7 charge for a spot. We got there nice
and early and due to mist etc up on the mountain we had to wait a couple of
hours for racing to start. It was worth the wait though. First up was Race 1 of
the Supersports and Gary Johnson’s win on the 675 Triumph was a bit of a surprise.
Kiwi Bruce Anstey got second and Michael Dunlop third, both on Honda 600s. Aussie
Josh Brooks had bike trouble and came in second last but David Johnson finished
a creditable sixteenth.
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| Michael Dunlop leads Guy Martin over Braddan Bridge. |
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| Guy Martin |
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| A J Ventor - South Africa |
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| Behind our vantage point was a church and graveyard. At front is a scene we have seen regularly on fences etc. - we mean the guy in the blue hoodie. |
The weather on Tuesday was fantastic
so we decided to head up to Laxey on the bus and catch the electric train up
the mountain to Bungalow. What a beautiful spot to watch a bike race. Again,
the start was delayed for over an hour, this time due to a traffic accident on
the track just before it was closed for racing. Michael Dunlop again dominated,
taking out TT win number nine. Bruce Anstey again got onto the podium with a
third on the Honda while Dean Harrison came in second on the Kawasaki 1000.
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| This fantastic sculpture stands overlooking the track at the Bungalow. |
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| Statue of Joey Dunlop at the Bungalow |
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| The view from the other side of the track. |
After the race we jumped on the train and went right up to the top of Mt Snaefell. The 360⁰ views were impressive. We could even see Scotland, England and Ireland.
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| This giant wheel at Laxey is the world's largest working waterwheel at over 72 feet high. The wheel was built in 1854 to pump water from the Glen Mooar part of the ‘Great Laxey Mines’ industrial complex. |
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| Douglas Promenade |
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| Quarter Bridge corner |
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| This horse would have to be one of the tallest I've ever seen. |
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| Ex tram horses |
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| Horse farm with Douglas in the background. |
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| The fence here is typical of most fences around the course - they just vary in height. |
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| Lots of the fences have flowers like these growing on them. They really are quite beautiful. |
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| What the riders would see approaching Quarter Bridge corner. |
As well as the funfair at Douglas each
night there are lots of other entertainments on the island. There was a stunt
team performing regularly at all the major towns on the island and most of the
towns also held beach days with races etc on non-race days. Many of the pubs on
the island also had live bands playing so there is plenty of entertainment if
you want it outside race time.
On Friday, the last day of racing, we
again caught the bus and went round to Crosby, between the 4 and 5 mile markers
of the track. We settled in at the Crosby pub which was a great spot to watch
one of the fastest sections of the track. It really was amazing to be sitting
so close to bikes which must have been doing at least 260 mph. The atmosphere
was really great and everyone very friendly.
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| A fellow Aussie provided some entertainment |
First race was the Lightweight
class and with the withdrawal of Michael Dunlop, Gary Johnson and Guy Martin it
was a chance for some of the other guys to grab some glory. All three podium
winners were Brits on 650 Kawasakis, with Dean Harrison 1st, James
Hillier 2nd and James Cowton 3rd.
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| Aussie David Johnson in the Lightweights |
After laps from three British GP riders and some very speedy Subaru cars came the big race – the 6 lap Senior race. It was excellent and mishap free apart from William Dunlop crashing his bike and breaking his leg. As was probably expected Michael Dunlop also took out this race and his 11th TT win. Second was Connor Cummins and Guy Martin was third.
As we waited for the bus afterwards, we were feeling sad that
the week was coming to an end but it has been fantastic ten days of racing,
entirely different to anything we have experienced before.
Saturday night was our last night on the island so we thought we should go for one last stroll down the promenade. We were glad we did as we got to see "The Straightliners" - a stunt group who were unlike any other we had ever seen. A few examples of their 'stunts' are shown below.
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| 'Roll-over' man. |
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| The great wheelie bin race - they weren't going slowly either! |
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| And the winner is - 'Sausage Wallet' |
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| At the front of this bike was a giant can of baked beans but I couldn't manage a head shot! |
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| Pole dancer |
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| The bikes were - how can I describe them? |
We loved the architecture on the island - so much nicer than the skyscrapers in most cities today.
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| The town centre of Douglas at 10 pm - it was still twilight when we arrived back at our flat. |
And now a little on The Isle of Man and its history.
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| The Tynwald (Manx: Tinvaal), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council. This is the office of the Clerk of Tynwald. Tynwald comes from the norse word. |
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| This is the Coat of Arms of the Isle of Man. The birds are a peregrine and a falcon. The three legged symbol means "Whichever way you throw, it will stand" |
The island offers much more than just the TT. It really is a beautiful place and provided the weather is kind, I think it would be a lovely place just to take a holiday. We certainly enjoyed our stay. If you'd like to find out more about the place just click here.
Click here to see all of the 2014 TT schedule
and results.
On Saturday morning the weather was
terrible. It was rainy and cold and we again thought how lucky we had been on
this trip. We got on the ferry at around 3 pm and the trip back to Liverpool seemed
a lot shorter than the one over. Locals tell us that the new ferry, which was
built in Tasmania by the way, is a lot better than the old one which used to
take hours. Lachy, our son, headed straight up to the railway station to get
the train back to London.
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| The ferry put out quite a wake, even with one engine on the blink. |
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| As well as several oil rigs, it was hard to miss the wind-farm in the middle of the Irish Sea. These structures went for miles. |
We had already bought tickets for the
Cavern online and we just had enough time to get off the ferry, walk to our
hotel, Jurys Inn (it was quite a hike mind you with all our luggage) and get
settled before grabbing a pizza next door and heading off to the Club. It wasn’t
very far to walk and it was easy to find. Once inside the atmosphere is catching.
Everyone who goes to The Cavern Club is obviously a Beatles fan and the musos
who play there do lots of Beatles covers. The Club opens at 8 pm and entry just
for the club is only £3. There is also a tribute show for £17 but you need to
book online beforehand because it sells out most nights.
Anyway, a few
Desperados later and we were having a great time. Anyone can get up on stage
and sing with the band and lots did. We were really surprised at how many “Hens
parties” we saw as we walked to the club and I think half of them were at the
Cavern. Liverpool would have to be the “Hen Party” capital of England.
The
music was great and I had a great time with some other ladies around my age who
were there celebrating a couple of their 60th birthdays. John and I both really enjoyed the night. The
Cavern is a must if you visit Liverpool. While at the Cavern we also had our first encounters with the "looky looky man/lady". These are people who sit in the toilets and offer a range of services and products to patrons including cologne, deodorant, lollipops etc for a donation. Apparently they make quite a good living out of it and it certainly provided a lot of amusement for John. Walking back to our hotel was really
pleasant as the night was balmy and we discovered a great little snack van just
near our hotel where we enjoyed a lovely hot pork roll with apple sauce and
gravy.
If someone could invent a way to
recycle chewing gum for profit they should base themselves in Liverpool.
Unfortunately, I have never seen so much chewing gum on the ground, stairs,
seats etc as I’ve seen in this city. It was also obvious just walking around
the streets that there are plenty of people over here doing it very hard - lots
of evidence of homeless people with several asking for money, cigarettes etc.
Next morning it was really easy to
catch a cab out to John Lennon Airport for our flight to Paris. Cabs are quite
reasonable in Britain. We also found flying to Paris was about half the price
of the train so we decided to risk taking an EasyJet flight (they do have a
reputation for cancelling, changing etc.). It was a good choice and we arrived
in Paris at around 7pm after a 1 ¼ hour flight.
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