LONG WEEKEND 1st - 5th May MAY 2014
ISLE OF MAN
ISLE OF MAN
THURSDAY MAY 1st
On Thursday 1st May, 26 of us assembled in random order at the Isle of Man terminal at Liverpool for the 19:15 crossing by MANANNAN to Douglas. The sea was pretty calm so there were no unfortunate episodes and most even indulged in a hearty meal. We arrived slightly early and walked along the Loch promenade to the Ellen Vannin Hotel which was to be our base for the next four days. As it was well past 22:00 the remainder of the evening was spent unpacking and settling in.
FRIDAY MAY 2nd
After a good night's sleep we were down for a very hearty breakfast and then had a choice, either the Manx Museum or the Steam Railway Workshops at Douglas Station. We were shown round the workshops by Peter Maddocks the chief engineer and spent a really interesting 75 minutes looking not only at locomotives in various states of repair such as No. 13 Kissack and No. 1 Sutherland but also saw carriages under repair and fitting out and even an old steam engine of 1905 which is still run although now using compressed air. The belting system it once used is now driven by electricity. We also saw No. 4 Caledonia and No. 12 Hutchinson being prepared for trains and, in fact, it was Hutchinson that pulled us down to Port Erin. After a well earned cuppa we were joined by the others and got the 11:50 train south. It was an interesting ride and for a surprising number it was a first! We arrived on time at Port Erin and then had 90 minutes free to have lunch and visit the Railway Museum. This is small but interesting and apart from a lot of smaller memorabilia, has No. 6 Peveril and No. 21 Mannin as well as the Royal Coach.
Then it was time to catch the bus to Castletown where we were met by our guide Frank Cowan who took us on a short walk round the centre of the town and gave us and exhaustive talk on all aspects of Manx History, Industry and Life. He really is a mine of information. Inevitably this overran but we still had some free time to look round the town whilst our drivers went in to Douglas to pick up the minibuses. Evening meal was at 19:00 and afterwards we were treated to a talk on The Great Laxey Mine by Andrew Scarffe. He gave a brief history of mining on the island and at Laxey in particular before giving us a detailed description of how the Laxey Mines were organised and the working's of the Laxey Wheel.
SATURDAY MAY 3rd
Saturday saw us having another substantial breakfast and at 08:45 we headed for the workshops of the Manx Electric Railway where we were met by Steve Hall, the Chief Engineer of the MER, and Andrew Scarffe. Andrew told us about the history of the sheds then Steve took us to see the top shed where working cars are stored, the hospital shed where cars are repaired, the workshop where the machinery is kept, the Paint Shop where we sat in No. 1, the oldest working tram in the world and we finished up at the museum which is in process of being made ready for the public. Although he does not have a "tram" background Steve seems a very keen and go ahead man and is already doing a lot for the system. We were actually picked up outside the depot and went by tram to Laxey. Here, after the obligatory cuppa, we took the minibuses up to the Laxey Wheel.
Andrew was still with us and took us down the Mines Trail explaining some of the working conditions of the miners and even pointing out the remains of the thatched cottage his family had lived in 150 years ago. We went in a short section of the "public adit" and saw the way the tunnels were made and then made our way to the top of Lady Isabella, with Andrew's great knowledge enriching the experience. We returned to Laxey Station for lunch before having a ride on the steam hauled Laxey Mines Railway. At the terminus we were able to visit the main adit to the mine. The two locos, Ant and Bee are modern replicas of the original which were scrapped in the 1930s after the closure of the mines. The line itself had been used to take ore to the washing floor before it went down to the port for shipment to North Wales where it was refined.
We then had a choice, either Snaefell Moutain Railway or MER to Ramsey. The majority opted for the Snaefell although visibility at the summit was very poor. Nevertheless they had good views on the journey up and the Fell system used for braking is unique in the British Isles. A minority travelled up the rest of the MER to Ramsey. This is the most scenic section of the line and was nearly lost a few years ago. Fortunately it survived and retains a good service.
We all met up again at Laxey and returned to Derby Castle where the minibuses returned us to the hotel for evening meal. This evening the service was first class and the food remained very good. The talk was by Peter Maddocks who is Chief Engineer of the railways and tramways. He covered the three in past, present and future modes and with people like him at the helm IOM Railways should continue to flourish.
SUNDAY MAY 4th
Sunday started in the traditional way and after another hearty breakfast headed east to Foxdale. Here we met Pete Geddes from the Laxey Mines Research Group who has worked on many of the island's mines - often underground. We could not get in the Foxdale Heritage Centre but Pete knew a good tea and coffee shop just outside the village. It opened at 10:00, they had only taken the lease on 1st May and the arrival of two minibuses put them in a spin. They did cope well and, suitably refreshed we headed for the mine remains. It was very misty up there (no it is not poor photography!) and consequently very atmospheric.
We headed first for the Beckwith Mine which has the best remains. Lead and Blende were mined here starting in the mid 19c and ending early 20c. We had a very good tour of the area seeing remains of shafts, engine houses, waterwheel pits and drying floors before moving up to Cross-Vein (or Cronk Vane) Mine. This is also known as "Snuff the Wind" and we agreed - although Pete informed us that it was mild! This was a much smaller area to see and after this Pete left us and we made our way to Cregneash where we descended on the tea rooms.
The poor lady there was close to a breakdown at the end. This is the outdoor buildings museum of the island which started when Harry Kelly's Cottage (see photo) was donated to the nation. Other houses were bought up and some were moved to the site which opened in 1938. After our meal (which was very nice) we had a good look round the site and then separated. Some got the train from Port Erin, others went home via a couple of ancient burial sites and also returned along the mountain road where the visibility had cleared whilst others went to Sound for a cuppa overlooking the Calf of Man.
On their way back this group called in at Langness where (as well as seeing seals) they visited the tudor fort and old chapel. We were all back at the hotel for 19:00 and a Roast Dinner followed by our annual quiz. As usual Rob and John had put an excellent and taxing quiz together and our top mark was 33\47, This year's winners were John and Patricia Horne - hearty congratulations on a very good score.
MONDAY 5th MAY
Our final stay started in the usual way and we then bought our luggage down to the lounge. At 09:15 we set off for Peel and stopped at Tynwald Hill. This is the site of the annual meeting which takes place on July 5th and is probably the oldest parliament in the world. After the obligatory photos we continued to Peel where, after a cup of coffee we met Ray and were given a good guided walk around the harbour area including the old ropeworks, shipbuilding yards (site) P2 building shed, old power station and then a visit to a traditional smokery.
We continued past the old station and its yard on to the North Quay where time caught up with us. We returned to Douglas, transferred our baggage to the sea terminal and returned the minibuses prior to catching the 1500 sailing. This was very smooth and we arrived in Liverpool at 1800 where we dispersed after another brilliant weekend. Thanks to the Verity clan for all their hard work and we look forward to next year
On Thursday 1st May, 26 of us assembled in random order at the Isle of Man terminal at Liverpool for the 19:15 crossing by MANANNAN to Douglas. The sea was pretty calm so there were no unfortunate episodes and most even indulged in a hearty meal. We arrived slightly early and walked along the Loch promenade to the Ellen Vannin Hotel which was to be our base for the next four days. As it was well past 22:00 the remainder of the evening was spent unpacking and settling in.
FRIDAY MAY 2nd
After a good night's sleep we were down for a very hearty breakfast and then had a choice, either the Manx Museum or the Steam Railway Workshops at Douglas Station. We were shown round the workshops by Peter Maddocks the chief engineer and spent a really interesting 75 minutes looking not only at locomotives in various states of repair such as No. 13 Kissack and No. 1 Sutherland but also saw carriages under repair and fitting out and even an old steam engine of 1905 which is still run although now using compressed air. The belting system it once used is now driven by electricity. We also saw No. 4 Caledonia and No. 12 Hutchinson being prepared for trains and, in fact, it was Hutchinson that pulled us down to Port Erin. After a well earned cuppa we were joined by the others and got the 11:50 train south. It was an interesting ride and for a surprising number it was a first! We arrived on time at Port Erin and then had 90 minutes free to have lunch and visit the Railway Museum. This is small but interesting and apart from a lot of smaller memorabilia, has No. 6 Peveril and No. 21 Mannin as well as the Royal Coach.
Then it was time to catch the bus to Castletown where we were met by our guide Frank Cowan who took us on a short walk round the centre of the town and gave us and exhaustive talk on all aspects of Manx History, Industry and Life. He really is a mine of information. Inevitably this overran but we still had some free time to look round the town whilst our drivers went in to Douglas to pick up the minibuses. Evening meal was at 19:00 and afterwards we were treated to a talk on The Great Laxey Mine by Andrew Scarffe. He gave a brief history of mining on the island and at Laxey in particular before giving us a detailed description of how the Laxey Mines were organised and the working's of the Laxey Wheel.
SATURDAY MAY 3rd
Saturday saw us having another substantial breakfast and at 08:45 we headed for the workshops of the Manx Electric Railway where we were met by Steve Hall, the Chief Engineer of the MER, and Andrew Scarffe. Andrew told us about the history of the sheds then Steve took us to see the top shed where working cars are stored, the hospital shed where cars are repaired, the workshop where the machinery is kept, the Paint Shop where we sat in No. 1, the oldest working tram in the world and we finished up at the museum which is in process of being made ready for the public. Although he does not have a "tram" background Steve seems a very keen and go ahead man and is already doing a lot for the system. We were actually picked up outside the depot and went by tram to Laxey. Here, after the obligatory cuppa, we took the minibuses up to the Laxey Wheel.
Andrew was still with us and took us down the Mines Trail explaining some of the working conditions of the miners and even pointing out the remains of the thatched cottage his family had lived in 150 years ago. We went in a short section of the "public adit" and saw the way the tunnels were made and then made our way to the top of Lady Isabella, with Andrew's great knowledge enriching the experience. We returned to Laxey Station for lunch before having a ride on the steam hauled Laxey Mines Railway. At the terminus we were able to visit the main adit to the mine. The two locos, Ant and Bee are modern replicas of the original which were scrapped in the 1930s after the closure of the mines. The line itself had been used to take ore to the washing floor before it went down to the port for shipment to North Wales where it was refined.
We then had a choice, either Snaefell Moutain Railway or MER to Ramsey. The majority opted for the Snaefell although visibility at the summit was very poor. Nevertheless they had good views on the journey up and the Fell system used for braking is unique in the British Isles. A minority travelled up the rest of the MER to Ramsey. This is the most scenic section of the line and was nearly lost a few years ago. Fortunately it survived and retains a good service.
We all met up again at Laxey and returned to Derby Castle where the minibuses returned us to the hotel for evening meal. This evening the service was first class and the food remained very good. The talk was by Peter Maddocks who is Chief Engineer of the railways and tramways. He covered the three in past, present and future modes and with people like him at the helm IOM Railways should continue to flourish.
SUNDAY MAY 4th
Sunday started in the traditional way and after another hearty breakfast headed east to Foxdale. Here we met Pete Geddes from the Laxey Mines Research Group who has worked on many of the island's mines - often underground. We could not get in the Foxdale Heritage Centre but Pete knew a good tea and coffee shop just outside the village. It opened at 10:00, they had only taken the lease on 1st May and the arrival of two minibuses put them in a spin. They did cope well and, suitably refreshed we headed for the mine remains. It was very misty up there (no it is not poor photography!) and consequently very atmospheric.
We headed first for the Beckwith Mine which has the best remains. Lead and Blende were mined here starting in the mid 19c and ending early 20c. We had a very good tour of the area seeing remains of shafts, engine houses, waterwheel pits and drying floors before moving up to Cross-Vein (or Cronk Vane) Mine. This is also known as "Snuff the Wind" and we agreed - although Pete informed us that it was mild! This was a much smaller area to see and after this Pete left us and we made our way to Cregneash where we descended on the tea rooms.
The poor lady there was close to a breakdown at the end. This is the outdoor buildings museum of the island which started when Harry Kelly's Cottage (see photo) was donated to the nation. Other houses were bought up and some were moved to the site which opened in 1938. After our meal (which was very nice) we had a good look round the site and then separated. Some got the train from Port Erin, others went home via a couple of ancient burial sites and also returned along the mountain road where the visibility had cleared whilst others went to Sound for a cuppa overlooking the Calf of Man.
On their way back this group called in at Langness where (as well as seeing seals) they visited the tudor fort and old chapel. We were all back at the hotel for 19:00 and a Roast Dinner followed by our annual quiz. As usual Rob and John had put an excellent and taxing quiz together and our top mark was 33\47, This year's winners were John and Patricia Horne - hearty congratulations on a very good score.
MONDAY 5th MAY
Our final stay started in the usual way and we then bought our luggage down to the lounge. At 09:15 we set off for Peel and stopped at Tynwald Hill. This is the site of the annual meeting which takes place on July 5th and is probably the oldest parliament in the world. After the obligatory photos we continued to Peel where, after a cup of coffee we met Ray and were given a good guided walk around the harbour area including the old ropeworks, shipbuilding yards (site) P2 building shed, old power station and then a visit to a traditional smokery.
We continued past the old station and its yard on to the North Quay where time caught up with us. We returned to Douglas, transferred our baggage to the sea terminal and returned the minibuses prior to catching the 1500 sailing. This was very smooth and we arrived in Liverpool at 1800 where we dispersed after another brilliant weekend. Thanks to the Verity clan for all their hard work and we look forward to next year
