Blues in Twos
Having lived on the Isle of Man as a child and holidayed there as a teenager, some forty years had elapsed before my wife Sue and I and our friends Terry and Joan, decided to revisit the Island for a short autumn break in our rebuilt MGBs. Terry had recently rebuilt his roadster using a Heritage shell and a V8 engine from a donor GT, while mine was rebuilt also on a Heritage shell using a standard 1800cc engine from an 1970 American re-import. Both cars were finished with cream leather interiors and walnut trim, while colour choice was Riviera Blue for the V8 and BMW Estoril Blue for mine.
Victorian Tram Douglas
Laxey Wheel
Norman Wisdom with Terry Joan and Sue
Terry & Joan with statue of Norman Wisdom
The journey across to the Island was quite eventful, the Sea Cat had to be cancelled from Liverpool due to high winds, we therefore had to detour to Heysham for the ferry “Ben-my-Chree”. This was going to put Joan’s quells tablets to the test, which unfortunately did not work. It didn’t help as the child sitting next to Joan finished a large curry before leaving Heysham harbour, only for it to reappear half an hour later. Once we arrived in Douglas harbour things improved and the sun was still shining. A short drive along the promenade to the Hilton Hotel and we were ready for our evening meal (except Joan).
The following day included a stroll through Douglas to the Victorian steam railway still running from Douglas to Port Erin on the west coast. This is a delightful fifty minute journey which stops at four beautifully maintained tiny stations en route. After a day without the MGs it was time to tour the Island with the cars. We decided to follow the course of the famous TT races along the traffic free mountain roads. The first detour was to the charming village of Laxey, with a small bay and harbour nestling in a deep valley. The magnificent Laxey Wheel, called the Lady Isobella, dominates the top end of the valley and was named after the wife of the Govenor of the day and was used for pumping water from the mines. It was built in 1854 and designed by the Victorian engineer Richard Casement, it is now the largest surviving waterwheel in Europe. The large three legged motif is the Island’s symbol of independence which means, “Which Ever Way You Throw Me I Stand”.
Returning back to the TT course with breathtaking views over Snaefell meaning Snow Mountain, which is 620m high we decided to break for afternoon tea in the the small fishing port of Peel, to photograph the cars with the ruin of Peel Castle in the background.
Train in Douglas Station
Cars and Peel Castle
Friendly Bobby in Douglas harbour
On arriving in Peel on a beautiful sunny autumn afternoon, Joan reminded me that before we returned to England on the following day, she would like a photograph of the bronze statue of Norman Wisdom outside Douglas Town Hall. So we were pleasantly surprised as we parked our cars on the empty harbour wall to see a new dark green S Type Jaguar pull up alongside, driven by the great man himself. After devouring ice creams and a brief discussion with Sir Norman on his life on the Island he kindly agreed to be photographed with the cars. It was not until we returned home and saw on the TV that he would finally be retiring in the new year when he reached his 90th birthday. He is a lovely man and it was a pleasure to meet him. The same evening before returning to Douglas we visited the Ballacallin Hotel for an evening meal with the Isle of Man MGOC, hosted by Joan and Peter Waters. We were made very welcome and it completed a perfect day.
As the ferry returning to Heysham the following day didn’t leave until early evening we took the opportunity to visit the local Manx Museum and travel on the wonderful Victorian Manx Electric Railway which is the longest electric tramway operating in the British Isles. It was built in1893 and the original trams are still running to this day. The local bobbies wear white helmets on the Island and are very friendly (no speed cameras here) and were happy to oblige for a photograph.
As the day progressed Joan was wondering if she would be seeing her breakfast again by the evening, so a visit to the chemist for a special arm bracelet with a button on the pulse was purchased on recommendations from the members of the MGOC. As there was a ‘BOG OF’ (buy one get one free) offer for the bracelet Joan wore both bracelets and her crossing was uneventful. It was however flat calm.
Martin Grant