Would you like to experience one of the last bastions of civil freedom to drive as fast as you dare outside town limits without fear of GATSOS and eager traffic cops on commission? 

The Isle of Man is in the Irish Sea, midway between the coasts of Northern Ireland and England. It includes the Calf of Man, a rocky islet off the south-western coast. The shore of the Isle of Man is lined with tall cliffs and indented by bays. Most of the surface is covered with wooded glens and rounded hills that reach their greatest height in Snaefel (620 m/2034 ft above sea level). A mild climate makes possible the growth of many subtropical plants. More than half of the island area is devoted to agriculture; flowers, fruits, vegetables, and grains are produced. Other occupations are the raising of livestock; dairying; fishing (the infamous smoked Manx Kippers!); and the mining or quarrying of small quantities of lead, zinc, nickel, iron, copper, slate, granite, sandstone, and limestone. Native to the island is the Manx cat, characterised by the absence of a tail. The Isle of Man is a popular tourist resort and hosts the legendary TT motorcycle races.

During the early Celtic Christian era, the Isle of Man was closely associated with Ireland. It fell under Norwegian control in the 9th century and was ruled by Norway until the 13th century, when it was ceded to Scotland. During the following century it was alternately ruled by Scotland and England, finally being granted to the latter in 1346. Among the important historical remains on the island are prehistoric stone pile dwellings, runic and druidic monuments, and ancient forts, castles, round towers, and stone crossings.

The island is governed by the Court of Tynwald, consisting of an 11-member legislative council, or upper house, at the head of which is a crown-appointed lieutenant governor; and by the House of Keys, or lower house, composed of 24 elected representatives. Manx, a language of the Goidelic group of Celtic tongues, persists among a small segment of the population, but English is the principal language of the island. Principal seaport towns include Douglas (the capital), Ramsey, Peel, and Castletown.

Please put your names down if you might be interested in a trip there later this year (october onwards so as not to clash with gaydon etc?  im open to alternatives and preferences) so I can get an idea of numbers to finalise an itinerary and prices

Interested:

stephenperry

pete323

coupe king / coupe queen

I_MNL

chiptuning

larzc / bigburd

stevie53

Short Break Return Car + up to 2 People

Late Season: ** (Valid 16.09.05 to 28.12.05) from £59 / €84 each way (£118 / €168 total) 

Available on all services. Journeys must be completed within 5 days.  Day of outward sailing counts as Day 1.  Return sailing must commence on or before day 5.   

* £5 premium per car for each single leg sailing commencing Friday, Saturday or Sunday. No weekend supplements will be charged for Belfast & Dublin Services.

** £10 premium per car for each single leg sailing commencing Friday, Saturday or Sunday. No weekend supplements will be charged for Belfast & Dublin Services

Offer subject to conditions and availability.

http://www.steam-packet.com/SteamPacket/SpecialOffers/steampacket.htm - http://www.steam-packet.com/SteamPacket/SpecialOffers/steamp acket.htm

this is where i stayed last time, you cant see the car park from the road, cars are very safe cos its out of any towns

http://www.isleofman.com/accommodation/santonmotel/ - http://www.isleofman.com/accommodation/santonmotel/

for food id recommend the "mitre hotel" in kirk michael, and id recommend to stay away from the tapas bar in castletown (near where the pic was taken above), rip off... much better bet is the indian just down the road

you can get the ferry from heysham (near morecambe) or liverpool, its quite a long crossing - 6 hours there/4 hours back (dont ask why!?!)... they serve booze and food on the ferry (prices arent bad), make sure youve got all you need out of the car cos they wont let you back down once the thing starts moving (i wanted to get my laptop and they wouldnt let me )

stephenperry wrote: this is where i stayed last time, you cant see the car park from the road, cars are very safe cos its out of any towns http://www.isleofman.com/accommodation/santonmotel/ - http://www.isleofman.com/accommodation/santonmotel/ for food id recommend the "mitre hotel" in kirk michael, and id recommend to stay away from the tapas bar in castletown (near where the pic was taken above), rip off... much better bet is the indian just down the road

Looks like boot camp

pete323 wrote: Looks like boot camp

as you can see, it did wonders for my physique....

I would be interested to come...

can't confirm it yet though

heres an old episode of top gear where they went there and tested the M cars, a honda s2000, a porsche boxster and a z4....

ftp://sperry.serveftp.com/Top Gear - 11th March 2003.avi - ftp://sperry.serveftp.com/Top Gear - 11th March 2003.avi

176 mb

Do you still have your balack E36?

Looks good on the piccy

lots of scenic photos here:

http://www.manxscenes.com/ - http://www.manxscenes.com/

and here is the circuit itself:

this looks very good! would certainly be a good test for the car! hell yea im interested!

As for a boot camp... clearly youve been spoilt pete lol

therealmccoy wrote: If you go as a club, you can get roads closed. Then you can safely traverse the mountain roads! James

REALLY?!?

Will we also have some fast driving tuition, so that we can get the best out from this trip in driving?

I rely on you for the rest, ie good food and drinks , comfortable accommodation with car park, nice views and great pictures

I_MNL wrote: Will we also have some fast driving tuition, so that we can get the best out from this trip in driving?

No tuition as such, but if you're really unlucky you can meet the great man himself, Joey Dunlop...

No tuition as such, but if you're really unlucky you can meet the great man himself, Joey Dunlop...

[/QUOTE]

Why unlucky?

iom is a great place to hone your skills without fear of reprisal

I_MNL wrote: therealmccoy wrote: If you go as a club, you can get roads closed. Then you can safely traverse the mountain roads! James   REALLY?!?

i didn't know that, ill make some enquiries

stephenperry wrote: umm... cos hes dead.

very funny... 

Whos All going to this ??? please put your names down ?

Lars

I'm up for this.  Can't see us being able to break the speed of sound in the coupe but we'll get to try out the tip.

Any definite numbers yet as I'm led to believe you can get a better group discount on the hotel when you book as far in advance as poss.

Stephen??

BB

stephenperry wrote: Short Break Return Car + up to 2 People Late Season: ** (Valid 16.09.05 to 28.12.05) from £59 / €84 each way (£118 / €168 total)  Available on all services. Journeys must be completed within 5 days.  Day of outward sailing counts as Day 1.  Return sailing must commence on or before day 5.    * £5 premium per car for each single leg sailing commencing Friday, Saturday or Sunday. No weekend supplements will be charged for Belfast & Dublin Services. ** £10 premium per car for each single leg sailing commencing Friday, Saturday or Sunday. No weekend supplements will be charged for Belfast & Dublin Services Offer subject to conditions and availability. http://www.steam-packet.com/SteamPacket/SpecialOffers/steampacket.htm - http://www.steam-packet.com/SteamPacket/SpecialOffers/steamp acket.htm

Pete i think the prices are above mate

Ok thats easy enough

now where`s the hotels LOL