A PASSIONATELY independent nation on the Irish Sea alive with Celtic and Viking heritage that has its own parliament.
And a nation that has had a turbulent historic relationship with its neighbouring England. Sound familiar? Welcome to the Isle of Man, an island awash with Scottish connections – and that stacks up for a brilliant break.
“We used to have a Scottish Week,” smiles the taxi driver en route to the Comis Hotel (www.comishotel.com). “Half of Glasgow sailed over for a break on our beaches and we miss that now that many jet off to the Spanish Costas.”
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This Scot instantly feels at home, with the hotel’s golf course and views of the hills reminding me of Dumfries and Galloway just across the water.
That proximity to Scotland means this self-governing Crown Dependency has a history intertwined with our larger nation. Robert the Bruce once laid siege to Castle Rushen and then the Dukes of Atholl held sway over the whole island. There are even suggestions the distinctive three-legged Manx flag comes from a Scottish king inspired by a similar Sicilian design. And Manx is, of course, related to Scottish Gaelic.
In turn, for centuries Viking kings projected their power from their Isle of Man stronghold into Scotland’s Hebrides.
Today the Isle of Man does not feel like the more fragile Hebridean islands though. Life is good, with a maximum tax rate of 20%, zero stamp duty and wages that are appreciably higher than the UK’s. The island parliament enjoys sweeping powers and enacts laws based on what local people need, rather than what London wants. Indeed Katie King (who has a Scottish husband), tells me: “Today we enjoy more power than at any time since Britain bought the island back in 1765”.
The Manx Museum she works at is utterly compelling for Scots, with a totally different perspective on history around the Irish Sea.
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This geopolitical anomaly is utterly compelling in many ways, not least as it’s the first entire nation to be recognised by Unesco as a Biosphere. Its landscape sears across rugged hills and sea cliffs, sweeping beaches and rolling glens they call glens too. They really embrace the Biosphere here.
At The Fynoderee Distillery, I try a Biosphere Burger cooked by Chef Lesley Jacobs. “We’ve got it all,” he smiles. “The Isle of Man may be small, but it packs a big punch. That burger you’re eating is 100% Manx, from the yeast-free bun to the superb beef and even the relish.”
I also attend the launch of the Manx Menu initiative that showcases the island’s remarkable produce.
The drinks scene is impressive too. They may be unable to spell whisky, but there is nothing wrong with their excellent craft beers, thanks to a purity act similar to Germany’s beer laws. I meet Kevin Holmes of Okell’s, who fills me with passion for the island’s beers: “We make what we want to drink here and do what we want to do, not what London says”.
Ian Warborn-Jones of the Outlier Distilling Company also steers me through their remarkable signature range of rums. Then there are the Foraging Vintners, who use island produce to conjure up rhubarb and elderflower fizz.
Back at The Fynoderee Distillery, I survey the excellent rum they create from scratch; vodka and a flurry of gins too. The best is their Manx Dry Gin – RNLI Edition, a tribute to the RNLI, founded on the Isle of Man. I leave Fynoderee in serious style as it lies on the Manx Electric Railway platform, a Victorian legacy. It’s one of the four heritage railways (including the excellent Isle of Man Steam Railway) that inspired Rev W Awdry to create Thomas the Tank Engine. I set off in search of Sodor on a journey that takes in rugged coastal scenery that echoes southern Scotland.
I’m surprised how many remarkable towns are crammed into an island considerably smaller than Mull. It makes sense when I learn the population is more than 80,000; Mull struggles to hit 3000.
Peel tempts with its castle, beach and the excellent House Of Manannan museum, while Castletown goes medieval with a hulking fort as its centrepiece. The highlight is the capital, Douglas, which joined Dunfermline as a new city in 2022. I stroll a vast promenade once alive with Scottish holidaymakers. Today my companions are the Gibb brothers – Manxmen better known as The Bee Gees.
At family-run 14North I tuck into king scallops – a match for Scotland’s finest – then gamey Manx Loaghtan lamb. Kiki’s Lounge proves the perfect late-night Douglas venue. Welcoming owner Jamie conjures me up a Manx Daiquiri (made using Outlier rum) and tells me the main attraction in the Isle of Man is “the people”. By now I totally agree,
I meet another Manx luminary, Richard “Milky” Quayle, a rare local winner of the world’s most famous motorbike race – the legendary Isle Of Man TT. He hails it “the oldest and best bike race in the world. Scots love it and we get many riders and spectators coming over”.
My last stop is a life-affirming Irish Sea dip. I quickly warm up thanks to Nick Davies, with his Green Creek Hut Company wood-fired mobile sauna. I head to the airport determined not to be one of those Scots who have turned their back on our Irish Sea cousin and vow to return. And to think more about the lessons Scotland can learn from this self-governing oasis.
More information – www.visitisleofman.com
TRAVEL TIP OF THE WEEK
I flew back from the Isle of Man to Edinburgh with “Scotland’s Airline” Loganair. It’s just a quick hop, with decent online fares. People often forget about Loganair and think they just fly direct to Scotland’s islands. While they do provide many lifeline island services, they also fly to destinations like the Isle of Man, London, Belfast, Birmingham and even Bergen. www.loganair.co.uk
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