IoM Bunkhouse

A night to remember,the meal generously supplied and beautifully cooked by Shawn in the Bunkhouse.
Afterwards a rather lively discussion which kept the Manx cats, the farm animals and the neighbouring guests amused and awake until bedtime.
Click on picture to enlarge to full screen.

Les, we talked about a book that I had read that tells the story of 2 men who cycled from Lands End to John O'Groats penniless.  The book title is below.

Latest Info re Liverpool/Douglas Ferry

A final decision on the 11.15am ferry sailing will be made at 6.15am on Thursday by the Master of the ship.
Steam Packet will notify potential passengers of his decision.

Message from Ferry Co.

Just received this mail from Steam Packet.

Last Minute Precautions.

For those of a nervous disposition and/or a weak bladder, details here of public toilets available before boarding ferry.

These are close by the Pierhead and Three Graces.
Also there are toilets at Albert Dock which we pass en route from South Parkway.
We pass Aldi Supermarket if anyone is picking up food on the way.
In view of gales on weather forecast, should we be taking sea sickness tablets, and if so which brand? Advice from our apothecary please.

Is everybody Packed Fit and ready to go?

I am packed and ready for thursday morning!! Anyone aware of any issues with trains, ferries etc

Similarly is everyone fit and ready to go ? Don't forget to pack/purchase provisions as discussed at our meeting in May!

I will send out a text thursday morning when on train to Liverpool to confirm I expect to catch that boat! Everyone, that means you too Martin, might want to do the same to help with arrangements at the farm especially if anything changes with you plans.

A bientot mes amis

Shawn

Knockaloe Internment and Pilates!

Further reading in mondays "I" reveals that The Farm/Area? of Knockaloe and the village of Patrick was used during WW1 to intern 23,000 Germans,Austrians and Turks including Joseph Pilates who may(!) have used his time there to invent his popular form of exercise.

To find out more read up on the camp and the impending opening of a visitors centre at www.knockaloe.im

Photo ID required for Ferry! IOM pounds not transferable

Whilst reading an article in today's " I "newspaper on visiting the Isle of Man, I discovered 2 interesting and important points.

1. The isle of man has its own currency (IOM pounds) which whilst equivalent to sterling on the island cannot be spent back home ! Spend it whilst you are there is the message

2. Photo ID MIGHT be required for the ferry according to the article. The website for steam packet states that a utility bill!! is an acceptable alternative to photo ID . Useful for me as I don't have photo driving licence and would prefer not to have to take my passport to a UK  crown dependency.

Anyone else found a definitive answer?

S

Pre Trip Meeting, 3rd May in the Brunswick

All 7 intrepid explorers were present to enjoy the beer and finalise arrangements. 5 of us will travel from Liverpool at 11:15, Ian will travel via Heysham and Martin has not decided. It was agreed to swap mobile phone numbers and they are as below;

Ian               07594 185413
Peter            07970 650502
Maldwyn     07802 311683
Les               07519 970391
Clyde           07855 804451
Shawn          07503 328921
Martin          07853 215616

Please all check your number to ensure I have read and input them correctly and advise me if I have made any mistakes.

Shawn allocated to each of us his suggested food items and some discussion arose regarding where best to obtain these to allow for minimum carrying. Peter offered to contact the Farm to check what items the Farm Shop stocked, what opening hours applied and whether the staff would be prepared to set aside a small order for us to collect on arrival. The results of this enquiry will appear as a comment to this post.

HOT TUB /Sauna anyone?

Anyone enjoy a hot tub/sauna experience?

Apparently we can now hire one for the day at knockaloebeg farm!!

See the link to the page on their website http://www.knockaloebegfarm.com/facilities/

Perhaps we could hire for the last day of our stay to ease all the aches and pains bought about by riding the hilly TT course!

Less than £15 per head..... got to be worth a look?

Arrival times

I realize this is something that we could expect to talk about when we meet a week tomorrow (Thurs 6 May) but it might be useful to know before then: what time are folk arriving at Douglas on 14 June (or other date)? I am now booked onto the boat that arrives from Liverpool at 14:00. Peter, Les and Shawn, I think you are on the same ferry. Any others on that boat? I will be taking trains to Liverpool in the evening before and have reserved a bed at the Euro Hostel in Stanley St, which is about 1km from the ferry port. Ian, you are arriving at 18:00 from Heysham, is that right? So that only leaves two of you that we don't know about! Who would be up for riding the CR1, which skirts around Douglas for 43km, before taking the Heritage Trail to the Bunkhouse?

Bring me sunshine!

I have just booked train tickets, Tamworth to Liverpool South Parkway on the 14th arrive Liverpool at 9:01am(thanks Pete for the strava route to the the ferry port) and return Lancaster to Burton on Trent on the 19th June departing Lancaster at 18:59.

 You will note this gives me a nice afternoon after arriving Heysham ferry terminal at 12:30 to ride a section of Sustrans newest feature route the Bay Cycle Way.  This being a tour of Morecambe bay, one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the UK.

I hope to pay homage to that great comedian John Eric Barthlomew at his statue on Morecambe sea front. 'Ruggish' he would say especially as he was only 58 when he sadly died after his 3rd heart attack hours after stepping off stage for the final time.

I have enclosed a link my attended ride around the Lancastrian coast and on to the roman city of Lancaster itself.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/17917271









       

Next meeting

I know that some of you were talking about another meeting before our trip to the IoM. How about Thursdays 26 April or 3 May? I can't do the next two and 24 May is maybe too close to the actual event? 

Free Train Ticket Anyone?

By a subtle combination of bad luck and incompetence, (far too complex to detail here), I found that my bike and I were to travel on different trains from Crewe to Liverpool on 14th June.
To put this right I have purchased another ticket to travel with my bike, as we don't like to be parted.
This leaves me with a surplus ticket which may be of use to someone.

Details  are as follows:-
Crewe to Liverpool Lime Street (see note below).
Anytime Day Single with Senior Railcard.
Virgin Train only.
I could not get a cycle reservation with Virgin, so this would suit someone with a folding bike for which a reservation is not required.

Note
We understand that Lime Street Station will be out of action and all trains will stop at South Parkway Station, which is about 7 miles from the Liverpool IoM Ferry.  Peter Ford has details of this route.

If you would like to have the surplus ticket, give me a ring on 01332
514903 or 07519970391.

Les Sims

Money!

Hi all. I have been in touch again with Knockaloe Beg Farm. The total for 7 of us over 5 nights is what it should be at £18 a night, that is £630, due on or before 18 April. So everyone pays £90. I will let you know payment details very soon, probably today, by email and text (or other means, Martin). Clyde

Outward Journey

As of today 23rd March, it is now possible to book trains to Liverpool on EM Trains web site and here follows details of my own bookings to Douglas.
Derby - 06.40 train to Crewe arriving 07.59. Cost £14.85
A later train is cheaper but does not allow so much time for delays and changing platforms. 44 minutes should be sufficient though.
Crewe - 08.43 train to Liverpool arriving 9.20. Cost £7.20
I have not been able to make a cycle booking on this train as yet and this is essential on Virgin trains which have 4 spaces for bikes, but no problem if bike folds.
Ferry check in by 10.50 for sailing at 11.15. Cost £38  (includes return on 19th June).
Train fares are of course with Senior Rail Card.
I await advice from Peter nearer the day regarding possible problems at Lime Street station as described in his previous post.
Looks as though I have at least an hour to cycle the 7 miles from South Parkway to the ferry if necessary.

Liverpool Lime Street Station

All of us who are intending to arrive in Liverpool by train on 14th June should be aware that phase 2 of the redevelopment of the station starts on 2nd June and runs for several weeks. This is likely to lead to full or partial closure of the station at times. I cannot find any further detail of exact details and dates but it may be that services from Crewe will terminate at South Parkway (used to be Allerton before being rebuilt.) This is further east than Lime Street so further to cycle although there is a frequent Merseyrail service from SP to Moorfields which is only a few minutes from the Steam Packet departure pier. I recommend checking where your service is going before booking. I will help with this if asked.

Update 22/3/18

Lime Street station WILL be closed to services from Crewe and Manchester Pic. and the terminating station will be South Parkway. Clyde suggests this leaves some 7 miles to go to the Ferry terminal - sounds about right - or, as I said, there is a Merseyrail service from SP to Moorfields. I will try to find a safe route from SP to the terminal for those determined and with sufficient time to ride.

More News for our Forthcoming Trip.

Some interesting info here in this recent feature about the Isle of Man from The Guardian. Some nice photographs and a piece about cycling on the island, including a Strava ride which passes close to Peel. The elevation profile looks rather intimidating but no doubt the vertical scale is exaggerated.  Shawn might like it though.

Did you know, for instance, that most of the inhabitants of the IoM live in Douglas, many of them believe in fairies, and that Peel Castle is haunted by "The Black Dog" who happens to be a spaniel.
Click HERE to see more.

Real Ales IoM

For Camra interactive map, click here. There are 6 pubs in Peel. The Whitehouse Hotel does Bushy's (which seems quite common) plus 3 to 4 guest ales and the Creek Inn does 3 to 4 guest ales. The other common ale is Okell's (Crown, Peveril, Royal and Marine). Creek, Crown and Marine all do food.

Ferry Booking

Just booked ferries for IoM  via Liverpool as follows:
(Cannot find a cheaper option).
It is too early to book train tickets Derby to Liverpool, but hope to get these in April with a cost of under £10 each way with Senior Railcard.

Something to Look Forward to ...................

Grim weather for cycling here at present (in February), but we look forward to some great cycling in the IoM.
Remember hot sunshine, having a tan, and wearing shorts?

See the sort of thing we will be enjoying in June on this video.
Click HERE

Travelling Arrangements

I am considering travelling to IOM via Liverpool to take advantage of the extra 4 hours to get acclimatised and to do the shopping to be specified by Shawn. It is also a shorter crossing - no bad thing for a poor sailor like me. The departure is 11:15 and the logical train service (assuming it has not changed when the summer timetable is implemented) is 07:40 from Derby to Crewe and thence 09:32 CRE to LIV, arriving at 10:11. The ferry terminal should be reachable in 15 minutes but I will suss out the route on a visit between now and June. An alternative which may be more expensive is to go via Sheffield but that would entail departing Derby at 07:05 to pick up the Nottingham to Liverpool EMT service at either Chesterfield or Sheffield.
The snag with either of these options is that one train delay/cancellation and the ferry is missed with a long wait to the next. I am therefore contemplating an overnight stop within cycling range of the ferry.  Travelodge at St Helens is currently offering a double room at £35 (non returnable).

Garmin courses for the 7 IOM cycle routes

For Garmin users, here are links to my courses of the seven cycle routes given in the Visit IOM website (in the directions described) and shown on the OS map (with the numbers on the OS map), plus a couple of others:

Douglas Dock – Bunkhouse: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/17098345 

Heritage Trail: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/17264114

Douglas CR1:  https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/17263873

Castletown CR2: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/17264051

Port Erin CR3: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/17264411

Peel CR4 : https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/17264234

Ramsey CR5: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/17264498

Laxey CR6: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/17264154

TT Course: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/17095892

I've set them all to 'Public' but let me know if the links don't work; there are other ways of transmitting this information.

Food Shopping in IoM

It seems that our best options for supermarkets are:-
a. Tesco in Douglas (the only Tesco on the island).
b. Shopright in Peel (only a couple of miles from the bunkhouse).
There may be others, but these would serve our immediate requirements on arrival until we get to know our surroundings.

2018 DragonRide to the Isle of Man

7 prospective DragonRiders met yesterday evening in the Brunswick to discuss the basics of the proposed ride around the Isle of Man. Present were Clyde, Martin, Maldwyn, Shawn, Peter, Ian (welcome back) and Les (welcome). Clyde presented a sketch of towns, cycle routes and railways and also a potential itinerary. This was accepted as it was although an update was issued by Clyde after the meeting to allow for a Sunday visit to the Groudle Glen Heritage Railway.

POSSIBLE ITINERARY FOR IoM 2018

Date
Thurs 14 Jun	Arr Douglas 14:00 or 22:00 from Liverpool, or 02:00 or 18:00 from Heysham	Ride to Bunkouse, Peel by the Heritage Trail. IoM Cathedral? Peel Castle?
Fri 15 Jun	Ride Heritage Trail to Douglas, take IOMSR to Castletown and Port Erin & return to Douglas	CR2 & 3 optional rides by breaking journey at Castletown and Port Erin*. Return to Bunkhouse by Heritage Way
Sat 16 Jun	Heritage Trail to Douglas, take MER to Laxey and Ramsey	CR5 from Ramsey. Break journey at Laxey to see Wheel and go on Snaefell Mountain Railway to summit and back. CR6 from Laxey optional*. MER to Douglas. Heritage Trail to Bunkhouse
Sun 17 Jun	Heritage Trail to Douglas. CR1 from Douglas, to include Groundle Glen Railway	Douglas Bay Tramway, Derby Castle, Tynwald. Heritage Trail to Bunkhouse
Mon 18 Jun	Ride CR4 to Ballacraine, get on TT circuit	Ride TT circuit to Ramsey, Douglas and Ballacraine. Ride remainder of CR4 back to Bunkhouse
Tues 19 Jun	Dep Bunkhouse at the crack of dawn	Dep Douglas 07:30 or 15:00 to Liverpool, or 08:45 or 20:00 to Heysham

* Requires taking the bikes on the train (obviously)

Thursday or Friday: dep Douglas 09:50. Arr Castletown 10:27. Ride CR2. Dep 12:27. Arr Port Erin 12:50. Lunch at Port Erin. Ride CR3. Dep 16:00. Arr Douglas 17:05. Note there are extra, later trains on these two days (19:00 from Douglas, 21:15 from Port Erin).

Trains to the Snaefell summit are quite frequent (half-hourly). There are extra, later trains on a Wednesday or a Friday.

MER trains are mostly hourly. There are extra, later trains on Wednesday and Friday.

Note also: Groundle Glen Railway is open only on Sundays

Our accommodation for all 5 nights (14th to 18th June inc) will be the bunkhouse at Knockaloe Beg Farm, near Peel. Clyde has given the following brief details:

There are 2 showers and toilets, below the sleeping quarters.

There are only basic 'cooking' facilities: fridge, microwave, toaster, kettle, sink, so we couldn't be fully self-catering! There is a dining table and chairs, so we could order take-aways. I wonder if the rest of the accommodation was under-booked if they would consider doing any meals? We could only know once we get there. 

Coming from Douglas on the Heritage Trail, TL when you reach the A27 outside Peel and in less than a mile TR to Knockaloe Beg Farm. Or if using roads only, take the A1 from Douglas, TL onto the A40 at St John's, then TR onto A30 to Patrick. At the A27, TR and then immediately TL to Knockaloe Beg Farm.

Ian has added the following thoughts

I noted that the farm cafe does breakfasts on Saturday so we can have a big "slap up meal" on that day. Whilst we can check what they offer, I'd be very surprised if they'd be interested in cooking for us outside of Saturday.

Looks to me that catering will be:

• Breakfast of toast, tea, coffee, maybe cereal, maybe juice (except on Saturday when we can have the big meal)
• Lunch - either pack-up made at breakfast time or cafes out and about.
• Evening meal - visit to Peel for pub or restaurant. There are Chineses in Peel so we could get a take away although not clear if they deliver.
• Snacks - tea/coffee/biscuits/cake/fruit/nuts? in the bunkhouse.

and Shawn has further commented

It's amazing what you can rustle up with just a microwave and a toaster!

Breakfast should be easy, nearer the time I will circulate a shopping list of provisions we can bring to start a larder! If I make a suggestion for 2-3 items for each to bring i can just pick up ‘fresh ‘ produce on day one to last the week. 

There are ferries to Douglas from Liverpool and Heysham and riders are to research and book their own journeys there and back.

Perhaps there would be some value in a further meeting to share travelling arrangements and to finalise any last moment issues.