Tail to tip, away from the course

There's an easy assumption to make about the Isle of Man, in that it's all about the TT... The stunning gem in the Irish Sea has much more.

- Dave Manning

Starting on the Queens Promenade in the island's capital, Douglas, we head south and around the quayside, past Mad Jack's axe-throwing venue and the Hooded Ram brewery, then past the Nunnery (which, 40 years ago, was famous for the size of the conkers on the horse chestnut trees) before peeling off left on to the Old Castletown Road.

There's a left turn to Port Soderick, and it's worth a view, although it has neither the amusement arcade nor the café/restaurant that it once had, despite the local rumours of development, although it is a beautiful cove in which you can still spot the remains of the coastal walk that was put into place during the island's heyday as a tourist hotspot a century ago. Further on, Port Grenaugh is another nice little spot, and often quiet, showing just how easy it is to get away from the hectic chaos of the main roads of TT fortnight.

Although we continued along the road, weaving and bumping between the typical high hedgerows, that are less hedges and more stone walls covered in grass/hawthorn/fuschia bushes. There are a couple of nadgery little switchbacks, before the road reaches a T-junction on the A5 main Douglas-Castletown road. Turning right here, towards Murrays Motorcycle Museum, will see you come across the famous Fairy Bridge which is vital for those who want to say hello to the little people and gain themselves some good luck for their stay, but if you cross the bridge and neglect to say hello, expect the fairies to exact their revenge!