Into the wild

From cycling to riding and foraging, Octavia Pollock explores the great outdoors on the Isle of Man

- Octavia Pollock

WHO knew that Scotland and Cornwall were only miles away from each other? Or that you could be basking in bright sunshine one moment and shivering under the Cloak of Manannan the next? The Isle of Man, merely 33 miles long by 13 miles wide, encompasses every landscape, from high moorland to gorse-strewn valleys, sandy beaches to chequerboard fields. Little wonder, then, that the population spends much of its time outdoors.

The Isle of Man is the only entire nation to have UNESCO Biosphere status

The island’s most famous sporting event is, of course, the TT motorbike race meeting. Black-and-white chequered curbs delineate the corners and the mile markers stay in place all year round, so you can drive the 37.73-mile circuit yourself. There are no speed limits, although it’s perhaps best not to reach the 100 miles per hour (or more) of the racing bikes. Emulating the worldbeating local cyclists is a safer goal—Mark Cavendish and Peter Kennaugh grew up here and honed their skills climbing the mountains and swooping around the coast. Clubs abound, such as Cycle360, Douglas, a hub for all things two-wheeled.

There’s no need for speed on the island’s nine golf courses. Indeed, such are the views that you would be forgiven for taking your time to tee off. Close enough to the airport for players to leave London early and be at the first hole by 10 am is Castletown, a championship links course founded and laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1891. Jutting out into the sea, its edges crinkled with rocky inlets and scattered with gorse bushes, it is a delight with or without a set of golf clubs in hand.