Peel Castle.

St Patrick's Isle is one of the smallest Islands in the Irish Sea and yet one of the most historic, with an extraordinary history stretching back over eight thousand years.

It has been the home of princesses and bishops, monks and Vikings, peasants and fisherman. the abundant fish, and the fresh water of the nearby river.

By the time of the Dark Ages and the unrest throughout Europe, the isolation of St Patrick's Isle made it an ideal place for safety, for storing grain in times of siege, and for establishing the King's court.

It was here, tradition tells us, that the great Saint Patrick stepped ashore to bring Christianity to the Isle of Man, and a monastery and early churches were established.

The Calf of Man is a small island at the south western extremity of the Isle of Man from which it is separated by a narrow strait of water known as the Calf Sound. In size it is about one and a half miles long by one mile wide and is just under one square mile in area. It rises to a height of 421 feet. The word Calf derives from the Scandinavian Kalfr and means a small island lying near a larger one.

St. Michael's Isle, or Fort Island as it is more commonly called, is one of the best scenic viewpoints in the Isle of Man. It lies to the east of Derbyhaven Bay and is approached by the same road which leads to the Golf Links Hotel on Langness. Technically, it is no longer an island as it is joined to the mainland by an extremely narrow causeway, just wide enough for single file traffic. In size, it measures a bare quarter of a mile in length.

The Gaiety Theatre and Opera House, opposite to the War Memorial, is probably the finest example of the work of Frank Matcham, the celebrated Victorian theatre architect. At one period the continued existence of the theatre was in doubt but it was acquired by the Manx Government and has been sumptuously and authentically restored to its former glory. It is well worth taking in a show if only to wonder at the ornate, gilded splendour of its interior.

Laxey.

Built up over the centuries the village sprawls along the sides of a deep glen, running down from the mine workings in its upper reaches, to the tiny harbour at the North end of a wide bay. Our Viking friends found Laxey to be a bountiful stopping off place on their roamings, hence the name. The biggest industry the village has ever had was the mines and between 1876 and 1882 the Great Laxey Mines paid out the highest total in dividends of all their competitor lead mines in the British Isles. Nowadays the village is a very pleasant place to live, giving the visitor a glimpse of a bygone era.

Set high on the hillside towards the hamlet of Agneash and overlooking Laxey Village is the Great Laxey Wheel. This was built in 1854 to pump water from the workings of the Great Laxey Mining Company. Mining was of considerable importance to the economy of Laxey and the Great Laxey Mine was one of the major producers of lead and zinc in the British Isles.

The Laxey water wheel was designed by the Manx engineer Robert Casement. The wheel's axle was forged by the Mersey Iron Works of Liverpool but the cast iron rims were made on the Island by Gelling's Foundry at Douglas. The timbers of the wheel were shaped by Manx artisans and the whole structure was assembled here on the Island.

Castle Rushen, Castletown Inner Harbour and the Castle Arms (Glue Pot) pub. Thai meals served at weekends:)

The ancient capital of Mann for several centuries, Castletown has a charm all of its own. Sited at the edge of a long extinct and almost untraceable volcano, the town was the guardian for the Manx in times of war and peace. It is the only town in the parish of Malew and as a result of long association with the seat of government it is easy to pick out the many anglicised names around the town and its vicinity.

Douglas is the Island's capital and chief town. It is situated about midway along the east coast and at the last census, in 1991, had a population of 22,214. For a distance of almost two miles, the town fronts onto the magnificent semi-circular bay of Douglas which has Douglas Head to the south and Onchan Head to the north. Typically, the town extends inland for about a mile.

The little Groudle river forms the northern boundary of Onchan parish. For the last mile and a half of its journey to the sea it runs through a wooded glen to which the public have access. The upper portion is known as Molly Quirk's glen and is said to be named after a wealthy heiress who was murdered there. The lower section from the Whitebridge to the sea is referred to as Groudle Glen.

Peel, on the west coast of the Island, is affectionately known as the Sunset City. It does indeed see some spectacular sunsets throughout the year, made all the more memorable by the magnificent ruined castle that stands on a small island at the west end of the town. Amongst its ruins is an ancient Celtic cathedral dating from the 13th century. It's this cathedral that makes Peel into a city, or so the locals will claim!

Port Erin.

It matters not which direction you approach Port Erin, there is one common denominator, the impressive views. Translated from the English it means either the Lord's Port or Iron Port and in the Manx Gaelic it is written as Purt Chiarn. Latter day smugglers came to know Port Erin very well, using the solitude of the bay to mask their activities and kept safe from observation by the steep hills and perpendicular cliffs surrounding the village.

Port St Mary.

Close neighbour of Port Erin this pretty village has the impressive backdrop of the Mull Peninsula with its steep slopes and fields rolling right down into the streets and harbour itself. Now no longer quite as busy with the fishing fleet, it is an ideal haven for fine yachts and leisure vessels and is a very popular port of call for tourists and locals alike.

Ramsey .

In the ancient Chronicles of Mann, circa 1250, the monks of Rushen Abbey have faithfully recorded the name of the most northerly town as Ramsa. Seemingly drawn from the old Scandinavian language it is translated as Wild Garlic River.

Ramsey has a distinct lack of old buildings having suffered much destruction across the centuries. Olaf, King of Mann was murdered by his nephew Reginald near the harbour in 1154 and a couple of centuries later Robert the Bruce (of spider in the cave fame) passed through on the way to besiege Castle Rushen.

Onchan.

Church Road is always referred to by Onchan people as The Butt. The name derives from the barrels, or butts, which were located there to store water before the days of a sanitised mains supply. This area around the church is the oldest part of Onchan and was the nucleus of the original village. The view looking down the slope, with the church in the background, has been the subject of many paintings

Tower of refuge.

The traveller arriving by sea at Douglas cannot help but notice, depending on the state of the tide, either a fortress-like building rising directly out of the sea, or, if it is low water, a long menacing reef of rock on which this structure is built. Despite its appearance, this tower had no military or defensive function. Rather, its purpose was the humanitarian one of providing shelter for the crews of the many vessels which were wrecked on the reef. It also served to indicate the presence of the dangerous rocks. The building is called the Tower of Refuge and the reef on which it stands is known as St. Mary's Isle, or Conister Rock. The name Conister derives from the Manx Gaelic, Kione y Sker, meaning the end of the reef.

Tynwald Hill is located in the little village of St. John's on the main highway between Douglas and Peel. It is an artificially constructed mound consisting of three tiers and is set at one end of an open turfed area at the other end of which is the Royal Chapel of St. John. The hill is a modest affair, measuring around 80 feet in diameter and around 12 feet in height. However, it is of great significance to the Manx nation, symbolising the Island's sturdy independence and reminding us of the part played by the Norse seafarers in bequeathing to us the origins of our system of government.