Experiencing the Isle of Man in your classic car

If you know your motorsport – and, in particular, if motorbike racing is your thing – the Isle of Man is very likely to be on your must-visit list.

This wild and beautiful island, set in the Irish Sea between Cumbria and the Northern Ireland coast, is probably most famous for its exhilarating, daredevil TT motorbike races that take place every spring. In fact, the island has some serious motorsport heritage dating back well over a century, and involving cars as well as bikes.

For that reason, as well as its legendarily brilliant driving roads, we think you and your classic would very much enjoy some time on the island. Before you go, just make sure your insurance for your classic car is up to date.

However, as we’ll discover in this article, there is plenty more to see on Mann, as it’s also known. A rich history – including colourful Celtic and Viking chapters – and some wonderful landscapes are just two of the factors that make the Isle a worthy destination for anyone, motorbike lover or not.

Here’s our rundown of some Manx must-sees.

Isle of Man TT

This famous event will be an absolute must for any petrolhead – especially for lovers of two-wheeled transport.

The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races, to give them their full name, are a yearly motorbike racing event, held on a famously challenging mountain course on Mann during late May and early June.

Often dubbed one of the world’s most dangerous racing events, the TT is a time-trial race on public roads, which are closed to all other traffic throughout most of the race fortnight.

Each year’s event begins with a week’s worth of practice sessions, followed by the races themselves during the second week. Slap bang in the middle of these two weeks is the famous ‘Mad Sunday’, when the course is opened for spectators, racing groups and others to get on their bikes and head off round the island.

The TT course is also known as the Snaefell Mountain Course, and it’s one of three brilliant Manx driving routes that we’ll be profiling in a little more detail down below.

The very first TT was held back in 1907, and consisted of 10 laps of the much shorter St John's Course. A few years later, in 1911, the event moved to its current course. A little over 37 miles, the Snaefell course climbs from sea level to 1,300 feet, and takes its name from the Manx mountain that riders ascend part way along the course.

From 1989 onwards, the race was rebranded the Isle of Man TT Festival. This new look also brought some new races, including the Pre-TT Classic Races in 1989 followed by the Post-TT Races from 1991. Later, 2013 saw the arrival of the Isle of Man Classic TT, for historic racing motorcycles. The latter event now forms part, every August/September, of the Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling.

It shares that designation with the Manx Grand Prix – another two-week racing event, in which amateur riders get to ride the famous TT course. Widely viewed as a kind of initiation rite for the TT races proper, the Grand Prix is as popular as its professional sibling.

Heading over to the Isle to watch the TT is a hugely exciting experience. It’s a very popular event, so make sure you book everything – ferry, hotel rooms and so on – well in advance. And, while you’re being organised, why not make sure your classic auto insurance is up to date, too?

Manx Museum & National Art Gallery

If you’re after a relatively easy, accessible introduction to this fascinating and unique island, a visit to the Manx Museum will serve you well. Your visit to this 100-year-old national museum begins with a film screening that takes you through the island’s eventful, 10,000-year history. After that, the museum guides you through various chapters of that story in greater detail, including the period of Viking rule and the history of the Tynwald (the island’s historic parliament).

Another section, the Natural History Gallery, details Mann’s diverse landscape and rich wildlife. And what wildlife it is! For example, the coastal hills and beaches around the island’s 99-mile shoreline are a great place to see three species of dolphin, plus minke whales and porpoises. The huge but harmless basking shark is also a relatively common sight, particularly around the Calf of Man. Seabirds including guillemots, razorbills and Manx shearwaters are also island regulars.

Back at the museum, you’ll also find the absorbing Mann at War gallery, which recounts the experiences of Manx men, women and children in conflict across the past three centuries.
There are also sections on the Isle of Man’s heyday as a holiday resort, back in Victorian times, and of course on the world-famous TT races, including profiles of some of their most revered riders and their vehicles.

Make time, too, for the National Art Gallery, part of the Museum, and home to works by some of Mann’s best-known artists including John Miller Nicholson, whose skill with draughtsmanship and colour often got him likened to his more famous contemporary, Turner. You’ll also find works by fellow Manxman Archibald Knox, a major designer for Liberty during their turn-of-the-century heyday.

Isle of Man Motor Museum

Housed in a former RAF base at Jurby near the island’s northern tip, this privately funded museum is home to no fewer than 400 vehicles. This is where you’ll get the best sense of this place’s strong and long-lasting links with motorsport. These began, in fact, way back in 1904 with the Gordon Bennett Trials – qualifying events for the fifth Gordon Bennett Cup for cars, held later that year in Germany.

The museum’s centrepiece is the Cunningham Collection, an awesome selection of cars from across the decades, put together by father-and-son team Denis and Darren Cunningham. Some of the vehicles in the collection are of major historical significance; others have some very personal stories behind them.

The former group includes a 1953 Humber Super Snipe tourer built for the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II, as she and her husband Prince Philip undertook their Coronation tour of the Commonwealth that year. Elsewhere, you’ll find the ex-White House 1965 Lincoln Continental limousine used by US Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara. An impressive number of prototypes, meanwhile, includes a right-hand-drive DeLorean, and a Ford Galaxie Limousine – the Blue Oval’s largest class of car in the States during the 1960s and 1970s.

Other highlights of the car collection include a Cadillac V16, a Citroen DS19 ‘décapotable’ (cabriolet) – and no fewer than three examples of the Facel Vega. We love the Facel Vega here at Lancaster – indeed, we nominated it as one of our 10 cars that epitomise French style – and to see one in the metal is a joyous thing indeed.

As you’d expect on an island where bikes are worshipped so devoutly, the Museum also has a 200-strong motorcycle collection, stretching from the earliest days of motorbike culture through to the 2009 winner of the first TT event for electric bikes. Beyond that, you’ll find hosts of Hondas, Harley-Davidsons, Kawasakis and many more.

Fans of transport in its wider forms will also be delighted to find, elsewhere around the Museum, a selection of trucks, buses, fire engines, hearses – and even a hovercraft!

Isle of Man steam railway

This island is full of individualities and unique selling points. Among these is the wonderful Isle of Man Steam Railway, the longest narrow-gauge steam line in Britain to still use its original locomotives and carriages.

Opened back in 1873, the three-foot steam railway tours some of the island’s most eye-catching countryside as it wends its way from the capital, Douglas, to the south coast.
The railway serves a fair few of the Isle of Man’s major heritage attractions in the south of the island, such as Silverdale Glen and Rushen Abbey (served by Ballasalla Station).

Meanwhile, Castle Rushen and the Nautical Museum are near the station at Castletown. That’s also the station to alight at if you plan to visit the Old House of Keys, the former meeting place for Mann’s Tynwald or parliament. Get off at Port Erin, meanwhile, for the fascinating Steam Railway Museum, as well as the wild, windswept Bradda Head and Port Erin beach.

The one-way journey from Douglas to Port Erin takes around an hour. Services are reasonably frequent – especially in July and August, when you’ll find seven return trains a day. You can even dine in style – Pullman style, to be precise – in the Steam Railway's elegantly restored Dining Car. Built in 1905 and restored in 2013, this sumptuous time capsule is one of just a few narrow-gauge dining cars around the world. The delicious menu uses only the finest produce from around the island – including fish and seafood, both Manx specialities.

Getting to the Isle of Man

You can travel to Douglas, the Isle’s capital, by ferry from Heysham, Liverpool or Birkenhead on the English side, or from Dublin and Belfast across the Irish Sea. You also have the choice of travelling as a foot passenger or bringing your car along. We’d obviously recommend the latter, so that you can explore this beautiful island at your leisure.

All Manx ferries are operated by the Steam Packet Company. The 96-metre sea catamaran, Manannan, runs from Liverpool from March to November, and also does some seasonal services from both Dublin and Belfast. It takes around 2 hours and 45 minutes from Liverpool to Douglas.

Alternatively, the Steam Packet also takes the Ben-my-Chree, a more traditional ferry, over to the Isle, with a journey time of 3 hours and 45 minutes. You can make the trip from the Lancashire town of Heysham at any time of the year, or from Birkenhead during the winter months. Both ships have shops, cafes, bars and other creature comforts.

If you’re planning to visit the island during either the TT or Manx Grand Prix periods, you should definitely book well in advance. Things get very busy on the island at these times, and you’ll need to get a seat on the ferry in good time.

Driving around the island

Driving on the Isle of Man is a very enjoyable experience: the scenery is breath-taking, the roads mostly fairly empty (apart from times of peak congestion, such as TT fortnight!), and you can pretty much get from anywhere on the island to anywhere else in an hour or less.

One thing to note: the island is not part of the United Kingdom, nor of the European Union. Instead, it is a self-governing British Crown Dependency – much like the Channel Islands, Jersey and Guernsey – and has its own parliament, government and laws.

How will this affect you as a driver on the island? Well, for one thing, it’s worth checking whether your classic car insurance policy will apply on Mann. Most UK car insurance policies do include cover for driving on the island, but don’t assume that your policy includes this feature. Check with your classic car insurance provider, just to be sure.

Also be aware that, unlike mainland Britain, the Isle has no national speed limit. On some roads, you can drive at any safe, appropriate speed. This, coupled with the islanders’ knowledge of their roads and the place’s well-documented love of motorsport, means that you may see some pretty fast driving while you’re here.

However, don’t take this as your own cue to drive recklessly – careless and dangerous driving laws still apply on the Isle of Man, and there are local speed limits on many roads. Some of these roads also have some frequent bends, which can be hard to see around. We recommend driving around the Isle every bit as carefully as you would on any other unfamiliar road. This will help to protect your car and occupants, as well as other road users – and, indeed, your classic car insurance premium.

Three sensational Isle of Man driving routes

The Isle of Man is rightly famed as a driver’s paradise. It’s fabulous, winding roads and beautiful, unspoilt scenery make for some truly exhilarating driving. Here are three particularly captivating routes for you to try in your classic.

TT course / Snaefell Mountain Course

Come outside of TT season itself (which is, as we mentioned, late May / early June) and you can try the iconic route out for yourself. Not on a bike (well, unless you have one and are itching to do it), and not at the 130mph speeds that some of the TT’s more fearless competitors reach. No, we recommend driving the course in your classic, at a slightly more sedate speed.

To get the full TT feel, you can start at or near the start line, at the TT Grandstand on Glencrutchery Road in the island's main town, Douglas. The first stretch takes you through the city streets of Douglas, before proceeding along the A1 (the Isle has its own road-naming system much like ours).

This road takes you through several pretty Manx villages, before turning right onto the A3. The next stretch features some rather lovely narrow valleys (or glens, to use Manx parlance), and eventually intersects with the A18 Snaefell mountain road from which the course takes its name. The A18 will then take you back to Douglas – but not before taking you past the course’s highest point at Hailwood's Height, some 1,385ft above sea level. After that, it’s a gentle descent through some typically attractive Manx countryside, back to Douglas and the finish line.

The 11-mile, A18 mountain section is a particularly exhilarating drive. Some of its sections and vantage points – such as Gooseneck, The Bungalow, Windy Corner and Creg-Ny-Baa – are hallowed names among motorcycling enthusiasts. This section also features no speed limits. Enjoy the scenery – and drive at a responsible speed to avoid having to claim on your classic car insurance policy.

West Coast

This stunning route takes you down the Isle's south-western shore. Beginning at the harbour town of, which looks west towards the Ulster shore, the route then winds down through rugged coastal scenery to the Calf Sound. This narrow stretch of water separates the Isle of Man from its own small offshore island, the seabird-rich Calf of Man.

Before you leave the charming town of Peel, you may want to take a look around. Sights to see here include Peel Castle, a magnificent ruin set on its own small island, St Peter's Isle, which is reached from the mainland by a causeway. Then there's the cathedral, seat of the Diocese of Sodor and Man. Peel is also famous for its kippers, with two working kipper smokeries still in existence in the town. At one, the 140-year-old Moore's Kipper Yard, you can take a tour and get familiar with this ancient fish-smoking process.

Petrolheads will also want to look in at the Leece Museum – and in particular at the museum's ground floor, with its display of classic motorbikes – in homage to the Isle of Man's famous motorbike racing heritage.

After you've had your fill of Peel, you can head south down the coast towards Glen Maye, a scenic valley dominated by a stupendous gorge and waterfall.

The coast road then takes you on to the village of Dalby, which looks out towards the beautiful, secluded promontory of Niarbyl. Niarbyl Bay itself is a peaceful spot, with its thatched cottages and gently rolling hills.

South from Niarbyl, you'll start climbing up towards the summit known as The Sloc. This high ground draws astronomers from across the island, thanks to its dark skies and panoramic views over the southern and north-western heavens. If you arrive in daytime, meanwhile, your views over the southern part of the Isle of Man will be just as spectacular.

Downhill from the Sloc is an exhilarating drive which will take you, via Rushen and over the railway lines, to Howe Road, which finally descends to Calf Sound and those views across to the Calf of Man.

Douglas to Point of Ayre

This exhilarating drive up the Isle of Man's eastern coast takes in the Sulby Glen valley, before ending up at the island’s wild northern shores.

You begin in the island's capital Douglas, from where you'll take the A18 due north into the heart of the island, turning left just before The Bungalow, a station on the island's Snaefell Mountain Railway and also an important viewing point for the Isle's famous annual TT races.

After leaving the A18, you're in for a beautiful, winding descent into Tholt-ty-Will glen. This stunning riverside road, with its wooden lodges and abundant greenery, is almost Scandinavian in feel. From this point, continue in a northerly direction until you hit the island's north-western coast near Jurby, a former RAF base. This is now home to the Isle of Man Motor Museum, which we discussed above, and the Jurby Transport Museum.

Your last stage of the journey, to the northern extremity of Point of Ayre, takes you past the dune-rich nature reserve of Cronk y Bing, a favoured breeding ground for wading birds including oystercatchers and ringed plovers. If you visit in autumn, look out to sea for views of divers, grebes, sea ducks, skuas and various gulls.

You'll end up at another beautiful nature reserve, The Ayres, with its romantic lighthouse and carpets of gorse and heather.

These are just three wonderful driving routes on the island. For more touring inspiration, head to the Visit Isle of Man website.

Classic car insurance – for wonderful adventures in your classic

A big part of the joy of classic car ownership is being able to take your beloved vehicle out for a spin on some of Britain’s most beautiful roads – and, when it comes to thrilling driving routes, the beautiful Isle of Man is certainly well blessed.

Having the right classic vehicle insurance will provide the cover you need for this type of adventure, just as it will safeguard you against any misadventures back in the workshop or at your next historic car rally.

Contact us today to arrange the classic car insurance you’ll need for all your future adventures.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.