Exploring the North

It started as a pretty decent morning. This is the beach in front of the hotel in which we stayed in Douglas.



I'm sure that in the summer, this is a busy place. There are all sorts of hotels and even the Opera House is located here.

As we drove north, the weather got steadily worse. The clouds blotted out the sun and the constant wind, while not freezing, was insistent on getting through my coat.

Our first stop was a place called Cashtal yn Ard, one of the largest and best preserved neolithic cairns in in Britain. On a clear day (what is that?), it is said that you can see all the way to the Lake District in England. We did not see that. We saw clouds and fog. And an amazing collection of standing stones that remain after nearly 3800 years.

This barrow was originally covered in dirt and formed the burial place for five people.

Getting here was an adventure. We drove off the main road down a long (but still paved) track that seemed to only get narrower with distance. Finally we turned on a track no wider than our car, forded a stream and began climbing a hill. There was really no place to park (by our definition), so E pulled the car into the edge of a pasture and I took off the rest of the way on foot. The site is located in the corner of a sheep pasture and is fenced off from the roving animals.

Once cold and well blown about, our next stop was Ramsey. The third largest settlement on the island.

Being an island, there is a great interest in lifeboats.

And, of course, the lifeboats being survivors back to land and they are frequently compelled to give thanks. Just around the corner is St. Paul's church where, no doubt, many did just that.

Next to the church are these decorated benches with reminders of the Viking raid of more than a millennium ago.

Nowadays, the shore has, among other things, dry docks.

After a bite of lunch, we headed north again, this time all the way to the northern tip of the island, Point of Ayre. Here is a large and small lighthouse. Below is a photo of the smaller one. About as close to the end of the island as it is possible to get without wading in.