Easy enough start to the day, considering we are headed back across the water. Ordinarily the morning boat leaves at the ridiculous time of oh seven hundred or near as dammit. Today the boat left at ten. Luxury ou quoi? The Fletcher’s guests were a lot earlier at eight forty five and were asked to check in two hours before departure. Urgh.
We packed yesterday and all we had to do this morning were a few last minute bits and bobs. Sue dropped us off in Doolish. Heavy commuter traffic going into town and interestingly a highway board lorry was making its way around the road speed limit signs flipping them from the temporary 40mph put in place for the TT Festival back to the “unlimited” that is a feature of some of the island’s roads.
Long queue for foot passengers. Longest I’ve seen and we passed a sign saying the waiting list was full so presumably the boat is fully booked. We have seat reservations in the premium lounge. Sfine. In the lounge I bumped into old schoolmate Nicola Fletcher.
Now settled in the lounge and on the way to the Peul where we will spend a night. I like Liverpool. This boat enforces downtime. The Manx don’t call it a ferry. It is the boat. The telly is showing daytime TV with subtitles. Doesn’t make the programming content any more interesting. I have some stuff to watch on my phone but that is really a last resort.
There is a very long advert for Dormeo mattresses on the box. This must be a feature length advert unless we are tuned in to a shopping channel. Sigh.
On my third cup of tea in forty five minutes. Also third pack of stem ginger and dark chocolate biscuits. A nice dunk. Listening to my fave tunes on random play. Adds that little frisson of excitement, not knowing which tune is coming up next 🙂
So we’ve left our house on the Isle of man probably for the last time. The sale isn’t totally in the bag yet but it is looking that way and if it does go through as planned then I probs won’t be back before then. The house has served us well.
We had fantastic family holidays visiting mam and dad and the kids will all look back at the place with fondness. It is however time to hand it over to another family. I don’t do holiday homes.
This trip we visited most of the pubs in Peel we wanted to although the Miller’s T’Ale always seemed to be shut when we wanted to go there. Did make it once early in the hols. Also visited the Whitehouse, Royal, Peveril, Black Dog Oven and the Creek Inn. All very fine establishments. A pint of ale in the Royal is only three pounds twenty and he (Roy) chucks in free nuts!!! That’s nuts!!! The Peveril does a great pint of TT Landlord and I discovered Kaneen’s Pale Ale in the Creek. We used to get our petrol from Kaneen’s Garage in Union Mills. The Crosby was closed when we called by on Monday. Exhausted after two weeks of TT I guess.
It must be said the Jade Harbour chinese restaurant was two and a half stars at best. I’ll try to remember that for next time but there comes a time when you get fed up of pub grub and want something different.
A smooth crossing helped by some convivial conversation with our travelling companions. Bumped into old school friend @Nici Fletcher on the boat and had a nice chat. When we landed all car passengers left the Premium Lounge leaving only four of us to wait for our call. Then there was a bit of a scrum to pick up the luggage but an Uber was pleasingly very easy to pick up and we are now comfortably installed in the Doubletree. Thassit for now innit.