Rumline around Britain: May 20 Choo Choo a passage to Port Erin

It is all too easy to sail into a harbour, sail out the next day and never see anything but boats and the nearest pub before setting sail and departing. Fighting the urge to press on yesterday it was a day to stop and go inland and explore the Isle of Mann. After all when an I likely to return.
In keeping with the slow travel ethos my crewmate insisted that we take the steam-train across the island. We took the bus to the main "city" Douglas, they have a Tesco, and found the Victorian train station. If the BBC needs a movie set they could move the cameras right in without much alteration. Vintage wooden benches, a place to buy tea and lemon drizzlecake, served on china by a tea lady Uptstairs Downstairs lookalike not a cappucino stand in sight, chintz, dollies and homemade cakes. Only the fleece-wearing passengers indicated that we had not been transported back to 1939. We boarded the train a picnic of triffle in our bag and with the unique smell, blasts of steam, and that endearing steam whistle choo choo we slowly pulled out of the station. The route took us across the island's interior, past gentle rolling hills and fields, lambs frolicking in the early summer sun, past glens with their rich moist earthy smell, woodlands stuill carpeted with the gentle blue of bluebells. How delicious to smell land after being at sea. the beautiful little train stopped at several stations, pristine loved full of flowers and smart uniformed attendants. British rail could learn a lesson or two from these men after all this was the railway that inspired Thomas the Tank Engine. We ate our trifle as we chug chugged along being pulled across the isle by a giant locomotive Aga. Bliss. Deposited at Port Erin we were content and pleased we took the time to stop and look.

The beautiful little train