Too late to go to the IOM?

Hey guys I was thinking of going to the IOM this year and really have no idea what is the best way to get there and If it is too late to try. I would like to fly into London for a day or two and then maybe take a train to the coast, And then take the ferry, Does this sound CRAZY? Or is there still time and do you think I could still get a room for me and the old lady? Thanks guys and do people camp or bring tents I thought I heard this was true but that was a long time ago. Have a great day, Chuck. :?: :?: :?:

Perhaps not too late but it'll be be bloody expensive. Try getting in contact with the IOM tourist board. And yes people still camp out.
Cash

Biggest problem would be getting on the 'Steam Bucket' ferry I would have thought as this late stage?

http://www.steam-packet.com/SteamPacket ... ManTT.aspx

Hi Hortons Norton,

I would recommend the Manx Grand Prix for the classic bikes.
Great place loads to see & do even if it is in a bit of a time warp.
If you are not taking a bike over I believe you can fly from south coast Bournemoth /southampton.

LAB I thought they were called the 'STEAM RACKET COMPANY'
I would definetly contact the IOM tourist board as Cash suggested as I have found them very helpfull in the past.
Regards Hursty.

Thanks Cash, L.A.B. and Hursty, I will contact the IOM tourist board and find out the best way to get from London to the IOM. I would like to see the country side so the train seemed like a good idea, Maybe not??? If anyone else has done this trip please let me know how you did it and maybe some tips as to good places to eat and stay. Also where would be a good place to watch from, And maybe things to be sure not to miss. Thanks again you guys are the best, Chuck.

You can fly to the Island and you'll need to hire a car there if you want to watch at various points on the circuit.

I have been to the TT once and we camped at "Sulby Claddah" just on the Sulby Straight. It's a council run campground and it cost.....nothing!

It's going to rain, you know that don't you?

My wife and I went to the Grand Prix at the IOM last year. As part of the 100 year celebration the Vincent club was invited to do a "roads closed" lap of the IOM circuit. It was called a Parade Lap but it quickly turned into a race. In all 183 Vincents went around the course.

It was great fun, I had the old bike (47 Vincent twin) to 110 mph twice on the straights, and just ran the snot out of it . Unfortunately four bikes crashed, and two riders had to be airlifted to hospital, but they have both since recovered.
After a week at the IOM my wife and I did 2500 miles and three weeks of touring in Northern England and Scotland without so much as a hiccup from the old bike, so I was pretty pleased with it.
It was a an expensive trip, especially the IOM part. Then again it is bound to be expensive to fly your bike from Canada to the UK and tour for a full month, the fly the bike and yourself home again. It really was the trip of a lifetime and we only had three hours of rain to ride thru in the entire month.
On the IOM I can't really give you a good place to stay as the hotel we were put up in was costly and a bit of a dive, that just seems to be the standard in Douglas. The Steam Racket Ferry was also expense, return trip costing about $500 Cdn or U.S. for the bike and the two of us. I will never complain about BC ferries again, they are an absolute bargain in comparison.

I found accomodations and meals quite reasonable on the non IOM portion of the trip, generally between 50 and 70 pounds for a bed and breakfast, which is probably less expensive than here at home in Vancouver. We stayed in some really lovely old places, all of the breakfasts were excellent.

On the IOM we had our evening meals at the Creg na Baa pub, it was very good and quite reasonably priced. We mostly dined in pubs to keep the costs down. The few restaurant meals we had were subpar and very overpriced ($250 for dinner for two?)

Chuck,
The problem with the UK is if you don't book everything early you'll pay way over the odds. Trains for example could cost you over £300 each but if booked early enough as low as £50. Flying can often work out cheaper, while if you're walking passengers on the boat the cost can be reasonable. And don't forget petrol is £7.50 a gallon and rising. Hey! they've got to get tax from somewhere now they've sold every bloody asset Britain had.
The Tourist Boards of IOM and the mainland will guide you through the minefields.
Best of luck.
Cash

Thanks again guys, I kinda figured it would be a bit expensive, But if the wife says ok then I think we will go. I read about this place back in the 70's and found it to be a place I had to go and see. There is something about bikes and speed I just can't seem to get enough of, Then maybe later this summer I may get to go and see my brother (A world record holder) Sorry had to add that, run a Buell at Bonneville, What a great time that always is. It is a motorcycle only event and they bring out some great machines. In 2006 I saw a streamline bike go over 350 MPH. I really hope this works out as I would love to see London and go to the Ace Cafe and then see the races on the IOM, Thanks again and have a great day, Chuck.

If you're really going to go through London, I would recommend taking the train from there via Preston to Blackpool (about 4 hours), then taking the short commuter flight across to the Island (takes about 30 minutes). Shop carefully with Virgin Trains on the cheapest fares. I found a difference of about 6:1 between regular fares and the cheapest off-peak ones a couple of years ago.

From bitter experience, I would avoid Heathrow airport like the plague. A BA pilot was suspended a couple of years ago after his announcement "Welcome to Heathrow - the only building site in the world with its own airport".

From LA, you might be able to get a direct flight to Manchester then from there to the Island. Glasgow or Edinburgh would be better than LHR, connecting from LA via Amsterdam, Copenhagen or Frankfurt. There might even be direct flights to IOM from those European cities.

When you get there, you simply have to watch a race from Rhencullen ( not sure if i spelt it right) there's a spot you can sit on the grass bank 5 yards from the track and the bikes come towards you almost straight at you with the front wheel in the air, put the wheel down and turn right just before they hit you!
It's unbelievable.