Thinking of heading to the Road Racing Capital of The World, maybe for the TT races? RC Clubman Geof Staples is a native, and spills the beans on how to make the most of your trip...

It has come to pass that certain RCers have asked me, as a resident of the Mecca of Motorcycling to give the lowdown on visiting Manxland.

Why might I want to visit the Isle of Man, you may ask? Well, unless you have lived on another planet for the last 98 years, you will, almost certainly, as a motorcyclist have heard of the TT Races, and probably the Manx Grand Prix too.

Much has been written by others about the TT, with regard to the racing etc. My intention here is to say very little about that, but concentrate on how to get to the Island, where to stay when you have arrived, and what you should look out for.

Believe it or not, it is not that easy. I was born and brought up on the Isle of Man, I have lived here for all but a short period of my life, so telling someone how to get here is not as easy as it sounds. (I'm much more expert at getting off the place!).

The TT is still regarded by many as the ultimate pilgrimage for motorcyclists. The racing is still superb, the atmosphere is brilliant. For two weeks in late May/early June, the Island is awash with bikes of all shapes and sizes, from rat bikes to the latest exotica.

40 years ago, the TT was THE meeting of the year. Steam Packet boats sailed around the clock, full of bikes and riders. These days, visitor numbers are smaller and boats are fewer in number.

This is where problem Number One arises. Many people book their TT sailing a year in advance. It can be hard to get a ferry sailing at short notice. Problem Number Two is that they usually book their accommodation a year in advance too, leaving very little for latecomers.

Random TT Stuff on eBay.co.uk

Getting Here

If you want to bring your bike, then practically the only way is by ferry. The only ferry operator is the Isle of Man Steam Packet. I have heard much in the way of both praise and complaint about their service.

Most of the complaints are about the cost of fares, which are supposed to compare badly with cross-Channel ferries. I personally don't think the fares are too bad, when you take into consideration that there is no competition, and probably about 1000th of the traffic. Many visitors don't think about this, they just complain.

Early booking and booking via the internet can often result in discounts and there are usually special packages available. Information regarding timetables and fares can be found online at www.steam-packet.com or 01624 661661

Sailings are available from Liverpool and Heysham in England, and Belfast and Dublin in Ireland.

You can do it on the cheap; Joey Dunlop used to sail over from Ireland on a fishing boat (complete with all of his bikes) until the boat sank one year (complete with all the bikes) and very nearly bringing an end to Joey and brother Robert. With typical Dunlop sang-froid, the bikes were salvaged, stripped, and the parts soaked in diesel. The bikes were rebuilt and ready to be raced within a few days.

One way of keeping costs down, employed by many, is to beg, steal, borrow, or even hire a suitable van, and load it up with as many bikes as you can get in it.

Although higher fares apply to vans, it still works out quite cheap if the costs are split between a group. The riders can either travel as foot passengers, or cram into the van (but make sure you have a ticket!!)

Alternatively, there are numerous flights to the Island, from airports all round Britain, such as Gatwick, London City, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool to name but a few. Unless you can charter something suitable though, I'm afraid your bike will stay behind.

Further details can be obtained on line at www.iom-airport.com , or the following airlines:

Loganair. Glasgow, Edinburgh www.loganair.co.uk

Staying Here

Due to falling visitor numbers, which have been in decline since the 70s with the arrival of cheap package holidays in the Med, there is now much less tourist accommodation available. If you want to stay in a hotel, or even a guesthouse or B&B, you will have to book very early, usually six months in advance at the very least. The lack of accommodation means that prices tend to be a tad high. Do not despair, however, there are other options.

The Isle of Man Government realised that there was a problem and responded with a scheme called 'Homestay'. This is very simple, what it means is that ordinary folk can apply to use their private homes as holiday accommodation. There are standards that have to be met, so there are safeguards in place. Homestay is much cheaper than the average B&B, it just means that you literally share someone's home with them, just as if you were staying with family or friends. The scheme has been very successful.

If you want to do it even more cheaply, there are a number of good campsites. Of course, the weather cannot be guaranteed, so make sure that you have a good quality tent and space to pack some dry clothes. Generally, crime is low on the Island, bike theft is virtually non-existent, but don't get carried away. There are always a few light-fingered types about, and unfortunately, not all bikers are as honest as we might like to think. Regular police patrols are usually made of the campsites, but we can't be there 24 hours a day.

The main campsites are Glen Lough, Glen Wyllin, Cronk-ny-Mona, Greeba and Peel. With the exception of Peel they are all either on, or within five minutes walk of the course. Glen Lough, just a few minutes outside of Douglas, the islands capital, is particularly good, with excellent facilities and cooked food available on site. If you pitch your tent in the right spot, you can almost watch the races from your tent.

Peel is next to the municipal swimming pool and five minutes walk from the town centre, Glen Wyllin, in Kirk Michael is five minutes walk from the course, and about the same from the beach. The Mitre Hotel nearby serves good food and good beer. Its beer garden overlooks the course. Heaven!

All pubs in the Island are biker friendly, (they can't afford not to be). Most owners' clubs have a TT meeting too. Triumph, Norton, Honda, Vincent and Velocette, to name a few. There is loads of entertainment, the best of which is free, that is, watching bikes go by. Stunt riding and mini-moto racing is laid on in Douglas, there is beach moto-cross and a sprint on Ramsey promenade. There are often live music gigs and theatre shows too.

More information can be obtained about accommodation and campsites and events from the Isle of Man Department of Tourism, tel. 01624 686766, e-mail tourism@gov.im or on the net at www.visitisleofman.com, Homestay, tel 01624 686802.

If you don't want to make all of the arrangements yourself, there are package deals available:-

Travel Services Ltd, tel. 01624 661177, www.isleofmantravel.com

Next installment: Geof reveals what else you can do when you get to the Island (apart from watching motorbikes go round and round in circles), and which events offer the most entertainment for RealClassic fans...