My First Ride on the Isle of Man
We boarded the ferry at around 4 p.m. after landing from our trans-Atlantic flights in Edenborough, Scotland, driving down to Liverpool, U.K., and staying overnight at a hotel. We had packed, shopped for necessities, and had a nice walk about in Liverpool. But now, we headed for our final destination—taking our FuelStopChats podcast on the road internationally to the Isle of Man and the TT races!
The ferry loaded like a well-oiled machine, the workers getting bikes on board first, then cars in what seemed like a floating motorcycle rally. After the bikes were strapped in and the cars parked, the participants in this waterborne circus made their way to the upper decks for a three-hour cruise.
A word of advice when planning your Isle of Man journey—start planning early and base your dates around the ferry crossing. Ferry tickets from the Isle of Man Steamer Company sell out fast, and there are only so many crossings per day, both there and back. Make sure you have tickets to get to your destination before booking camp sites, house rentals, or hotel rooms.
The disembarking process went as smoothly as the loading. Soon, we were off to find our Airbnb that we booked for the first few nights. Although Chris and I had planned on camping (due to no other options), a few Airbnb locations became available two weeks before our departure date, so we made a quick change to cut back on the gear we would need for the trip. Nothing against camping, I love it, but if I do not have to bring all my camping and riding gear and anything else I wanted to take on a holiday, then I will forgo the camping experience for a warm bed in a house with a kitchen.
Day 1 on the Isle
We had driven to the ferry in a car and rented bikes on the Isle, so we were up early to retrieve them. It was a quick walk to Isle of Man Motorcycle Adventures to meet Mike Banks, the owner of a local spot a block away from the start and finish line of the race in Douglas, to sign for our mighty steeds for the next few days. We were happy to pick up two Yamaha Tracer 700s. The process was efficient in Mike’s kitchen, and we signed for the bikes and were off. First on the list—ride the circuit!