PORT ERIN (Villages & Resorts in Isle of Man)

Member Name: eoramha

Product:	Villages & Resorts in Isle of Man
Date:	25/11/02 (298 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Friendly, Beautiful, Diverse

Disadvantages: Cost of Living

"No matter which direction you approach Port Erin from, the views are always breathtaking"

It's true. I moved to Port Erin with my family earlier this summer, and my boyfriend will be joining us later this week. So far, I've hardly had a bad word spoken about it. I suppose it's because of the atmosphere. Port Erin is a seaside town, but without horrendous hustle and bustle. Yes, there are tourists but that only makes it more cheerful. People in Port Erin seem to have much more time for you than they would on tha mainland, and although the pace of life is slower we never miss a beat!

Port Erin is set around a bay (including Bradda head village) and the dramatic Milner tower always has a sunset behind it (to see it, try perso.libertysurf.co.uk/ian.davey/isle_of_man1.htm ). It takes about an hour of heavy walking to reach the tower, but it's well worth it.
It is more than you think to wake up every morning and be able to look out over such a scene, maybe that's why everyone here s so happy! Even in dull weather the sea has a majestic quality, and I can see why it has inspired so much poetry and creative writing.

Situated in the South West of the Island, Port Erin is about 30 minutes drive away from the capital, Douglas. Alternitavely, you can take the authentic steam railway, or just choose to look around the railway museum. Buses run regularly to most other towns on the island, and it is less than a 15 minute ride to the international airport, or 25 mintues to the English and irish sea Terminal.

For tourists, there is a formal promenade full of hotels and guests houses, or alternatively there are many quaint bed and breakfasts for very good prices, often included as a package with travel. I would suggest the Cherry Orchard Hotel and the Anchorage Guest house, both very different styles but clean and comfortable. For tourists, there is a good mixture of night life and sightseeing. There is a guided
nature walk round the bay in summer, or you can walk round it at your own leisure in the winter months.
The town hosts several pubs, the best being The Haven and The Bay, both of which are reasonably priced with a relaxed atmosphere. For the young at heart, the town has nightclub, Talons, which thrives at the weekend and has a very friendly, non threatening atmosphere. For the more devoted clubber, Douglas has several clubs and bars. Port Erin has a variety of restaurants including chinese and pizza take-aways and the beautiful Falcon's nest hotel, as well as a supermarket for the budding chef! Although beware, unless you are a P>E resident the larger shops do try to charge tourists more than is neccessary.

Once place you must see whilst visitng Port Erin is Calf Sound,a natural island now used as a bird sanctuary. It is about 5 mintues drive from the Promenade and seals and their pups can often be seen basking on the rocks. Just a few minutes from this, the Manx museum and National trust maintain an outdoor folk museum, typical of the manx crofting way of life and these two locations will amply fill a relaxed days sightseeing.

Before tourism, Port Erin was a tiny fishing village, and it stills manages to maintain a lot of that quality today, a small local community, but still cater for tourists young and old alike. However, the Port contains a lot of Diversity, with a student marine biology laboratory lab and an international hotel school both on the Promenade.
Port Erin has become a popular location for filming, and this year both Andrea Corr and Steve Kemp have visited the town as part of big selling films. As well as all the breathtaking views, Port Erin is very self sufficient and has all the usual local amenities, such as a swimming pool, church, primary and secondary schools, Post Office, Medical Center, Funiture shop, Newsagent....you get the idea!

In summer, the town holds Surfing, water ski-ing and body boarding
lessons for residents and tourists, obviously at a cost but they look like tremendous fun! Also there are plenty of tracks for mountain bikers, an 18 hole golf course, tennis courts and bowling green. The local surf shop has some good qualoty clothes and is a regualr haunt for the local beach bums! For the less adventurous, there are regular quilting fairs and shows, as Mannin quilters meet here every week. There is also an annual Christmas fair at the Cherry Orchard Hotel.

This year saw Port Erin play host to an arts festival, which I'm told attracts artists and visitors alike every year. With a newly re-furbished arts centre there is place for the more cultured among us, there are regular musical recitals, amateur dramatics, art shows and society performances, usually very reasonably priced. To add to this, there is the beautiful Bridge bookshop, numerous antique stores and two of the best ice cream parlours on the island, even serving manx kipper ice cream

(not one I've ever been tempted to try!)

Well, what more can I say? Exceot that I bet you never thought so much diversity could be packed into such a small village which owes it's exitence mainly to the Victorians!

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