The circus comes to town... hello TT

The Isle of Man is known for a few things - kippers, tail-less cats, having the world's oldest continuous parliament, wind - but the TT Races are really what it's all about. 

For 2 weeks in late May/early June the island comes alive to the sound of revs, throttles and speeding engines that signal (as the islanders and many fans will boast) the greatest motorcycle road race in the world. Around 40,000 people visit the island during TT - which means that IOM's population increases by around 50% for that time. The race is renowned across the world, as evidenced by finding TT paraphernalia in a bar in Peru on honeymoon,  and, when Husband and I went to Croatia this weekend, our first conversation with a Croatian (our taxi driver):

Taxi driver: So, where are you from?
Us: [Pause whilst we weigh up IOM, or the easier London]... umm, London, I guess
Taxi driver: Ahh. Can I ask, do you know Liverpool?
Us: Yes..
TD: Is it possible to get a ferry from Liverpool to the Isle of Man? I want to go to the TT...
Us: ... Well actually...

Flags and lights decorate the prom

Having only seen a few days of TT fever so far, it's obvious that this is what the island lives for... shops are open longer hours; there's a fairground being set up at the moment on the prom; there are people out and about beyond 8pm enjoying the atmosphere and having drinks in the bar marquee at the end of the prom; people queuing up to get a book signed by one of the racing heroes, or heading out for bike rides, or fixing them up parked outside of hotels...

This week, we're in qualifying, and with the races scheduled to start on Saturday, here are a few stats and figures about the races.

• The course is 37.73 miles in length, starts and finishes in Douglas.
• The course is the same as when it started in 1911. 
• It is raced on public roads, over mountains (ok, mountains for the IOM), and through tiny villages - even animals are moved out of fields after a particularly nasty incident one year involving a horse and a speeding motorbike. 
• There are several race categories but the main event, the Senior TT, takes place on the final afternoon and comprises 6 laps of the course.
• Riders can reach speeds of up to 200mph in some sections of the course. The fastest lap in 2013 was 17:12:30, with an average speed of 131.578mph.
• On average, 3 racers die each competition. Sad face.

Oh, and there are So. Many. Bikes. The photo I have below really doesn't show how many bikes there are around, but hopefully there will be more to come. Next week, my brother comes to town, so tomorrow's project is working out where the best viewing spots are...

Just a few of the bikes parked up along the prom

Enjoying a few evening drinks on the prom

Apparently, this dude is a big deal. (No relation).

Dy bannee diu & failt!

Dy bannee diu & failt!

Or, hello and welcome for those non-Manx speakers among you - of whom I suppose there are a few.

A few months ago, I moved to the Isle of Man because the husband took a job here. Well, technically, he moved - I came across on weekends and headed back to London to my job during the week. As much fun as spending half my life in Ronaldsway/Gatwick/City airport is, the time had come to finally come to put all my clothes in a cupboard, stash my suitcase under the bed and spend more than 48 hours a week with my recently acquired husband.

So, to keep me busy, encourage me to explore the island and discover all that's interesting and fun and worth doing, I've set up this blog to serve as an account of the transition from the helter-skelter that is London to island living on a decidedly more relaxed scale.

Hopefully this way you'll also be able to see what I'm up to and see how life works when there isn't a bus/tube/train every 5 minutes, you can't buy a pint of milk at 3 am but you can escape to the countryside in less than 10 minutes without the eye-inducing train fares or negotiating the M25.

Enjoy, and see you around.

Fi x