Isle of Man TT Advice
Discussion
Hi All,
I have been a fan of the TT for many years but never managed to make the trip, however a change of work schedule has opened up the chance to pop over for a few days during practice week this year and I am keen to have a look. The Steam Packets are understandably long booked up, and I don't ride a motorbike.
However I do have two options: I can board as a foot passenger on the Steam Packet to get over to the island or take a very reasonably priced flight from Liverpool. I am trying to workout if these options would allow me a reasonable level of access to the practice once i am there?
I have my eye on a glamping spot near Bray Hill but my main question is how viable is it to get around parts of the TT course during practice week without a bike or car? I am not set on a fully immersive few days, but would like to get a sense of the event from various spots and just enjoy being there.
I can see that there is a bus service available to get to some of the more remote parts of the course during practice week? Is this any good or am I setting myself up to be stuck in one spot for 3 nights? What is the state of play with getting to the Douglas area from the airport?
Any advice much appreciated as its all new to me!! Thanks.
I have been a fan of the TT for many years but never managed to make the trip, however a change of work schedule has opened up the chance to pop over for a few days during practice week this year and I am keen to have a look. The Steam Packets are understandably long booked up, and I don't ride a motorbike.
However I do have two options: I can board as a foot passenger on the Steam Packet to get over to the island or take a very reasonably priced flight from Liverpool. I am trying to workout if these options would allow me a reasonable level of access to the practice once i am there?
I have my eye on a glamping spot near Bray Hill but my main question is how viable is it to get around parts of the TT course during practice week without a bike or car? I am not set on a fully immersive few days, but would like to get a sense of the event from various spots and just enjoy being there.
I can see that there is a bus service available to get to some of the more remote parts of the course during practice week? Is this any good or am I setting myself up to be stuck in one spot for 3 nights? What is the state of play with getting to the Douglas area from the airport?
Any advice much appreciated as its all new to me!! Thanks.
Travel:-
Your best option is foot passenger from Liverpool with a mountain bike / ebike (not sure about where you would charge it there).
Make sure you have secure car parking in Liverpool or just get the train there (book the bike onto the train early to avoid issues).
Accommodation:-
Camping at Douglas Football Club up by Nobles Hospital is cheap with easy access to the old railway line cycle track (at Union Mills) between Douglas and Peel.
We did this for years until we graduated onto enduro's.
Spectating:-
As far as spectating goes, Bray Hill, Quarter Bridge, Bradden Bridge, Union Mills, Crosby Leap etc.. all have free spectating and are easy access.
Once you've been, all other motorsport will seem mundane and you'll want to go back.
Your best option is foot passenger from Liverpool with a mountain bike / ebike (not sure about where you would charge it there).
Make sure you have secure car parking in Liverpool or just get the train there (book the bike onto the train early to avoid issues).
Accommodation:-
Camping at Douglas Football Club up by Nobles Hospital is cheap with easy access to the old railway line cycle track (at Union Mills) between Douglas and Peel.
We did this for years until we graduated onto enduro's.
Spectating:-
As far as spectating goes, Bray Hill, Quarter Bridge, Bradden Bridge, Union Mills, Crosby Leap etc.. all have free spectating and are easy access.
Once you've been, all other motorsport will seem mundane and you'll want to go back.
The IoM combined Go Explore travel card is also worth looking at > https://www.iombusandrail.im/fares-and-go-cards/go...
daver1184 said:
Travel:-
Your best option is foot passenger from Liverpool with a mountain bike / ebike (not sure about where you would charge it there).
Make sure you have secure car parking in Liverpool or just get the train there (book the bike onto the train early to avoid issues).
Accommodation:-
Camping at Douglas Football Club up by Nobles Hospital is cheap with easy access to the old railway line cycle track (at Union Mills) between Douglas and Peel.
We did this for years until we graduated onto enduro's.
Spectating:-
As far as spectating goes, Bray Hill, Quarter Bridge, Bradden Bridge, Union Mills, Crosby Leap etc.. all have free spectating and are easy access.
Once you've been, all other motorsport will seem mundane and you'll want to go back.
Your right that every other Motorsport seems mundane by comparison, although I still go to BSB events. Your best option is foot passenger from Liverpool with a mountain bike / ebike (not sure about where you would charge it there).
Make sure you have secure car parking in Liverpool or just get the train there (book the bike onto the train early to avoid issues).
Accommodation:-
Camping at Douglas Football Club up by Nobles Hospital is cheap with easy access to the old railway line cycle track (at Union Mills) between Douglas and Peel.
We did this for years until we graduated onto enduro's.
Spectating:-
As far as spectating goes, Bray Hill, Quarter Bridge, Bradden Bridge, Union Mills, Crosby Leap etc.. all have free spectating and are easy access.
Once you've been, all other motorsport will seem mundane and you'll want to go back.
This year for the first time in many years (apart from Covid) I won’t be going to the TT. Last year just wore me down with the weather, continuous schedule changes and cancellations.
I’m sure I’ll be back next year.
OP, getting round by bus is really straightforward and the Steam Packet will release a number of available ferry places around March (which is when the people that paid a deposit haven’t completed).
You wont have any issues with getting around the island as it has every kind of public transport going and its generally cheap fares, if youve got a decent push bike id take it as itll be handy to get about being such a small island even if its just to go grab your dinner at a pub down the road. Dont worry about it being stolen either, the locals we stay with always say they can spot an english bike before they see the plates, as only non island bikes have locks on them and no ones going to steal it on the island.
Your defiantly better off going as a foot passenger on a ferry so you land in Douglas to make it easier to carry on from there over Ronaldsway airport thats sort of in the middle of nowhere.
Id be amazed if all availability is sold out to book a car/bike onto a ferry as we booked two motorbikes on last year a week before it started to go watch the last few days of racing and it was hardly any more cost wise than when we went the year before and booked early. Will be doing the same this year to see how the weather pans out and also because if my new Triumph doesnt arrive in time, i wont have a bike to take!
A foot passenger recommendation would be that you can get the tram from douglas to laxey then up the mountain to watch at bungalow, gives you some great views on the tram, then a great spot to watch the bikes and if the victory cafe gets opened up again a place to grab a beer if its hot, or a coffee if it isnt.
Your defiantly better off going as a foot passenger on a ferry so you land in Douglas to make it easier to carry on from there over Ronaldsway airport thats sort of in the middle of nowhere.
Id be amazed if all availability is sold out to book a car/bike onto a ferry as we booked two motorbikes on last year a week before it started to go watch the last few days of racing and it was hardly any more cost wise than when we went the year before and booked early. Will be doing the same this year to see how the weather pans out and also because if my new Triumph doesnt arrive in time, i wont have a bike to take!
A foot passenger recommendation would be that you can get the tram from douglas to laxey then up the mountain to watch at bungalow, gives you some great views on the tram, then a great spot to watch the bikes and if the victory cafe gets opened up again a place to grab a beer if its hot, or a coffee if it isnt.
TwentyFive said:
Hi All,
I have been a fan of the TT for many years but never managed to make the trip, however a change of work schedule has opened up the chance to pop over for a few days during practice week this year and I am keen to have a look. The Steam Packets are understandably long booked up, and I don't ride a motorbike.
However I do have two options: I can board as a foot passenger on the Steam Packet to get over to the island or take a very reasonably priced flight from Liverpool. I am trying to workout if these options would allow me a reasonable level of access to the practice once i am there?
I have my eye on a glamping spot near Bray Hill but my main question is how viable is it to get around parts of the TT course during practice week without a bike or car? I am not set on a fully immersive few days, but would like to get a sense of the event from various spots and just enjoy being there.
I can see that there is a bus service available to get to some of the more remote parts of the course during practice week? Is this any good or am I setting myself up to be stuck in one spot for 3 nights? What is the state of play with getting to the Douglas area from the airport?
Any advice much appreciated as it’s all new to me!! Thanks.
Fly and buy a Manx travel ticket for all the busses, trains and trams. It used to be about a tenner a day iirc and allows busses all round the island, the electic trams, steam trains in the clutch and mountain railway too. I have been a fan of the TT for many years but never managed to make the trip, however a change of work schedule has opened up the chance to pop over for a few days during practice week this year and I am keen to have a look. The Steam Packets are understandably long booked up, and I don't ride a motorbike.
However I do have two options: I can board as a foot passenger on the Steam Packet to get over to the island or take a very reasonably priced flight from Liverpool. I am trying to workout if these options would allow me a reasonable level of access to the practice once i am there?
I have my eye on a glamping spot near Bray Hill but my main question is how viable is it to get around parts of the TT course during practice week without a bike or car? I am not set on a fully immersive few days, but would like to get a sense of the event from various spots and just enjoy being there.
I can see that there is a bus service available to get to some of the more remote parts of the course during practice week? Is this any good or am I setting myself up to be stuck in one spot for 3 nights? What is the state of play with getting to the Douglas area from the airport?
Any advice much appreciated as it’s all new to me!! Thanks.
It’s great fun and a great way to experience the charm of the island on a first visit.
Looks like you've had all the answers you need, I'll just add that they even put on a bus service specifically to get spectators around the course, so you don't have to work out which bus to take to get to a particular viewing spot. It gets busy but it works well!
I had to use public transport one year when my bike broke down on the island and it was dead easy, and cheap.
I had to use public transport one year when my bike broke down on the island and it was dead easy, and cheap.
Thanks to this thread I have just booked tickets on the ferry for the first day of practise. I’m going with my brother on our E-bikes for the day. It’s going to be a very long day but I’m really looking forward to it, I say every year next year I’ll go but never do it, so thanks to the OP for giving me a virtual kick up the arse.
Last few years I've gone as a foot passenger with a tent, camped at the end of Glencrutchery Road, 10 minute walk into the paddock and all of the food/drink places, there's a huge Tesco on the route so you can go there also.
Never bothered with a bike but you can walk a few miles from there in the morning to get some decent viewing in, but we've contemplated getting a cheap pushbike to go further.
Never bothered with a bike but you can walk a few miles from there in the morning to get some decent viewing in, but we've contemplated getting a cheap pushbike to go further.
looksfast said:
At the risk of hijacking the OP's thread - I assume it's still worth a trip when the TT isn't on? I quite fancy a spin around the course when it might be quieter? Is that a bad idea for any reason?
I think it's a fantastic place to visit anytime, though make sure you go when the weather it nice if possible. Lots to do and explore. It's a cracking place and is certainly on the up from 20 or so years ago. If you're a petrol head you'll love the TT course, this history etc and obviously there are no speed limits on the unrestricted bits of road, most are a little frustrating as as soon and you open a bike up the speed limit drops again.... but once you get out of Ramsey and onto the mountain you've got miles of clear road to just crack on.
Alex9 said:
I think it's a fantastic place to visit anytime, though make sure you go when the weather it nice if possible. Lots to do and explore.
Lovely place to go anytime. Some gorgeous places to visit and Over the mountain is great. I,m going over for weekend in Feb Do a load of laps in a hire Car and drink some beer.
How easy is it to get to the different parts of the circuit when the roads are closed ? We will be on proper E MTB’s so terrain shouldn’t be a problem just don’t want to get lost and flatten our batteries with no way of charging them ( I was going to take a charger and see if we could pay someone for a top up if needed)
Harfi88 said:
Thanks to this thread I have just booked tickets on the ferry for the first day of practise. I m going with my brother on our E-bikes for the day. It s going to be a very long day but I m really looking forward to it, I say every year next year I ll go but never do it, so thanks to the OP for giving me a virtual kick up the arse.
A one day trip is very, very brave 
. As I am sure you are aware the Manx weather is notoriously fickle, best you pray to the gods that you get to see some action and not a lot of cloud and rain.For a one day visit you will have plenty of things to do and see without going very far on the e-bikes. There are lots of excellent viewing spots not far from the paddock / Grandstand that will keep you busy.
The bikes will be handy for getting back to the boat, it’s downhill all the way
bigmowley said:
A one day trip is very, very brave . As I am sure you are aware the Manx weather is notoriously fickle, best you pray to the gods that you get to see some action and not a lot of cloud and rain.
For a one day visit you will have plenty of things to do and see without going very far on the e-bikes. There are lots of excellent viewing spots not far from the paddock / Grandstand that will keep you busy.
The bikes will be handy for getting back to the boat, it s downhill all the way
The ferry crossing times are brutal for a day trip but it’s the only time this year I’ll get to go and I’m fed up of putting it off, I’m well aware of the weather having watched many years on TV and not living a million miles from Heysham we seem to get the same weather, if we don’t see any track action I’ll just be happy to go out for a day on the bikes with my brother. Sorry to hijack the OP’s thread btw but I thought it was good to keep to a single thread rather than start another along the same lines. . As I am sure you are aware the Manx weather is notoriously fickle, best you pray to the gods that you get to see some action and not a lot of cloud and rain.For a one day visit you will have plenty of things to do and see without going very far on the e-bikes. There are lots of excellent viewing spots not far from the paddock / Grandstand that will keep you busy.
The bikes will be handy for getting back to the boat, it s downhill all the way
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