h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Pimms, I shied away from doing an Isle of Man entry, because it's 29 years since I was last there. But then I thought, lots of it won't have changed. So I wrote down some of the stuff I remember. But then I thought that some of the attractions may have closed down and there might be new ones.

So I need someone who knows the island. Would you like to collaborate? Or would you prefer to write a much better entry yourself and claim all the glory? Have a look at my first attemt at A and let me know what you think.

G

A1082251

I would be happy to collaborate . As you may have realised I did plan to write such an entry myself A1009720, but it is only disjointed jottings, like the half dozen or so other entries that exist on the subject.

As is clear your entry is slanted toward the tourist and mine (such as it is) toward the person considering living on the island.

Would you like to use this conversation to discuss queries and suggestions, or start a conversation on your entry? If you are happy I would be glad to contribute suggestions and research while you tackle the task of writing the beautiful prose. In your experience how do collaborative entries normally work?

Pimms

I would be happy to collaborate . As you may have realised I did plan to write such an entry myself A1009720, but it is only disjointed jottings, like the half dozen or so other entries that exist on the subject.

As is clear your entry is slanted toward the tourist and mine (such as it is) toward the person considering living on the island.

Would you like to use this conversation to discuss queries and suggestions, or start a conversation on your entry? If you are happy I would be glad to contribute suggestions and research while you tackle the task of writing the beautiful prose. In your experience how do collaborative entries normally work?

Pimms

Up to now, collaborative entries I've been involved in have worked by me writing the whole thing. Other people make a few comments and get their name on the entry.

In this case, I'd expect a bit more input from you. I know nothing whatsoever about the current economic climate, the Manx Museum, the Tourist Trophy. I also don't know whether Douglas Lighthouse is still open to tours, whether the Camera Obscura still exists or how the Manx Cattery in Noble's Park is doing. Tourism in general - I noticed a big difference between 1964 and 1974 - in 74, there was a general feeling of coming to the end of an era. Places were closing down and nothing new was being opened to replace them. What's it like now?

You're welcome to do as much or as little as you want, and your name will get equal footing on the final product, although my name will appear first on the list of researchers (I can't help that).

Expect some data and links fairly soon. Do you have a deadline? I am slightly stressed at work, being peripherally involved in a double murder trial.

PL

No deadline at all. Take your time.

Have read throught your draft entry, and checked some points out:

The Three Legs:
The three legged Celtic symbol is known as a 'triskele' or 'triskelion' (see http://www.heraldica.org/topics/triskele.htm) rather than a swastika

Basic facts available at http://www.gov.im/isleofman/facts.xml

typo: caltrap > caltrop

Re Douglas:
Camera Obscura: currently closed for some years: see http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/towns/douglas/cobscura.htm

take off the /cobscura bit and you will find links to the lighthouse, and Gaiety Theatre (recently refurbished, well worth a visit - they do tours to show the working Corsican trap)

Horse-drawn trams still run during the summer along the Promenade.

The Manx cattery is long gone from Nobles Park, though its location is still noted on some maps.

Louis Tussauds Waxwork museum is not on the island - there is one, I believe still in Blackpool.

Since you visited there have been major improvements to the Manx Museum due to the work of Manx National Heritage, that now boasts several excellent sites around the island each themed to cover different aspects of Manx history (http://www.gov.im/mnh/assets.asp):

I can't claim to have visited them all, but can thoroughly recommend the House of Mannanan in Peel,
Grove House in Ramsey (a Victorian House hardly changed since 1900, apart from renovation as a museum), and
Cregneash Village Folk Museum (best to visit when they have days with recreations of traditional crafts, spinning, weaving, hay making etc.)

The three railways are all still operating, so no changes needed there.

The TT had a hiatus of a year while there was the foot and mouth epidemic in the UK in 2001, but has run for the last two years ok. There has been long running controversy in the motorcycling world, as it remains, for some, an unacceptably dangerous course. It is a rare year there isn't at least one fatality. For more on the TT see http://www.mcb.net/ttraces/tt.html or http://www.ttwebsite.com/
The humpbacked bridge is at Ballaugh (some would say one of the the best vantage points to watch the TT at)
There is only one point named as a hairpin, where riders are leaving Ramsey to go up to the mountain road.
The Manx sheep where both sexes can grow horns is the Loghtan http://www.iomguide.com/loghtansheep.php
- if this doesn't work try http://www.iomguide.com/ and search for 'sheep'


The manx-cured kippers are interesting because although still traditionally cured on the Island (and exported worldwide http://www.isleofmankippers.com/) for many years the herring were mostly imported from Norway, due to the almost complete depletion of herring stocks in the Irish sea. Since 2001 however there are a couple of boats being subsidized to provide a 100 tonne herring quota to support the island kipper industry. http://www.dfu.min.dk/pfisk/uk/news/rawmaterial.html (search for 'manx')

This should keep you going Gnomon

Pimms

sorry, one duff link, try this instead: http://www.gov.im/mnh/assets.asp

Thanks for all that. I'll try and get it into the entry in the next couple of days. I'll let you know.

I had second thoughts and checked and both caltrap and caltrop are acceptable spellings. I was just more familiar with the second one

I'm working on this very slowly.

Have you ever heard the legend that the Isle of Man was formed when the giant Manannán Mac Lír picked up part of Northern Ireland and flung it into the Irish Sea? The hole he left behind became Lough Neagh.

No. But I think this just reflects my mythic ignorance. Certainly the name Mannanan (which I imagined to be 'the spirit of Mann')comes up frequently at the 'The House of Mannanan' in Peel, which has video commentary by a bearded bloke (Mannanan) detailing the waves of settlement the Island went through in its history.

Pimms

Other people in the office have confirmed the folklore. I'm not sure where the n's should go in mannananan

So there are Manx people who know the legend of ... whoever it was and the lake left as a hole etcetera.

Pimms

PS on another folklore theme a common superstition on the island relates to mentioning rats, or rather not mentioning them - why I have no idea, but they are nearly always referred to as 'longtails'.

It may have some link with the limited ecology of the island. As with Ireland, there are some animals conspicuous by their absence, snakes for instance, also foxes and badgers.

Other people in the office have confirmed the folklore. I'm not sure where the n's should go in mannananan

So there are Manx people who know the legend of ... whoever it was and the lake left as a hole etcetera.

Pimms

PS on another folklore theme a common superstition on the island relates to mentioning rats, or rather not mentioning them - why I have no idea, but they are nearly always referred to as 'longtails'.

It may have some link with the limited ecology of the island. As with Ireland, there are some animals conspicuous by their absence, snakes for instance, also foxes and badgers.

I've tidied up the Manx Animals section.

Would you like to write something about Government / the House of Keys / The Tynwald?

And something about Douglas?

I'll try and provide something shortly on Tynwald.

Entry is looking good Some sentences near the start seem a trifle cumbersome at first sight (I'm thinking of the one about guaranteed sunshine)

I don't want this to end up a paean to locomotives but for completeness I should mention that there is *another* (short) steam railway, that has been renovated and is run by enthusiasts, at Groudle Glen. http://www.isle-of-man.com/heritage/transport/ggr.htm 'groudle steam' in google will provide a number of sites for further info - it appears to be a two foot narrow gauge railway.

Pimms

I've more or less written all I can find out about the Isle of Man. From here on, it's up to you, although I'll happily read and suggest changes to anything you write.

I'm not trying to put any pressure on you. After all, I've waited 30 years before writing this entry!

Ooooooo, I was just thinking about writing of the history of Tynwald. I was last there 3 weeks ago!!

Go ahead Kaz, I have been under some RL pressures that have pushed this down my priority list - if you are writing a whole entry on the subject it could get linked to this, but I guess Gnomon will still need a paragraph summarising what Tynwald is for this entry.

Pimms