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

Hiya Pimms,

I would like to have a go, but it may take me a while too, I may decide to pop back and get more info!! I would like to keep you posted so you can check for any errors maybe, I take it you live there, so its only polite for me to ask you!! I have relatives there, outside Ramsay, and used to have relatives in Laxey. I read the comments on Ramsay you know!! Maybe I should write something on that as well, afterall there is the Gibbs of the Grove and Glen Audlyn as well.

Whereabouts do you live? I also saw your comment about the double murder case you are working on, was that the one involving the kids who were in care over there? Don't worry I understand if you can't answer that one.

Bye for now, and nice to meet you!

Nearly forgot theres a debate here about the IOM and whether it is part of the UK or not, the debate starts on the second page...
F19585?thread=330576

Hi, Kaz!

I'd be delighted if you could help write this entry, because I know Pimms is very busy at the moment. Just post anything you've written here and I'll paste it into the entry and make you a co-author. I'll ask Pimms to check everything before we submit the entry to Peer Review.

I know that the entry needs something on Tynwald and a few paragraphs on Douglas, particularly the Manx Museum, so if you could provide any of those, it would be great! If there are other areas you feel I've neglected, let me know.

Hi Gnoman, glad to be on-board!

Anybody know if Dhoon Glen is opened yet, its been shut a year I think?

I haven't been down it to check, but the tapes across the entrance are no longer there. (Gnomon - there were considerable floods caused by heavy rains in October 2002 that caused damage to riverside buildings and bridges, sweeping some away)

Pimms

the thread mentioned in post 22 has resulted in an entry worth linking to: A1912213 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - Some history and definitions

For more on the Manx legislative differences typified by Tynwald you can find out more than you want to know at www.tynwald.org.im/

How to usefully summarise it is another matter

As far as Manx Museum in Douglas the http://www.gov.im/mnh/ site will provide info.

I'd lose the mention of the Lighthouse and trim the detail on the railways (which I guess I find less interesting than you ) -though I would say that for the lazier hillwalker using the Mountain Railway to take you to the top of Snaefell for a pleasant almost-all-downhill walk back to Laxey is a top tip.
Walkers in the Isle of Man can have almost as much fun as railway enthusaiasts, with the coastal path which runs around the island, the Millennium Way that goes from North to South, and the annual sponsored (24hour) Parish Walk that is over 80 miles long (and visits every parish church I think)

Pimms (still trying to juggle too many commitments)

PS Hope the fast went well Gnomon

Pimms, thanks for the suggestions. Since I don't feel competent to write anything about Douglas based purely on other websites and my own memories of it are too out of date, I can only rely on you. But you are obviously too busy to write at the moment.

So I'm putting this entry back into my "work in progress" section, where it can sit for ever, or until you have the time to do some work on it.

Pimms, would you have twenty minutes to spare to finish this entry off? As far as I can tell, it needs:

1. A few sentences on Douglas Lighthouse
2. A few sentences on the Douglas Manx Museum
3. A paragraph about Tynwald Hill, also mentioning the Manx Government, the House of Keys etc.

Of course, I may be doing your island an injustice; there may be huge parts of the island that I have not mentioned.

If you don't feel that you can do it justice, perhaps I should put it into the Collaborative Writing Workshop.

G

I feel unqualified to speak about the three areas you want. I'd probably use the websites to get info - let my mouse do the walking.

I'll reread the entry and see if I can't come up with some other feedback.

P

Right.

If I were you, I'd lose the Douglas Lighthouse, as it isn't a significant or particularly memorable tourist attraction.

I'd also lose the 'Douglas' mention of the Manx Museum and instead expand under a subheading of 'the Manx Museum', explaining that it consists of several excellent sites around the island, each site covering different aspects of the 'Story of Mann' and provide a link to http://www.gov.im/mnh/

In addition to covering motorbikes and railways you ought to mention the walking opportunities which certainly throughout the summer are a tourist attraction. There are numerous glens (generally offering paths through wooded valleys following a stream or river to the sea) as well as more ambitious walks such as:

the Millennium Way, the first long-distance footpath (25 miles), officially established in 1979 to celebrate the Millennium year of the Manx Parliament, Tynwald. The path links Ramsey to Castletown through the centre of the island. The route was once known as the Royal Way and is recorded in the 13th Century Chronicles of the Kings of Mann and the Isles.
An experienced walker could do it in a single day, but for those not up to the challenge the trail can be broken down into three sections.

and

Raad ny Foillan (Road of the Gull), which is a rugged path circling the whole island offering excellent cliff top views and coastal walks. The trail is 90 miles long and was created to mark the Heritage Year Celebrations in 1986.

Ther are also the Heritage Trail (10 miles between Douglas and Peel along the former railway line) and the Herring Way (14 miles between Peel and Castletown, following route formerly taken by the fisherman travelling between the ports).

Details on all these (with maps) can be found at the IOM Guide site http://www.iomguide.com/footpathsmap.php

There is also the annual 'Parish Walk' run in June a gruelling 85 mile walking race in 24 hours covering all 17 parishes of the Island. About 1000 people start, but this year only 100 completed the course in the time limit.


In the animals section:
Worth adding the word 'native' before foxes, as although illegal foxes have somehow found their way on to the island ( http://www.travelersguideforthedisabled.co.uk/Isle%20of%20man/Islandfacts.htm this site gives a very good summary of island facts, the only error being that as a result of the costly effects on airlines of 9/11 Manx Airlines no longer exists, having been swallowed by British Airways).

On Manx Cats it would be worth adding that their mutation is a recessive characteristic which is injurious to offspring inheriting it from both parents. Apparently there are three viable cat types carrying the 'Manx' gene - Rumpy (no tail), Stumpy (very short tail) and Long (normal tail, but carrying 'Manx' gene) (http://www.wtv-zone.com/BigCats/cat/cabbit.html) Kittens with two 'Stumpy' parents are likely to be 'Cabbits' where spinal deformity with further missing vertebrae makes them appear to be a cross between a cat and a rabbit.

Pimms