| Many people who have never been to the
Isle of Man are not sure exactly where it is! The answer is that it
lies in the Irish Sea, between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales,
less than 60 miles west of the Lancashire coastline, and it is easy
to get to thanks to excellent air and sea services.
The Island is a unique self-governing kingdom - a Crown
dependency which belongs to neither the UK nor the European Union.
It has its own parliament (called Tynwald), laws, traditions,
culture, cuisine and postage stamps. But as a holiday island it is
best known for its very agreeable and relaxed pace of life, along
with a wealth of attractions and places to stay. And while other
differences include the Manx language and currency (though English
is the spoken tongue and English and UK currencies are accepted
everywhere), there are also reassuring familiarities - such as
driving on the left and road signs in English.
Where is the main centre of the Island?
The thriving east coast town and port of Douglas is the capital of
the Isle of Man. The hub of much Island activity, it offers a great
variety of accommodation, holiday attractions and other visitor
facilities such as first-class shopping, banks, building societies,
and car hire. Douglas is 16 miles from the northern coastal town of
Ramsey, 12 miles from Castletown on the south coast, and 11 miles
from the west coast port of Peel.
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