Amanda goes to the Isle of Man for the enduro and stays for the ice cream.

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY AMANDA

I find myself in a confused state of disorientation, having to wind the script back in my head to what brought me here, in order to remember where ‘here’ is, exactly. Endless coastlines, an abundance of forests, a floating castle, ancient woodlands, and so many wildflowers that I can set my eyes on a big fluffy bumble bee almost every waking moment. The friendly locals are so enthusiastic about visitors to the island they share all the important information without prompting. Did you know there are no squirrels, foxes or badgers on the Isle of Man? That makes for some happy chickens. What they lack in common wildlife, they gain with a population of wild wallabies on the north of the island.

This sunny oasis feels like a holiday I couldn’t possibly afford, so I revel in the fact that it’s a location I can access without using an airport and set out to make the most of my first trip here.

Aaron waiting for the uplift operator.

Staying over

Rhys, Vicky, Aaron and I were tempted over the waters by a two-day stage race, the Manx MTB Enduro, and had our arses handed to us over ten stages of unbelievable natural trails. All averaging around four minutes in length at race-pace with plenty of technicalities to challenge even the strongest racers, we ended the weekend dazed and humbled. So naturally, pestering a Manxman for a local loop to stretch out the postrace aches and pains the day after, seemed the obvious move.

Robin Simpson-Green was our guide, though it’s worth noting that he doesn’t have any guiding qualifications. Or any experience with GPS, route plotting, or possibly even the internet. He’s also not originally from the Isle of Man. He sent me a copy of a newspaper article about last year’s race by post, so he’s not in my WhatsApp contacts and I found myself making arrangements by text message. This was fine, but didn’t allow for much route checking prior to meeting up for the ride. We really put our trust in him as we set off with absolutely no idea of how far we’d be riding…