Thinking of coming to the Isle of Man?
Firstly it’s a great idea. It’s a nice place. Crime is low and the natives are friendly. We’ve put together a few things to help you organise your trip. The list isn’t extensive and if you have any questions, please email ramseyrufc@manx.net This will put you in touch with Dave Christian our senior fixtures secretary. Dave has assisted many incoming trips and also organised tours for us. He arranged our away travel for ECC league matches too, so knows a bit about travel planning.
If you're coming with a Junior Tour we can do even better. Our Junior Rugby chief is Gareth Hinge MBE and he has a not for profit little scheme going called Isle of Man Rugby Tours. There's a link below to the website which has all you'll need to give your little cherubs a great tour.
How do we get here?
Unsurprisingly, as we’re on an Island, you’ll either have to come by sea or by air.
Sea Travel
This is generally the cheapest. There’s only one operator and it’s the Isle of Man Steam Packet company.They have sailings from Belfast, Dublin, Heysham and Liverpool. Call reservations on 00441624661661 if you have a big group. There's even a hyperlink below to take you to their website.
NB Never call this service a “ferry”. It’s known locally as simply “the boat”. The company has a fast craft and a slower craft. Both are known as “the boat”. Knowledgeable locals will be quick to tell you that a “ferry” is something that goes cross the Mersey!!
Both boats have comfortable passenger lounges and have licensed bars onboard.
Your group may need to check their bags in however there’s no charge for this, but you may need to allow for baggage reclaim in your timings, especially if your group is catching a train or has a bus waiting.
Air Travel
Aer Lingus, Easyjet and Loganair operate a variety of routes to and from the Island. Belfast, Dublin, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, London Gatwick, London City and London Heathrow are all on the list – however please check with the airline as routes can and do change.
While you can book via their websites, it’s a better idea to ring and ask for the Group Travel team. When costing your trips try and remember luggage. Lingus and Easyjet both charge extra for hold luggage while Loganair includes a hold bag and can seem much more expensive at first glance. For a two night stay, you may get away with hand luggage only, but if your backline (and loosehead props) all want to bring their hair straighteners and associated product, you may need hold bags.
How big is the place and how do we get around?
The Island is small. 32 miles from top to bottom and 12 miles across at its widest point. You can’t really drive for much more than half an hour before going into the sea!
First of all there’s the obvious coach hire. There’s only one coach company on the Island, its called Tours . They’re reliable and convenient. You may however find that Isle of Man coach hire is a little more expensive than your usual operator. This isn’t some attempt at rip off though, its just an everyday problem of Island life. There's a hyperlink to their website below.
There’s some minibus hire for up to 16 passengers. Google Isle of Man minibus hire and ring round for quotes. There’s the option for self-drive too.
Our Isle of Man bus service isn’t a bad option either. Remember though that these are regular service buses and other passengers may not appreciate your rendition of The Good Ship Venus!!
Where do we stay?
Much depends on the size and spending power of your group. Many incoming tours prefer to stay in Douglas (or “That Douglas” as we call it). There’s a range of hotels from expensive down to bargain basement.
All tourist accommodation is approved by the Government and you can check them all out via the visit Isle of Man link below.
You can of course stay in sunny Ramsey if you want. We have a Hotel right next to the pitch. Its called The Ramsey Park Hotel and there's a link below.
If you have a group of Junior players you might like to try Maughold Venture Centre
They have dorm style accommodation and can arrange a programme of non-rugby events for your group. They also have a couple of mini buses which may be able to help with some of your travel.
Ahhh, at last, you mentioned rugby. What are the options?
We have 6 rugby Clubs on the Island. Castletown, Douglas, Ramsey, Southern Nomads and Western Vikings. Douglas are at level 6 in the RFU pyramid and everyone else is below them. We can get put you in touch with each club and you’ll find that the clubs will work together especially at Age Grade levels, to make sure your lads get some game time. Just get in touch with Dave and he’ll send you in the right direction.
Firstly it’s a great idea. It’s a nice place. Crime is low and the natives are friendly. We’ve put together a few things to help you organise your trip. The list isn’t extensive and if you have any questions, please email ramseyrufc@manx.net This will put you in touch with Dave Christian our senior fixtures secretary. Dave has assisted many incoming trips and also organised tours for us. He arranged our away travel for ECC league matches too, so knows a bit about travel planning.
If you're coming with a Junior Tour we can do even better. Our Junior Rugby chief is Gareth Hinge MBE and he has a not for profit little scheme going called Isle of Man Rugby Tours. There's a link below to the website which has all you'll need to give your little cherubs a great tour.
How do we get here?
Unsurprisingly, as we’re on an Island, you’ll either have to come by sea or by air.
Sea Travel
This is generally the cheapest. There’s only one operator and it’s the Isle of Man Steam Packet company.They have sailings from Belfast, Dublin, Heysham and Liverpool. Call reservations on 00441624661661 if you have a big group. There's even a hyperlink below to take you to their website.
NB Never call this service a “ferry”. It’s known locally as simply “the boat”. The company has a fast craft and a slower craft. Both are known as “the boat”. Knowledgeable locals will be quick to tell you that a “ferry” is something that goes cross the Mersey!!
Both boats have comfortable passenger lounges and have licensed bars onboard.
Your group may need to check their bags in however there’s no charge for this, but you may need to allow for baggage reclaim in your timings, especially if your group is catching a train or has a bus waiting.
Air Travel
Aer Lingus, Easyjet and Loganair operate a variety of routes to and from the Island. Belfast, Dublin, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, London Gatwick, London City and London Heathrow are all on the list – however please check with the airline as routes can and do change.
While you can book via their websites, it’s a better idea to ring and ask for the Group Travel team. When costing your trips try and remember luggage. Lingus and Easyjet both charge extra for hold luggage while Loganair includes a hold bag and can seem much more expensive at first glance. For a two night stay, you may get away with hand luggage only, but if your backline (and loosehead props) all want to bring their hair straighteners and associated product, you may need hold bags.
How big is the place and how do we get around?
The Island is small. 32 miles from top to bottom and 12 miles across at its widest point. You can’t really drive for much more than half an hour before going into the sea!
First of all there’s the obvious coach hire. There’s only one coach company on the Island, its called Tours . They’re reliable and convenient. You may however find that Isle of Man coach hire is a little more expensive than your usual operator. This isn’t some attempt at rip off though, its just an everyday problem of Island life. There's a hyperlink to their website below.
There’s some minibus hire for up to 16 passengers. Google Isle of Man minibus hire and ring round for quotes. There’s the option for self-drive too.
Our Isle of Man bus service isn’t a bad option either. Remember though that these are regular service buses and other passengers may not appreciate your rendition of The Good Ship Venus!!
Where do we stay?
Much depends on the size and spending power of your group. Many incoming tours prefer to stay in Douglas (or “That Douglas” as we call it). There’s a range of hotels from expensive down to bargain basement.
All tourist accommodation is approved by the Government and you can check them all out via the visit Isle of Man link below.
You can of course stay in sunny Ramsey if you want. We have a Hotel right next to the pitch. Its called The Ramsey Park Hotel and there's a link below.
If you have a group of Junior players you might like to try Maughold Venture Centre
They have dorm style accommodation and can arrange a programme of non-rugby events for your group. They also have a couple of mini buses which may be able to help with some of your travel.
Ahhh, at last, you mentioned rugby. What are the options?
We have 6 rugby Clubs on the Island. Castletown, Douglas, Ramsey, Southern Nomads and Western Vikings. Douglas are at level 6 in the RFU pyramid and everyone else is below them. We can get put you in touch with each club and you’ll find that the clubs will work together especially at Age Grade levels, to make sure your lads get some game time. Just get in touch with Dave and he’ll send you in the right direction.
https://www.isleofmanrugbytours.com/ Gareth's all in one touring website
https://www.steam-packet.com/ For all your sea travel needs
https://www.tours.co.im/ For coach hire on the Isle of Man
https://www.visitisleofman.com/ For accommodation
https://www.classiclodges.co.uk/ramsey-park/ For the hotel right next to the pitch
https://www.venturecentre.im/ For Maughold Venture Centre
