I love that feeling of riding the bike on and off ferries - such a sense of adventure about to begin. ..
There weren't so many bikes on the ferry as I'm used to for the TT. Maybe partly due to the stupid hour in the morning (2.30am!) but I was also expecting it to be a lot quieter for the Manx - it's been part of the reason that I've wanted to go, as everyone says it's a lot calmer and more laid back.
We rolled off the ferry at 6am and, rather than head for the campsite at Peel, I hung a right at Quarterbridge, up Bray Hill to introduce Doris to the Mountain Circuit. We pulled over at the Grandstand on Glencrutchery Rd to take a photo to mark the achievement of Doris making it over to the Island :).
Then a quick spin round the circuit to Ballacraine, where I left the course to head for Peel and a return to Peel Camping Ground. It's been a few years since I last camped here but the site manager Phil was still here, as he has been ever since I first went about 12 years ago!
The omens were good. While I was unpacking, a couple of old '30s BSAs put-putted past; next door was a 70's BMW and all around there were more classics than "modern" bikes.
The guy camping next to me was delighted when he saw Doris - "I've got a 250 version of that at home"! Turns out he'd only not come on it as a new seat had been delayed in the post and his old one had fallen apart. He had owned his for 34 years and it's done 60k miles - in stark contrast to Doris's 11k. He was on a VFR800 and was even more delighted when I told him that I also had a version of his bike at home (my other bike is a VFR750).
Half an hour later, the tent was up and I got my head down for an hour or so to catch up on some kip.
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