By: Blonde Two

You can’t spend very much time at all on the Isle of Man before realising that the TT (Tourist Trophy) motorcycle racing event is engrained in the psyche of the island.  We Blondes had been concentrating so much on campsites and walking routes that, before our arrival, the TT thing kind of passed us by.

Our first clue were the black and white stripes on the kerbs along the streets (in everyday use) that made up the route and on leaving Douglas from the ferry, we passed the grandstand (we did so several times and the temptation to veer the minibus into the pit lane was only just resisted).Grandstand TTMy very favourite TT indicator was the signs that are on all of the main bends, they have wonderful names such as “Windy Corner” (it was windy), “Brandywell” (no brandy) and “Kate’s Cottage” (on investigation, it should have been “Tate” not “Kate”).  We had fun trying (and failing) to memorise all of the bends in order but managed some sections.  A particular source of amusement was the muddling up of “Mountain Box” and “Black Hut”, we all had “Mountain Hut” and “Black Box” (which seemed to make much more sense) firmly stuck in our heads.

One thing that we noticed pretty quickly was the time and care the islanders had taken to wrap their trees, telegraph poles and even whole houses up before the racing.  We weren’t sure whether this was to protect the riders or the property but if prizes were to be given for caution, I would vote for this cottage.Wrapped House

I am most definitely not usually a fan of any type of motor sport but the temptation to go and watch some TT racing one day is great.  Maybe it is just an excuse to visit the Isle of Man again.  A prize must go to Blonde One for outstanding TT Minibus Driving!