Day #13 – Calf of Man

Our boat!

After assessing the weather forecast, we decided that the weather was going to get better.  At least, that’s what we were telling ourselves.  We woke up, all showered, had quick breakfasts, packed food and a change of clothes, and were on our way to brave the elements on the Calf of Man!

We drove down to Port St. Mary to catch a small fishing boat.  After we had loaded all of our gear onto the boat, we were off!  The swells weren’t bad, as we sailed around the southern tip of the Isle of Man.  We passed cliffs where birds were nesting.  It was noisy and wonderful!  As we passed the narrow passage that divides the Isle of Man from the Calf of Man, you could see in the distance how rough the seas were approaching from the west.  On the east side (where we were), it was much calmer…yay!

Walking inland

We landed at South Harbor and unloaded the boat.  The warden on the island had come in a tractor to help shuttle our things up to the observatory.  We carried the rest.  It was a lovely walk through fields of grazing Loaghtan Sheep and wild hares.  There was much poo to step over, but the views were fabulous!

The Kitchen

Once at the observatory/cottage, we staked our claims to beds and Nicola got started on boiling water for lunch.  Where we were staying was attached to where the warden and any other students stay for up to nine months out of the year. (the entire island is a bird sanctuary, so there were definite areas to stay away from as birds were nesting)  We had to be very conscious of water conservation, taking wild ‘wees’ whenever possible.  We had to go through the warden’s residence to get to the only bathroom on the island when needed, and only flush when necessary..  As the sign above the toilet said, “If it’s brown, flush it down, if it’s yellow, let it mellow.”

After a pasta and bread lunch while sitting in the courtyard, we were ready to take a walk!  We headed up to Cow Harbor, which is the northern most harbor facing the southern tip of Isle of Man.  As soon as we crested the hill to head down to the harbor, the wind became fierce!  It’s amazing how much a mountain/large hill can protect you from weather.

Very curious!

Down along the water, we came across a seal who was just as interested in us as we were of him.  We spent quite awhile staring at the seal and vice versa.  As the rain began, we decided it was best to get back to the cottage.  By the time we made it back (about a 30 minute walk), it was POURING and we were WET!  We hung our coats and other wet things up to dry and just relaxed in the cabin for awhile.  A few card games were played and puzzles that were already in the cabin were solved. 

As the weather cleared, Chris put the chickens in the oven to roast, and we headed off for the west end of the island to see the lighthouses.  The sky had cleared enough that we even saw Ireland!  After a tour around, the lighthouses, we headed back to finish dinner.

FEAST!

It was quite a feast, and all that fresh air had made us VERY hungry.  We ate almost every bite of chicken, potatoes, broccoli and peas.  A fire was started in the fireplace and we attempted to roast marshmallows (they aren’t quite the same as home).  Since graham crackers are unheard of (try explaining graham crackers to someone over here!), Nicola had purchased digestive biscuits coated in chocolate.  It was as close as we were going to get!

We put the little ones to bed, played cards by candlelight, and then it was off to bed ourselves. (I should mention that they turn on a generator from 6ish to 10ish, so we did have electric light for awhile in the evening).

All in all, it was quite a rustic, but very fun day.  It was so dark outside that I’m sure I could have seen every star in the galaxy if it weren’t for the clouds!