If you like to ride during these trips then I'd highly recommend practice week the week before. The track is open with one way traffic so its a great time to experience it. As is usual with these things it is often closed when people chuck themselves up the road but you still get plenty of time to ride it. I spent a couple of days ragging around the course late into the night. It was entertaining feeling like a hero on my new Panigale and then getting thoroughly schooled around the mountain by guys on Honda Trans Alps who had been coming for twenty five years, with their missus on the back leaning on a huge back box haha.
I'm going to the Manx (well practice week) (You can shove your "Classic TT" up your **** - there have been classic bikes there since they were new). I think it's a better event in general - there's more variety. (although you don't get the purple helmets). Fingers crossed we get good weather (well, warm rain anyway) How is the OP's search going?
This is my two penneth to the op's tt trip..... If you can't get accommodation, buy a cheap camping kit from argus (tent, airbed, sleeping bag)when you get on the island (I'm not sure where the argos is but I'm pretty sure there is one). Camp at either glenlough, hilberry, quarterbridge or balacraine. Chuck your cheap gear in the bin at the end of your stay. You'll get on any campsite easily enough as you're going over after the really busy race weekend. There will be spaces. Catch the train from castletown to douglas on your day of arrival. Use taxis and buses then. Peel and kirkmichael buses will take you a good way on the west side of the course. Have a look at barregarrow crossroads, glen Helen, cronk y voddy and rhencullen... all served on the kirkmichael bus route. Don't discount bray hill (get there early) and ago's leap... both great. The classic tt/manx is very good (I go to both the tt & classic) but there really is nothing like the tt.... my advice is see the tt. Whilst you won't see the superbikes and sidecars race in anger (that's saturday and Friday), you'll see lightweights, ssport, electrics and senior practice. See you on the island
