I have an opportunity to go to the TT for a few days, second half of the race week. The accommodation would be in the south, about 8 miles from Douglas. Can any TT veterans pls advise on how easy it is to get around the island during race week? I'd have a nipper in tow, which complicates things. My host is suggesting that I'd need a hire car, but that adds to the expense - and some quick online checking suggests, no surprise, that availaibility is slight and prices are steep. So: Am I right to think that if we simply get to Douglas there are plenty of places to watch the racing from? Could one easily get out onto the circuit to watch from somewhere else between races / practice sessions? (And is there any easy way of getting a lap of the circuit during race week, other than hitching...?) Would greatly appreciate any advice as I need to make a quick call on this.
The best bet is to get yourself a bus timetable and hop on a bus to your preferred vantage spot. Cheap and easy. You will get a lift if you hitch but you may wait and you need to get to where you want to be in plenty of time to get a good view and not end up being stranded somewhere naff. Get a programme as that will show you times that roads close. Take an AM radio so you can get commentary if somewhere with no loudspeakers. Take food and drink each day so if you are delayed on the circuit you can look after yourself and young 'un. Everywhere gets pretty rammed but you could consider a grandstand ticket as that gets you a view of start / finish / pit action plus access to riders etc. Obviously has a cost. Once you're on the circuit you will find it difficult to get elsewhere without your own transport and you need plan this in advance if you want to move around. You could find yourself giving up a good spot to go to somewhere else that is packed without a good view. Have two plans for each day - one for good weather (perhaps up at the Creg) and one for poor weather - more towards sea-level. Gorse Lea is superb but you need to get there early. Take clothes for all eventualities - sunblock plus warm stuff and waterproofs too. There are tours round the circuit. My advice is book it and go. You have enough time to sort other logistics.
You could happily spend all your few days there at Douglas....... either perving in the paddock, sitting in the Granstand above the buildings on the Glencrutchery Rd watching them fly past the boy scouts at 180mph ( the boy scouts do the lap boards opposite the refuelling points ) or wander up to Governers Bridge at the other end, go down the bottom of Bray Hill....all within a few hundred yards Ned.....
That's really encouraging thanks. We've basically got the whole of the Thurs and the Fri there so I figured even if we didn't get much beyond Douglas we'd have plenty of fun, though it'd be great to scope out the hallowed 37 miles...
Several grandstand tickets get returned and become available first thing in the morning, worth getting there early and getting some. Having been to TT a few times it was definately worth the money and early start for the experience.
