Isle of Man

The Isle of Man is best known for the TT, a legendary and genuinely dangerous motorcycle race that turns the island's public roads into a closed circuit each June, drawing racing fans from around the world. Outside race season, it's a rugged, green place — coastal cliffs, Victorian seaside towns like Douglas, and a steam railway climbing to the top of Snaefell. Manx cats, famously tailless, and a Celtic-Norse heritage stretching back over a thousand years give the island a strong, independent identity of its own.