With glorious sunny weather the trip up Snaefell on the mountain railway to the highest point of the island was always going to be good. I plumped for the first tram of the day thinking it would be a little quieter but it was full. The Snaefell trams are different in many ways from the coastal ones but principally it's because they have a 6 inch wider gauge. This is because they need an extra rail in the middle that they can grip on to, to help with braking.
The journey up takes about half an hour and although it was quite windy at the top and considerably cooler the views were good. You could see most of the island and across to Scotland and Cumbria. Unfortunately the view towards the Irish coast was a bit hazy so I didn't see all the 7 kingdoms (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Mann, Heaven and the Sea).
Back down in the Laxey valley, the big thing to see is the "Lady Isabella" - the largest working waterwheel in the world. Originally built to pump water out of the local lead and zinc mines, it is enormous and you can climb to the top. The feeling at the top is a bit weird because looking down on it, the wheel appears to be going much faster than it does when you look at the side. The rotating wheel, drives a long horizontal rod stretching up the valley which in turn drives a vertical pump rod which goes down the shaft.
And finally today's fun place to board a tram - Fairy Cottage!
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