Douglas Bay Horse Tramway

We recently spent a week on the Isle of Man staying in a hotel on Queens Promenade, Douglas. The promenade is 2 miles long, and is actually three promenades, Loch, Central and Queens and stretches from the ferry terminal down to the electric railway. On a sunny day it is a lovely walk from one end to the other, but there is a much more relaxing, gentle way to travel. Douglas has the oldest surviving horse trams which date back to 1876 and some of the original cars are still in use. We boarded our tram near the electric railway terminus, and the horse pulling our tram was Phillip (also my husbands name incidentally!) From a gentle start the horse soon got up to speed and trotted off down the prom. It was such a calm, relaxing way to travel and at a speed that allowed you to take in the beatiful scenery. When someone wanted to get off at a stop the conductor would blow his whistle to let the horse and driver know they had to stop. We travelled as far as the ferry terminal which is where the trams turn round. What a lovely way to travel in style. Whilst in Douglas we got used to the clip clop sound going past our window. It was something we got used to listening out for and there were a number of trams travelling both ways every hour. It was fantastic value for money, as were other Isle of Man attractions we visited. A single journey cost £3, but a day ticket was £5.70 and allowed you to travel as may times in the day as you wished.