All direct flights from Isle Of Man

Mark Says

Known as the "Jewel of the Irish Sea" and responsible for Britain's oddest fifty pence piece, the Isle of Man owes very little in truth to either mainland UK or Ireland. If this island stands for anything, it's a fierce sense of independence: hence, a destination with its own stamps, currency, tailless cats and, in Manx, its very own language. (If you look closely, you can just about see the island thumbing its nose at the relative dependence of Cornwall and the Isle of Wight.) Certainly, this is one of Europe's more manageable, negotiable destinations: an isle of 33 miles by 13 miles, 40% of which goes uninhabited, it forms a valuable hideaway or retreat from the hurly-burly of the modern world. Sandy beaches go hand in hand with picturesque countryside and a relaxed pace of life. The island is served by traditional forms of transport: Victorian trams that often prove more reliable than mainland trains work alongside electric, steam and mountain railways. Of course, the calm tends to be interrupted by the island's recurring obsession with motor sport. The island's roads are shut off during the summer months to make way for the action-packed TT motorcycle races in early June and the Manx Grand Prix in August. For every Cregneash - a community untouched by modernity until the early 20th century, since appropriated by the Manx Museum in a bid to preserve its timeless traditions - there's a Douglas, the island's capital and a thriving modern port. With regular flights to and from the UK's regional airports and a reliable ferry crossing from Liverpool, the Isle of Man is more accessible than ever nowadays. And those aren't the only incentives to visit: a system of tax breaks makes the island one of the most popular locations for British and Irish film producers - affording the Isle's visitors a prime opportunity for star spotting…