Making the Most of a Change in Plans
We were supposed to be spending the weekend on the Isle of Man visiting Anna’s mum. A storm was brewing, and I was a little disappointed that we fly to the island these days. In the past, we used to take the boat so that we had the car with us—and I could bring my windsurfing kit. The Isle of Man, being an island, has plenty of great windsurfing spots, and it’s a fairly windy place, so there were always some good sessions to be had. However, the ferry trip isn’t always the most fun as it can be quite rough and is often disrupted by the weather, especially at this time of year. After a couple of long, delayed crossings, we started opting for short “flying visits” instead. The flights should be more reliable and comfortable, and since we usually only stay for a few days, it makes sense.
Last time we were there, back in April, we got stuck for longer than intended when the airport was fogbound. This time, things started smoothly: we had a leisurely drive to Liverpool Airport, parked in long-stay, and checked in for the flight. We relaxed, boarded the plane, and took off pretty much on time. As we flew over the Irish Sea, the pilot announced that it was windy on the Isle of Man but reassured us that he was well-trained for landings like this—he practised every six months!
Ten minutes later, he was back on the intercom to say they’d changed their minds: the winds were too strong and there was too much standing water on the runway at Ronaldsway, so we were heading back to Liverpool.
Once back on the ground, we sat on the plane for a while as the ground crew weren’t expecting us and weren’t ready. Eventually, we disembarked and joined a random queue before being ushered into baggage claim—despite not having any hold luggage. We’d already checked the airline’s website and knew what we were entitled to in terms of refunds, and decided there was no point trying to rebook for tomorrow. Flights were unlikely to leave, as the weather wasn’t going to improve, so we’d get a refund and rebook for another weekend. It had already been a long day and driving home didn’t seem sensible either, especially given the weather, so we decided to find a nice (ish) hotel for the night and have a relaxed evening instead.
I asked if we could just leave, and once they said yes, we headed off to Chester, where we booked into the Mill Hotel. It turned out to be lovely. It’s a spa hotel, so we stopped off en route for Anna to buy a swimming costume. The staff were really friendly, and when they heard about our flight to the Isle of Man, they upgraded us to a superior room with a balcony and a spa bath. Perfect. We decided the spa itself was an unnecessary hassle when we had a spa bath right there in the room. We also booked a table in the restaurant, where we had a delicious meal and great service.
After a good night’s sleep, we enjoyed a large breakfast before heading into Chester for a wander around the shops. On the way home, we stopped off at Rhug Estate for coffee, cake, and a quick car charge.
Not quite the weekend we’d planned, but not a disaster either. We made the best of it and had a really nice night away together. Now we just need to plan another attempt at getting to the Isle of Man in a few weeks’ time.
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[…] we finally made it to the Isle of Man this autumn. After an aborted trip a couple of weeks ago, when the plane turned around mid-flight and landed back in Liverpool due to the weather, we tried […]
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Sounds like a nice weekend anyway. Years ago you would have to of driven home, but now you can and did have a lovely night away .
I expect Pat was dissappointed though