Part of Bradt’s series of ‘Slow’ travel guides to British regions, Isle of Man (Slow Travel) is a new guidebook celebrating the self-governing Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea.
Written by an author born and raised on the island, it offers a more personal, off-beat selection of places to explore than other guides, and its text contains stories and local voices.
The Isle of Man is easily accessible from mainland Britain, yet different enough to feel like a real adventure. With a strong sense of their own cultural and political identity, Manx people take pride in their blend of Celtic and Viking roots. More than 1,000 years old, the Manx parliament (Tynwald) claims to be the world’s oldest continuous parliamentary assembly, while music and cultural events celebrate the island’s status as one of the six Celtic nations.
Folklore and superstition are entwined with everyday life in ways largely forgotten elsewhere. Children still celebrate Hop tu Naa instead of Halloween, bonfires are lit for Oie Voaldyn on 30 April – and woe betide anyone who forgets to greet the fairies as they cross the Fairy Bridge.
Often described as “the British Isles in miniature,” the island of 50km by 21km harbours flat plains in the north, rugged hills down its spine, sandy beaches in the west and craggy cliffs dimpled with smugglers’ coves in the east and south.
Whether along main roads linking its major settlements (Douglas, Ramsey, Peel and Castletown) or winding country lanes, from steam trains or footpaths lined with coconut-scented gorse, it is hard to find a spot that doesn’t provide a stunning view – whether out to sea, down valley to an old fishing port or across heather-dappled hills.
Emma Craig, author of Isle of Man (Slow Travel), said: “With a long Manx heritage on both sides of my family, I was born and raised on the Isle of Man, hearing stories of ancestors’ exploits at sea and down the local mines. When I moved to Paris to attend university, I was surprised to learn that not everyone grows up in a land dominated by fairies and shape-shifting ogres – and quickly realised that I came from somewhere special.”
The book is published on 23 January 2026 by Bradt Guides, with the paperback retailing for £16.99.
