Isle with a silver streak

There can be few experiences more enjoyable than a fine dining experience.

I am sitting at a table in the Tanroagan Restaurant in Douglas in the Isle of Man, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical centre of the British Isles.

In front of me sits a bowl full of squeaky-fresh langoustines, piled up like miniature versions of creatures that might take over the world in a horror movie.

The Tanroagan has a reputation as the best place to eat on the island.

A couple of years back, Hollywood actor Johnny Depp decided to check it out while filming The Libertine.

Unfortunately, however, the place was full to the seams and he was turned away at the door.

My wife and I took the trouble of booking a seat — and here we were, enjoying a meal fit for a movie star.

Productions galore

Since 1995, the Isle of Man has undergone something of a renaissance.

While it would be an exaggeration to call it the British Hollywood, there is a constant stream of films in production on the island, thanks to some benefiting tax arrangements.

We were staying at the Regency Hotel on the seafront, in which a room had just been vacated by Burt Reynolds, there to complete one of his latest projects, A Bunch of Amateurs.

Two floors below was Room 104, Bill Nighy's regular whenever he was there for a shoot, the last occasion being the making of Stormbreaker.

He may have a preference for this room because of its location on the smoking floor of the hotel but, sadly, this pleasure will now be denied to him because the Isle of Man has finally gotten around to introducing a smoking ban this year in March.

The Regency is a delightful establishment — a proper, old-fashioned hotel with wood panelling, tartan carpets and one of those old-fashioned lifts the size of a coffin for two, complete with sliding metal doors.

On our first night, my wife and I ate at the restaurant, attracted by the prospect of eavesdropping on the annual dinner of the Isle of Man Motorcycle Club.

Past their good old days

However, sadly, these gentlemen were long past the age of wearing leather and were, rather, dressed in “smart casuals'', concerned with their alcohol consumption so they can drive home safely afterwards.

There is no doubt about the fact that they have had their footloose days but the spirit of those times was conspicuously absent.

Appropriate as it would have been to tour the island on a high-powered bike, we decided that safety was the better part of valour and opted for a nippy little Ford Fiesta Zetec rental to take us around the island.

Saturday morning was wet and windy — something one shouldn't be surprised about on a rock stuck in the middle of the Irish Sea.

Down near the southern tip of the island is Cregneash Village, which still retains the lifestyle of the 19th-century crofters who once lived there.

As the rain lashed down, we took refuge in various thatched dwellings, welcomed in by locals dressed in period costumes, who performed and explained to us those ancient practices of baking bannocks and making patchwork for quilts and cushions.

A cup of tea was available in the end.

Needless to say, Cregneash has been pressed into service as the setting for a movie — in this case, Waking Ned, starring Jimmy Nesbitt.

The film was meant to be set in Ireland but, apparently, the producers could find no place Irish enough on the Emerald Isle and hence, ultimately, Cregneash was converted into the fictional Irish village of Tullymore.

Natural sanctuary

Right down at the tip of the main island is Sound, a visitor centre that provides a terrific view of the Calf of Man, a mini-island sanctuary to a populous colony of seabirds.

The wind was so strong down there that even the seagulls were destabilised in their flight.

Their activities, however, could safely be observed from the Sound café, which offers a panoramic view of nature in the wild, besides a decent cup of coffee and a warming bowl of soup.

Again, one found oneself treading in the path of thespians. Kristin Scott Thomas, Patrick Swayze and Dame Maggie Smith all relaxed there during the filming of the comedy Keeping Mum.

A short drive up the west coast of the island brought us to Peel, the site of a famous castle.

A walk around this very impressive ruin is thoroughly recommended, accompanied by a handheld, mobile-phone-like audio device, which gives a guided tour of the sprawling fortress in a reassuringly local burr.

Still foreboding

A couple of cannons still point out over the waters as if to remind any passing ship that the island is not a soft touch.

Of one thing you can be sure: If Napoleon had ever managed to get this far, he would have been stopped in his tracks by the solid walls of the Peel Castle.

That night was our date with Tanroagan and never were two people more in need of sustenance.

After crayfish came a plate of Famous Fish Fingers — large chunks of haddock — and big, fat chips.

My wife, in the meantime, was preoccupied with a large bowl of Richard's Legendary Fish Soup, followed by half a lobster surrounded by delicious queenies.

Johnny Depp really did not know what he was missing.
A final walk along the seafront took us past the entrance to the Sefton Hotel.

Outside was gathered a gaggle of young islanders with that eager, craning look that denoted the presence of someone famous in the vicinity.

Some mild interrogation yielded that a young film star called Zac Efron, apparently famous for having acted in the film High School Musical, was staying there.

It was said that he was working on a film called Me and Orson Welles, although I doubted if any of these young people even knew who the mighty Orson was.

That, though, was hardly the point.

Take a trip to the Isle of Man — it's almost like being in the movies.

Go there ... From the UAE ... From Dubai

Closest international airport is Edinburgh.

British Airways flies daily via London.
Fare from Dh3,820

Air France flies daily via Paris.
Fare from Dh4,110

Lufthansa flies daily via Frankfurt.
Fare from Dh3,970

KLM flies daily via Amsterdam.
Fare from Dh3,750

— Information courtesy: The Holiday Lounge by Dnata.
Ph: 04-3166160