Join an expert local Blue Badge Guide to explore the Isle of Man’s capital. From the Mutiny on the Bounty to the RNLI; from happy holidays to internment!
At Douglas’s thriving harbour side, there is a blend of old and new where we see the modern marina with its lifting bridge, but also the tower building housing the Victorian mechanism for the original swing bridge. Buildings here have connections with Capt Bligh, Fletcher Christian and Peter Heywood.
On your tour of Douglas with a Blue Badge Guide you will explore the late Victorian town centre with its Town Hall and the Jubilee Clock celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887.
The energetic Governor Loch supported the town’s development in the late 19th century. Loch Promenade has impressive terraces of hotels fronting Douglas Bay, places of entertainment and religious worship for the crowds of tourists who visited the Island’s shores. Many of these were used as places of internment or as barracks during WWII. In Douglas Bay is the ‘Tower of Refuge’ built as a place of safety for shipwrecked sailors by William Hillary who also founded the RNLI.
We head for Broadway and nearby places of entertainment: the Villa Marina and the Gaiety Theatre. To finish our walk there are options to visit the Manx Museum, the seafront gardens, go into Douglas’ main shopping area or have a break at a local tea or coffee shop. This is ideal as a half-day walking tour.
