DISCOVER WILD ISLE OF MAN

From rugged sea cliffs and green glens to enchanting kelp forests and horse mussel reefs, the Isle of Man offers lovers of the wild - and wildlife - an escape like no other. Islander Fiona Gell reveals what makes this microcosm of the British Isles so special

- Fiona Gell

It's a warm day in August and I'm underwater in Port Erin Bay. Snorkelling round the kelp-fringed edges, I drift above wary ballan wrasse and grapefruit-sized urchins and watch a school of pale mullet loom out of the blue.

I pop my head up and scan around. My son is playing with his friends in the shallows. They've been in and out of the water all day, swimming, rockpooling, and exploring on the beach. Nearby on his paddleboard, my husband can survey the seabed mapped out below him through gin-clear waters. Out in the middle of the bay a tall ship has been anchored for a few days, giving a pirate backdrop to all our adventures. It has been a magical week of holiday - and all the better because our staycation has been less than an hour away from home.

For the past three years, lockdowns and travel restrictions have meant that we've rarely ventured off the Isle of Man, which has given us an opportunity to rediscover our home as a nature holiday destination.

ALL ABOUT THE ISLE

In case you didn't know, the Isle of Man (or Mann) is a small island right in the middle of the Irish Sea. Some 50km long and 20km wide, it's just over half the size of the Isle of Wight. As a Crown Dependency of the UK, it has its own government and laws, but it also has a close relationship with the UK.

It is often said that the Isle of Man is the British Isles in miniature, and one of the best things about the island as a wildlife destination is the diversity of landscapes, above and below water. Wherever you stay, you're never far from high slate cliffs, sandy beaches, upland heath, sheltered glens, estuaries, saltmarsh and grasslands. There are rich marine habitats offshore, protected in 10 Marine Nature Reserves, and the shores are rockpooling heaven, with cushion star starfish, shore crabs and jewel anemones easily accessible to young explorers.