Photo: Neil Theasby / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
An Isle of Man motorbike holiday outside race weeks — routes, stops and when to come
Photo: Neil Theasby / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
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An Isle of Man motorbike holiday outside TT — the best routes, from the Mountain Road to the Sloc, bike-friendly stops and stays, the ferry and the race calendar.
On the map
- Douglas Sea Terminal — Where the ferry lands. The TT Grandstand is a few minutes' ride away
- Creg-ny-Baa — Pub on the TT course at the Douglas end of the Mountain Road
- The Bungalow — Halfway along the Mountain Road, where the Sulby Glen road comes up to meet it
- Gooseneck — Hairpin above Ramsey with the best view on the TT course
- Tholt-y-Will, Sulby Glen — Narrow glen road from Sulby up to the Bungalow
- Isle of Man Motor Museum — 500-plus vehicles in Jurby. Café inside. £22 adult (September 2026)
- Point of Ayre — The island's northern tip. Flat roads, big sky, lighthouses
- The Sloc — Hairpins and views on the A36 above the south-west coast
- Cregneash and the Sound — End of the road, looking across to the Calf of Man
The TT is two weeks a year. The roads are here for the other fifty. This page is for riders who want the TT course, the Mountain Road and the rest of the island’s roads without the crowds: when to come, which routes to ride, where to stop, and what’s on for bikers through the year. If you’re planning a TT trip, start with our first-timer’s TT guide instead.
When to come
| Month | Why | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| April–May | Quiet roads, long evenings | Pre-TT Classic closes Castletown roads late May |
| Late May–mid June | TT fortnight | Ferries full, Mountain Road one-way, closures |
| Late June–early July | Summer, open roads | Southern 100 closes Castletown roads for four days |
| Late July–mid August | School holidays | Ferries and beds busier and dearer |
| Late August | Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT | The Mountain Course closes for sessions |
| September | Our pick: quiet roads, easy ferries | Days shortening. Motor museum days cut from October |
Our pick is September, or May before the Pre-TT Classic. Ferries have space, beds are cheap by comparison, and you’ll have the Mountain Road to yourself on a weekday. The heritage railways and most attractions run until 1 November in 2026.
The routes
The island is about 32 miles long, so no route is long. What matters is the road surface, the weather on the hills and the time of day.
The Mountain Road and the TT course
The 37.73-mile TT course is ordinary public road most of the year. The best bit is the Mountain Road (A18) from Ramsey to Douglas: the Gooseneck, the climb past Guthrie’s, the Bungalow, Windy Corner, Kate’s Cottage and down to Creg-ny-Baa. Most of it has no speed limit.
Ride it Ramsey to Douglas, the way the races go. Then do the whole lap. Our riding the TT course guide covers the lap corner by corner, and the course map shows the layout.
The east coast: Douglas to Ramsey via Laxey
The coast road from Douglas through Laxey to Ramsey runs beside the Manx Electric Railway for much of the way, with sea views, bends and villages. Stop at Laxey for the wheel, then carry on north to Ramsey. Ride back over the Mountain and you’ve done the best loop on the island in an afternoon.
Sulby Glen to the Bungalow
From Sulby, on the TT course, a narrow road climbs up the glen past Tholt-y-Will to join the Mountain Road at the Bungalow. It’s steep, twisty and empty, and the surface asks for respect. Combine it with the Mountain Road for a figure of eight.
The west and south-west: Peel to Port Erin
The best scenery on the island. From Peel, head south past Glen Maye and Dalby to the Round Table crossroads. Then take the Sloc (A36), a run of hairpins with the whole south-west coast below you, down towards Port Erin. Carry on to Cregneash and the Sound, where the road ends looking across to the Calf of Man.
The north: Ramsey to the Point of Ayre and Jurby
Flat, fast and open, with big skies. Ride out to the Point of Ayre lighthouse, the island’s northern tip, then round to Jurby for the motor museum. The coast road from Kirk Michael south to Peel is worth adding on the way back.
The south: Castletown and the Billown Course
The Southern 100 course is public road too: the Castletown bypass, Ballabeg Hairpin, Cross Four Ways and Church Bends. It’s 4.25 miles, so it’s a short ride, but it pairs well with lunch in Castletown.
Where to stop
We’ve only listed places that were trading when we checked in September 2026. All four are on Visit Isle of Man’s motorcycle-friendly eateries list (opens in a new tab).
- The Creg-ny-Baa, Mountain Road, Onchan. The pub on the TT corner at the Douglas end of the Mountain. Home cooking, and it’s on every biker’s list.
- The Swan, Ramsey. A pub with food on Parliament Square, the TT corner.
- Black Dog Oven, East Quay, Peel. Wood-fired pizza and coffee on the harbour. Casual, indoor and outdoor.
- Isle of Man Motor Museum café, Jurby. Open whenever the museum is.
On the Mountain Road itself, don’t count on food. Fill up before you go.
Where to stay
Visit Isle of Man keeps a motorcycle-friendly accommodation list (opens in a new tab), from hotels in Douglas and Ramsey to self-catering and a campsite. What matters most is off-road or covered parking for the bike, so ask before you book. For the options by town, see where to stay, self-catering and campsites.
Douglas puts you next to the ferry, the Grandstand and the most places to eat. Ramsey is the best base for the Mountain Road and the north. Peel is the best for the west coast and sunsets.
Bike hire and tours
We couldn’t find a motorbike hire company on the island that we could confirm was trading in September 2026. Assume you’ll bring your own. The Steam Packet takes bikes on every route, and offers for a bike and rider started at £65.75 each way for autumn 2026. The crew strap the bikes down for you. Our ferry with a motorbike guide has the fares and how loading works. For race weeks, see the TT ferry.
If a non-riding partner wants the lap too, Isle of Man Experiences runs a four-hour TT Course and Motor Museum Tour by minibus, with a guide and museum entry. It ran from 12 April to 25 October in 2026 (Visit Isle of Man (opens in a new tab)).
The Isle of Man Motor Museum
On the old airfield at Jurby, the museum has more than 500 vehicles, including rarely seen private motorbikes. It’s the best wet-day stop for riders, and it says to allow three to four hours. Prices checked on the museum’s website (opens in a new tab) in September 2026:
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | £22 |
| Child (5–15) | £11 |
| Under 5 | Free |
It opens daily from 28 March to 5 October 2026. After that, it’s Thursday to Sunday from 9 October, and Sundays only in November.
For more TT history, the Manx Museum in Douglas has a gallery on the races, and it’s free.
The bikers’ calendar
| Event | Where | Next dates |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-TT Classic Road Races | Billown, Castletown | 28–30 May 2027 |
| Isle of Man TT | Mountain Course | 31 May – 12 June 2027 |
| Southern 100 | Billown, Castletown | 12–15 July 2027 |
| Classic TT | Mountain Course | 22 August – 3 September 2027 (provisional) |
| Manx Grand Prix | Mountain Course | 2027 dates not confirmed (September 2026) |
More on each in our TT schedule, Southern 100 guide and Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT guide. The rest of the island’s year is in what’s on.
Other events close roads too. On 4–5 July 2026 the World Downhill Skateboarding Championship was held on the Mountain Road between Guthrie’s Memorial and Ramsey Hairpin. Check gov.im (opens in a new tab) road closure notices before a big ride, and TT road closures for race sessions.
— The Guru
Common questions
When is the best time for a motorbike holiday on the Isle of Man?
May before TT, the weeks either side of the Southern 100 in July, or September. The roads are open, the ferry isn't booked out a year ahead, and the roads are quiet. TT fortnight is a different holiday entirely, and late August has the Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT closing the Mountain Course.
Can you hire a motorbike on the Isle of Man?
We couldn't find a motorbike hire firm on the island that we could confirm was trading in September 2026. Plan to bring your own bike on the ferry. Car hire is easy to find if you're travelling with a non-riding partner.
What are the best biking roads on the Isle of Man?
The Mountain Road from Ramsey to Douglas, the full TT course, the east coast road from Douglas through Laxey to Ramsey, the Sulby Glen road up to the Bungalow, and the south-west run from Peel over the Round Table and down the Sloc to Port Erin.
How many days do you need for a motorbike trip to the Isle of Man?
Three or four days on the island is right for most riders. Two days covers the Mountain Road, the TT lap and the west coast, and the extra days give you a spare for the weather on the hills and time for the motor museum or a castle.