Statue of Steve Hislop,
Onchan, Isle of Man

Douglas's promenade is a lengthy affair that has fooled me into wondering how slowly I was walking along it on occasion. It is when you see its full extent that an explanation for the amount of time taken to get from one end to another arrives without delay. This is a place for many hotels and there is also a theatre and cinema to be found here without any of the brashness of their counterparts elsewhere.

The statue in the foreground is of motorcycle racer Steve Hislop who enjoyed eleven victories in the Isle of Man TT race between 1984 and 1994. The Scot died in a helicopter crash in 2004 near Teviothead in the Scottish Borders, the part of the world where he had his upbringing. That is how a statue came to be erected to his memory on the Isle of Man and there is one in Hawick too.

Though it may disappoint some to read this, motorcycle racing never has interested me so that is not why this photo appears here. It was the vantage point for looking south along the seafront that attracted me that quite still Sunday morning. What I seek is a world away from the high revving engines that draw so many to see and participate in the Isle of Man TT every year and more again ride the course. My passions are simpler and very different: experiencing wonderful countryside in alluring sunshine with scarcely a sound of human creation to be heard. For that reason, I will leave the racing season to those who enjoy such thing and pick a time that suits what appeals to me and there is room in the calendar and on the island for all of us.