Ramsey
RAMSEY - The Island's most northerly town with a population of
almost 7,000 it is third in size, after Douglas and Onchan. In 1847 the
citizens of the Town received a bit of a shock to discover Queen Victoria
and 
Prince
Albert were almost amongst their midst. The Royal visitors - suffering
from seasickness - had taken shelter in Ramsey Bay. Prince Albert was persuaded
to come ashore and taken to see the Town and surrounding countryside from
a hill overlooking Ramsey, a view he much admired.
The Albert Tower - erected by the townspeople - stands on the very spot. Ramsey assumed the title "Royal Ramsey" following another Royal visit in 1902. King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra landed on the Queen's Pier. Among other things, they travelled on the Manx Electric Railway.
The Town's name is said - like many places in the Isle of Man - to have derived its name from the Norse Ramsa meaning "wild garlic river." Although not the river just referred to, the Sulby river, which rises in the shadow of Snaefell, flows though the beautiful Sulby Glen, on to the town and into the harbour. Like so many Isle of Man towns, Ramsey's beginnings go back to the Vikings with the usual violent comings and goings. All this time there was a nucleus of people who relied on the sea and who lived in a small village on the banks of the harbour which is now a busy waterway with a wide mix of ships and boats - commercial and pleasure craft.
Ramsey
and the Sulby river is very popular with fishermen - both sea anglers and
freshwater - from the harbour breakwaters, off the long beaches, or inland
on the Sulby river, where a licence is required, plus reservoirs at Ballure
and Sulby. Golfers are well catered for with the newly laid out 18-hole
course at Ramsey Golf Club, only a few minutes drive from the town centre,
set in woodland and with an unforgettable scenic backdrop.
Mooragh Park - forty acres of beautifully tended gardens and leisure areas is one of the most popular places to visit for both visitors and residents alike - not just locally but Island wide. The park is the venue for a whole variety of events during the summer months, such as Rotaraid in June, Ramsey Carnival in July, plus concerts and galas, but also has tennis courts, a 12-acre boating lake with boats for hire, children' playground and several play areas.
The
Town offers numerous free parking areas appreciated by shoppers. The principle
shopping areas are Parliament Street, St. Paul's Square, Victoria Mall
and the quayside offer a wide choice of high quality shops - indeed many
Island residents will travel especially to Ramsey for a day out built around
the shops and restaurants.
To round off any visit to Ramsey - which may well need more than one day - other places of interest are: The Grove Rural Life Museum, Ballagunnell Farm Museum in nearby Andreas, and The Manx Electric Railway Museum at the railway terminus.
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