Europe > Isle of Man > Peel
Peel is the only town on the Isle of Man's west coast, a small fishing port and seaside settlement that considers itself the island's most Manx place. Douglas is the capital and the business hub; Peel is something else — an older, quieter town facing the Irish Sea, its skyline dominated by the ruined towers of Peel Castle on St Patrick's Isle, a tidal island connected to the mainland by a causeway.
The town was once the centre of the island's herring fishing industry, and smoked kippers from Peel remain one of the Isle of Man's most distinctive food exports. Moore's Traditional Curers has been smoking herring here since 1882, and you can still smell the oak fires when the wind is right. The harbour is quiet now but still functions as a small fishing port, with lobster pots stacked on the quayside and a few working boats among the pleasure craft.
Peel Castle is the main reason most visitors come. The castle walls and the round tower of St Patrick's Isle are among the most evocative medieval ruins in the British Isles. The House of Manannan — named for the island's mythological sea god — is an award-winning heritage museum on the harbourfront, excellent for understanding the island's Norse and Celtic past. Peel Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Saint German, is the island's only cathedral and a fine Gothic Revival building in the town centre.
Peel is small enough to see in half a day, but if you are touring the Isle of Man it makes a natural stop on the west coast drive. The beach south of the town is good, the sunsets over the Irish Sea are reliably spectacular, and the pace is considerably more relaxed than Douglas.