everywhere you go on the isle of man, you'll see manx flags   three conjoined white legs on a red background for the manx, the triskelion is a powerful symbol of independent spirit and endurance, the motto being: 'whichever way you throw, it will stand' lately, it's become a symbol for me too, of three islands there's the island i've called home for the past 11 years, the island i write about in my novels, and somewhere in between, perhaps, a deeper truth about this beautiful rock in the middle of the irish sea independent spirit: the harbour at ramsey, the isle of man's second biggest town  legend: a carving of the sea god manannan  can a place with a reputation for being safe and sleepy really also be home to spies, killers and evil spirits that feature in my books? i like to think so, and here are a few reasons why the weather might be mixed but the landscape is dramatic, whether seen from the sea, walking the coast path, or taking the electric railway to the top of the island's solitary mountain, snaefell (from where, on a clear day, you can see the distant humped blurs of scotland, england, ireland and wales) the rich variety of locations is something i've grown to appreciate in my books, and something the isle of man film industry has thrived on during the past decade need a spooky cottage? the island has plenty the same goes for lush glens and lonely coves but the island provides more than great backdrops it's compact, with a population in the region of 85,000, and while that makes it ideally manageable for a weekend visit, it also fosters something all writers rely on   rumours and hearsay my first isle of man set thriller, safe house, grew out of a rumour i heard almost as soon as i moved here   namely, that it's used as a place to relocate people enrolled in uk witness protection schemes is the rumour true? i don't know for certain, but it seems credible to me the island is isolated and has lots of out of the way spots the isle of man also its own very distinct identity where else could the population swell for a fortnight every june in celebration of a controversial motorbike festival that pits man against machine over a course run on almost 38 miles of public roads? the isle of man is isolated, with some out of the way spots, lush glens and lonely coves  racing glory: every summer the island hosts the world famous tt races, with motorbikes reaching 200mph  the tt (tourist trophy) races have been in existence since 1907, with recent competitors recording top speeds of 200mph but while most islanders are proud of the long tradition of racing greats who have tamed the course, the event is not without its critics like many others, i find it hard to reconcile the number of fatalities that have occurred with the racing glory, but i can't fail to admire how brave the riders must be another local oddity is hop tunaa   the isle of man's version of halloween taking place every october 31, it shares many similarities with halloween, but is still marked by some unique manx twists for example, hop tu naa traditionalists carve lanterns from turnips instead of pumpkins, and children call from door to door singing nonsense songs instead of trick or treating in fact, one of the songs was striking enough to become the basis for my new thriller, dark tides it's a short step from rumours and hearsay to myths and legends, and the isle of man has some of the most interesting i've ever heard: from the sea god, manannan, who cloaks the isle in a veil of mist to protect it from outside threats, to the moddey dhoo, a big black hound that haunts peel castle don't believe me? why not come to visit and experience it all for yourself? isle of man steam packet co steam packetcom 01624 661661 offers crossings from liverpool and heynsham to douglas one way fares start at £62 for a car and two passengers for further information go to visitisleofmancom dark tides by chris ewan is out now
chris ewan manx
author chris ewan sums up why he loves his manx idyll . isle of man film industry is booming, with rich variety of locations on offer . famous tt races bring vast crowds to the island every june 