It’s been 70 years to the week since Isle of Man Today reporter Adrian Darbyshire’s dad Leslie first visited the Isle of Man. He has returned many times since.

Last week he was back in the island to retrace his footsteps from 1955 and see just how much has changed.

His first trip to the island began on Saturday August 20 1955 when the 18-year-old from Raynes Park, SW London, cycled to Euston station to catch the train to Liverpool.

With him was his friend the late Tony Cowell who despite his surname wasn’t aware of any Manx roots.

The second leg of the journey was a calm crossing from Liverpool to Douglas on the King Orry, during which the two Londoners met a group of girls who were to be staying at the same three Youth Hostels as them, adding extra interest to the trip!

The return rail fare was £3 plus a little extra to take the bikes on the train. The Steam Packet fare was also £3 return.

‘It seemed expensive at the time but looking back it was good value given the train and boat both took four hours,’ said Leslie, now 88.

In contrast, 70 years on, the Loganair flight from London City to Ronaldsway cost about £300 - but only took 55 minutes.

The Youth Hostel in Union Mills where Leslie and Tony stayed in 1955 is now a private residence and the one in Port Erin demolished.

But the Youth Hostel on Mooragh Promenade still stands although now converted into flats and has lost its original name of Slieve Donard.

Standing by the front steps where he had been pictured 70 years earlier, Leslie recalled the hostel had murals on the downstairs walls created by an artist who was a previous resident - perhaps someone who had been detained there when it was part of the Mooragh internment camp.

For his 2025 trip he purchased a £59 Go Explore card to get around the island.

Seventy years previous the railway runabout ticket cost him 10 shillings (50p) for the week. This didn’t cover the trams or buses but since the railway then went to Peel and Ramsey, much of the island was covered.

It was the island’s railway network that was the big draw for Leslie back in 1955 - and has remained so ever since.

As a teenager he had taken the train to Peel on the first Monday of their stay and travelled the whole of the network over the following days.

The lines to Peel and Ramsey closed in 1968 but the one to Port Erin happily survives and is probably in better condition now than at any time in the last 70 years.

This time round, he managed to ride all the remaining heritage railways, travelling on the Steam Railway from Port Erin to Douglas, the MER to Laxey and on to Ramsey, the Mountain Railway to a sunny but very blowy Snaefell summit, the Groudle Glen Railway and even took a trip on the tram along the newly restored section of Queen’s Pier.

Summing up the changes over seven decades, Leslie said: ‘Some things sadly have disappeared over the years - concert parties on Douglas Head, the charming resort at Port Soderick, the Witches Mill at Castletown with its spooky contents (although the building is still there), the café next to Laxey Wheel, boats to Dublin and Belfast then calling at Ramsey Pier.

‘Other things have changed dramatically - the roads were much more peaceful then and few visitors brought cars as they had to be craned aboard the Steam Packet ships. On the other hand, there were far more visitors and the hotels to cater for them, and the beaches (especially at Douglas) could get quite crowded.

‘But overall, the island looks more prosperous now and the countryside and coast are just as beautiful as ever. I will be back!’