Two weeks ago, before most of the lockdown restrictions were introduced, editor Richard Butt's holiday was cancelled.

Here he writes about what he did instead.

We were supposed to be going to India.

But months of planning and excitement about what we’d hoped to be the holiday of a lifetime turned sour when India closed its borders to Europeans nine days before we were due to fly to Delhi.

In spite of the coronavirus crisis, I was still determined to take the time off work and find somewhere to go.

My partner and I went to a place with miles of golden, sandy beaches, with good walks and quiet roads for cycling. We went to the parish of Andreas.

More specifically, we went to the Lhen in a thatched cottage (Yn Thie Thooit) just yards from the beach.

The flat north of the island has always intrigued me.

I think the lack of significant hills (except Bride) befuddles my sense of direction.

It doesn’t help that every single signpost north of Sky Hill points to Andreas. Most say it’s two and half miles away.

I’ve always liked Andreas. In fact, a group of friends and I have discussed the possibility of all moving there.

We’d buy up a cul-de-sac of houses one by one and retire there. Then we’d not only have company nearby but we could employ the same care workers for us in our dotage.

Why Andreas? It’s officially the second sunniest place in the British Isles. To be honest, I might have dreamt that but it’s far sunnier than elsewhere in the island.

More than that, it’s flat. We could get on our mobility scooters and do our shopping at Andreas Stores and our drinking at the Grosvenor.

I still think that’s a great plan.

However, one thing we learned on our bikes on holiday is that the north of the island is nowhere near as flat as it appears from the top of North Barrule.

Indeed, from our cottage at the Lhen was a real drag to the first junction to Andreas village (two and a half miles away).

But the quiet roads, which got quieter as more coronavirus restrictions were brought in during the week, made it a joy to cycle around the area.

Then there are the beaches. There really is golden sand as far as you can see. It’s even better at low tide.

It’s a paradise for bird watchers. I’m not one, sadly. But I did get up at 6am one morning and walked to the beach just to hear the birdsong.

I remember playing on the beaches when I was a child. The memories are fuzzy. Before last week I couldn’t differentiate Blue Point from Rue Point or point to the Lhen on a map.

That’s a great shame. The beaches on the north west coast are a hidden asset of the island.

I’m amazed the Victorians and Edwardians didn’t fill the area with hotels. I’d rather sit on a deckchair watching the sunset there than on stony Port Soderick, where the sunset in the west would be impossible to see.

It’s good that our forefathers didn’t develop there.

The area is important for all sorts of flora and fauna. Our cottage was next to the Cronk y Bing reserve, which is one of the widest strips of yellow dune in the island.

Further north there is the Ayres Nature Reserve. While the information centre is shut at the moment, the notice boards are well worth a read about what we can see.

Social distancing was no problem on the beaches, save for a couple of friendly dogs. More often than not the nearest person was about half a mile away. But when we did get close, everyone obeyed the two-metre rule. In fact, we added a few metres.

When we first planned to go to the Lhen, we envisaged going to the Grosvenor, the Wildlife Park and Milntown.

Unfortunately, while we were there the restrictions got tighter and we were unable to go to any commercial premises.

We were lucky the weather was so glorious.

By the time of our return to Douglas, unnecessary journeys and recreation were banned.

So going on holiday in the Isle of Man might not be allowed under the new rules.

That would be a shame.

We have at least three months of some sort of restrictions on our lives ahead of us.

The chances are that travel to and from the island will be curbed in some way.

At the same time, good Manx businesses are struggling because they aren’t getting visitors from elsewhere in the world.

These two problems can become an opportunity.

Having a holiday in the Isle of Man has so many advantages.

It has lots of variety. Spending time in a part of the island you don’t know well can be relaxing and even educational.

Every now and again we hear of people who live in Port St Mary, for example, who have never been to Ramsey.

Why not?

We know that we have to contain coronavirus.

The whole time we were in the north, my partner and I never got within two metres of anyone else. It’s much easier to do that outside town.

Holidaying in the Isle of Man need not compromise distancing.

In Douglas, continually stepping out from the pavement into the road to avoid other pedestrians seems potentially more dangerous than driving at 40mph to a quieter location.

Sadly, Island Escapes, through which we booked the holiday, is no longer taking bookings.

Perhaps, once the strictest measures are no longer necessary, the restriction on recreation can be lifted. Then the government can come up with some sort of ’holiday at home’ campaign.

After being cooped up at home for weeks or longer, most of us will need a holiday. It doesn’t have to be on the Costas.

Holidaying at home is a real holiday. Not only is it good for the holidaymaker but it would help Manx businesses and the economy as a whole.