Well located

Over the last few years the Manx isle has become a magnet for top movie producers, who are lured by a variety of landscapes in a compact area and by the financial incentives laid on by the Isle of Man Film Commission.

Jetting in and out of the island since 1995 have been such luminaries as David Bowie, John Hurt, Sir Peter Ustinov and, most recently, Alec Baldwin, who bizarrely stars as Mr Conductor in Thomas And The Magic Railroad, which opened yesterday.

The glossy children's film, based on the Thomas the Tank Engine series of books, combines computer graphics with various locations around the island. These include the incredibly pretty Castletown Station and the lovely town of St John's, where the main street doubled as 'Shining Time'.

But the chameleon-like Isle of Man has masqueraded as many real places too. It passed for Ireland in the hit lottery-based comedy film Waking Ned, which used a secluded cove near Cregneash - in the south of the island - for the site of Ned's cottage. It has proved to be the most successful Isle of Man film to date.

In fact, the versatile island has been transformed into places as exotic and varied as a Caribbean island, Hamburg, the Falklands and 18th century Bristol. And you can see why, because the tiny island has the lot - mountains, rugged coastline, beaches, open moorland and wooded glens.

To complement the great scenery, I found the people to be as welcoming as the Film Commission did, and many of them are more than happy to tell you how their lives have been changed by the constant onslaught of film crews.

The film industry has contributed more than 75,000 bed nights and millions to the Manx economy since the Isle of Man government earmarked £1 million for the Film Commission in May 1995.

Many Isle of Man residents have jumped on the bandwagon and become scenery painters, cameramen, carpenters and, of course, actors and extras. Traffic warden John Danks, is now a successful casting agent and boarding kennel owner.

Taxi firm boss Alan Rogers has even developed a new arm of his business called Film Location Tours, which provides fact-filled trips around the island's film locations for visitors from as far away as Japan.

Alan said: "I've just spotted a gap in the market. All the actors and crew have to be in the right place at the right time, which is where I come in as a unit driver.

"There can't be many cabbies who've had Lesley Philips, Anita Dobson, Steve Coogan and Greta Scacchi in the back seat. But even tourists arriving at the airport ask to see some of the locations used in the films, particularly Waking Ned.

"There has recently been a huge amount of interest from Japan via the Internet and I'm expecting my first group of Japanese visitors next month."

But the Isle of Man didn't need the glamour of the movie world to win my vote of approval.

As a first-time visitor I was immediately taken with the place. Even though Cumbria is well in sight from the top of the island's Snaefell, I truly felt like I was abroad the moment I saw palm trees wafting in the Gulf Stream breeze.

And a three-day tour of the island soon made me realise there's a lot more to the Isle of Man than the TT races. A rich Celtic history is eloquently told all around by a series of museums and castles under the title of The Story of Mann.

The culture comes second only to the tranquil beauty of the natural attractions, such as the breath-taking waterfall at Glen Maye.

Around the coast seals can frequently be seen playing in the surf, and plenty could be seen from the grounds of the Castletown Golf Links Hotel, which boasts a stunning location on a rocky peninsula across the bay from the airport. But an equally stunning menu at the hotel - and a top golf course and leisure facilities - might make it hard to tear yourself away.

For details about the hotel, and anything else about the Isle of Man, contact the tourism department on 01624 686801 or check out the website at www.gov.im/tourism