By edanIt was a very last-minute little break in July 2026. I had seen a post on a Facebook group from a local boat tours company saying they had a spare place on a crossing from Port St. Mary in the Isle of Man over to Portaferry. So on the Tuesday evening, at about half past four, I turned up at the boat and found out it was only me going over with them. The main purpose of the trip was to collect a group from Portaferry, bring them back to the Isle of Man, and then take them home again on Thursday, so my return would be on the Thursday evening.
We set off from Port St. Mary with just me and the two skippers on board. The sea coming out of the harbour was quite choppy, and the boat was crashing through the waves. Before heading properly across to Ireland, we made a short detour to the Calf of Man to drop off food packages for the people working on the nature reserve there. I remember seeing a couple of seals dotted around. Then we turned and set our main course. The sea stayed rough for much of the journey. Nothing too treacherous, but definitely bumpy. Still, we had a good chat and a laugh along the way, which made it all pass well.
Then we got into Portaferry, and it was like arriving in a different world. The water in the harbour was completely still and calm. It was a beautiful sunny evening, probably around 20 degrees, and the whole place looked peaceful. We came up to the little harbour and onto the jetty, and one of the first things I saw was a dolphin scratching its back against one of the boats. After the rough crossing, that sight in that calm water felt almost unreal.
My hotel was only a few steps away, the Portaferry Hotel, so I checked in and went downstairs for some food. The service was not amazing, to be honest. They seemed to be struggling a bit. But never mind. I ordered lasagna with garlic bread, chips, and a little coleslaw, then sticky toffee pudding for dessert, with a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio. After that I took a little stroll up the harbour, enjoying the peace and quiet. I phoned my parents briefly to touch base and see how they were, then went back and headed to bed.
The next day I decided to do a hike. I looked online and found something called the Portaferry Loop. It was mainly a road-based walk, taking in Portaferry and the neighbouring countryside and villages. It was 11 miles in total, and with the temperature around 23 degrees, it turned into quite a strenuous few hours, though I did enjoy it. Along the way I stopped at an old tiny church, only a few metres square, and at an ancient windmill that had a bird’s-eye view across the surrounding countryside, the bay, and the lough. That part of the walk really stayed with me, just the openness of it all.
After the hike I got back to the hotel and sat outside in the sunshine reading a newspaper. I had a glass of cider and a small lunch of locally caught mussels. I chatted to a few passers-by, just here and there, then eventually went up for an afternoon nap. Later that evening a friend of mine was driving down from Belfast, and I remember that feeling of having had a full day already: the crossing, the harbour, the walk, the heat, the food, and that quiet sense of being away somewhere small and beautiful for a couple of days.