WE ARE walking down a steep path, over a lumpy carpet of gnarled tree roots, to the secret place where the Vikings skinny-dipped...

To our left, tall trees and clumps of honeysuckle bank towards the sky.

And, at our right, we are urged on by the throaty burbling of a fast-flowing stream.

Then suddenly, directly in our path, a magnificent waterfall tumbles its excited torrent into the one thousand year old natural swimming pool nestling in the rocks far below.

But what made my break to the Isle of Man even more spectacular is the journey time was just a 20-minute flight from the neon bustle of Blackpool.

Yet, standing in the waterfall's swirling spray at the edge of a blue-tinted, crystal clear pool, it seemed a million light years from the Golden Mile's endless confection of candyfloss and glitter.

This was a real chance to step back in time on an island brimming over with folklore, fantasy and fable.

A couple of hours later in Peel, one of the most stunning tiny ports, the island's history was exposed in sharp and fascinating relief at the House of Manannan.

The museum itself, built five years ago at the cost of more than six million pounds, takes you on a journey from a Celtic chieftain's home (with all the smells too!), through the ages highlighting the island's growth in culture and fishing.

But what I enjoyed most was standing on the bridge of your very own model 'ship' - testing your navigation skills.

Let me draw a line under this by revealing a Viking toddler would have had more success at arriving safely in port than my feeble efforts!

Wherever you wander though on the island, it is hard to leave its seafaring traditions.

Every port has its own unique place in the island' s history.

We even continued our seafaring theme by staying at the tastefully restored Admiral House, a magnificent hotel, overlooking the harbour in the island's capital, Douglas.

No wonder celebrities like Sting choose the hotel as his safe harbour when he recently visited the island.

It is so, so showbiz...

But it was only as we flew off into a brooding sky much later that I was still left with the nagging feeling that I had left behind so much still to see.

So I've booked a return fare later in the year!