Isle of Man by campervan: where to stay, ferries and the TT

Last checked November 2026.

The Isle of Man sits in the Irish Sea between England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It isn’t part of the UK: it’s a self-governing Crown Dependency, with its own parliament, Tynwald, and its own laws, so the rules for vans are different from Britain’s. Campervans and motorhomes are welcome all year (towed caravans need a permit), but you can’t just park up anywhere for the night. Use the campsites, or the permit areas at Mooragh Park in Ramsey and Sulby Claddagh. The TT races, in late May and early June, bring tens of thousands of visitors, so book that fortnight well ahead.

Where you can and can’t stay overnight

Mooragh Park, Ramsey. Ramsey Town Commissioners have long let self-contained motorhomes and campervans stay on the Mooragh Estate, by the park and the sea, with a permit. It’s no longer free: in 2026 the permit cost £100 for the season or £30 a month, from the library in the Town Hall, Parliament Square, Ramsey (tel: 01624 810100). You can stay 3 days in any 7, or 7 days in any 14 during the TT and the Manx Grand Prix. There’s room for about 25 vans, first come, first served, with a waste disposal point. Your van must have its own fixed toilet: converted vans with portable toilets aren’t allowed, and nor are trailers, tents, awnings, windbreaks or barbecues. In 2026 the season ran from 2 April to 28 September; the 2027 dates hadn’t been published in November 2026.

Sulby Claddagh. A lovely place to stop alongside the Sulby river in the north, with some nice walks. It’s common land, but there’s no right to camp there overnight: byelaws ban overnight parking and camping except on the camping area with a permit from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA), for up to 14 nights at a time, with fines of up to £2,500. In 2024 there were 25 pitches, 65 during the TT and MGP, and you had to get a permit (email [email protected]) and then book a pitch before you went. It gets busy around TT race time.

Noble’s Park, Douglas. Douglas City Council got planning consent in July 2024 for a motorhome aire in the “Boneyard” behind the TT Grandstand, a 15-minute walk from the promenade: 75 spaces outside the TT and racing periods, stays of up to 14 nights, and no tents or awnings. Ask the council’s parks team whether it’s open, and for permits and prices (tel: 01624 696330). Elsewhere in Noble’s Park motorhomes need a permit to park at all.

Council car parks. Douglas’s car park order bans using a vehicle in its car parks for “sleeping or for habitation”, with a £100 charge (£50 if paid quickly), and motorhomes that overhang the marked bays can’t use them.

Roads. In 2017 the Department of Infrastructure said that a vehicle over 3,050 kg unladen shouldn’t be parked on a road with a speed limit between 6pm and 7am on weekdays, or at any time at weekends. A motorhome under 3,050 kg unladen counts as a car and can park wherever a car can.

The Ayres. Motorhomes used to be able to stay overnight with a permit at the Ayres National Nature Reserve, in the far north. That ended permanently at the end of 2022 after vans damaged the dunes, though you can still park there by day.

Getting there: the Steam Packet

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company sails to Douglas from Heysham and Liverpool, and from Larne in Northern Ireland and Dublin. It stopped sailing to Belfast in December 2025, and the Larne route has run all year since April 2026. Timetables change through the year, so check the sailings for your dates.

Vehicle sizes. The Steam Packet’s “camper” category covers vans up to 2.85 m high and 6.5 m long; a motorhome or high van can be up to 4.6 m high and 12 m long. The measurements include bikes, roof boxes and anything else on the van. Vans up to 6.5 m long and 3 m high can be booked online; for anything bigger, ring the reservations team on 08722 992 992 (from the UK) first. The fast craft Manannan takes smaller vehicles than the conventional ferries on some routes.

Self-built campers. A vehicle registered as a van, or built to carry goods, is normally charged the commercial freight fare. The Steam Packet lets low vans up to 6.5 m long and under 3 m high travel at the private fares if the trip is purely private and you’re not carrying tools or goods for work.

Fares. Fares go up with the length of the vehicle. As a guide, the peak TT fares in 2026 were £342.50 single or £496 for a five-day return for a car or van up to 5.5 m with two people, plus £29 single or £49 return for each extra metre.

Gas and fuel. You can carry up to three butane or propane cylinders, 47 kg in total, secured against the ship’s movement and shut off for the whole sailing. Only one 5-litre approved can of spare fuel is allowed per vehicle.

On board. Check-in for vehicles closes 45 minutes before departure. You don’t have to show a passport, but everyone must carry identification. Dogs can stay in your van on the car deck for free, with water and ventilation, though you can’t usually go back down once the ship has sailed. A pet passport isn’t needed between England and the island.

The TT races

The Isle of Man TT is held on the 37.73-mile Snaefell Mountain Course, on public roads closed for practice and racing. TT 2027 runs from Monday 31 May, the Spring Bank Holiday, to Saturday 12 June 2027, with qualifying in the first week, race week from Saturday 5 June and the Senior TT on the final Saturday. The provisional dates for 2028 are 29 May to 10 June.

Ferries. TT sailings sell out early. For 2027 the Steam Packet is taking non-refundable deposits of £90 for any vehicle, with the full fare invoiced by the end of January 2027 and due by 26 February 2027; if you don’t pay by then, you lose the booking and the deposit.

Campsites. Book directly with the campsite, as early as you can. Extra campsites open just for the TT fortnight, many of them on sports grounds and school fields. The TT organisers’ list of popular sites includes Braddan Bridge, a temporary site by the course in Douglas; Quarterbridge, on the first corner of the course; Glenlough, on the course at Union Mills, which takes campervans; the Laxey football pitch (tents only); and Castletown Campsite, which takes campervans and is away from the course, so you aren’t trapped by road closures. Glen Dhoo in Onchan takes advance bookings only for the TT. Mooragh Park and Sulby Claddagh have their own TT rules (see above).

Roads. A campsite on the course is great for watching, but it can leave you stuck in or out while the roads are closed. In recent years the A18 Mountain Road has been one way during the TT, in the direction of the racing, from Ramsey hairpin to Creg-ny-Baa.

Driving

Speed limits. In towns and villages the limit is 30 mph, and 20 mph on some residential roads. Outside them, many roads have no speed limit at all. That doesn’t apply to every vehicle, though: a motorhome up to 3,500 kg maximum weight is limited to 60 mph on unrestricted roads, and a heavier one to 50 mph. Towing a trailer, the limit is 40 mph. Note that these limits go by the motorhome’s maximum design weight, not its unladen weight as in the UK.

The roads can be narrow and twisting, which is one reason towed caravans need a permit.

Campsites

Several campsites open only around the TT and the Manx Grand Prix. Book ahead for both.

Area	Campsite	Details
Douglas	Glenlough Campsite, Ballahutchin Hill, Union Mills, IM4 4AT	Tel: 01624 852057. 250 pitches on the TT course, 3 miles from Douglas on the A1. On the number 5 bus route
Douglas	Glen Dhoo Campsite, Hillberry, Onchan, IM4 5BJ	Tel: 07624 479321. In a wooded valley 2½ miles from Douglas promenade. In 2026, 1 April to 30 September
Douglas	Lower Ballacottier Campsite, Ballacottier Road, Onchan, IM4 5BQ	Tel: 07624 487161. Small family-run site half a mile from the TT course
Laxey	Laxey Campsite, Quarry Road, IM4 7DU	Tel: 07624 264804. Half a mile from the beach, near the electric tram and buses
Ramsey	Crossags Campsite, Crossags Lane, off Lezayre Road, IM8 2TB	Tel: 07624 263800. Firm standings for large and small motorhomes
Kirk Michael	Glen Wyllin Campsite, IM6 1AL	Tel: 07624 330360. In Glen Wyllin, one of the Manx National Glens, with electric hook-ups
Kirk Michael	Cronk Aashen, Barregarrow, IM6 1HQ	Tel: 01624 878305. Small farm site with views of the western hills and the sea
Peel	Peel Camping Park, Derby Road, IM5 1RG	Tel: 01624 844339. Plenty of hardstanding for motorhomes and campervans
Patrick, near Peel	Ballacallin Court Motorhome Park, Gordon, IM5 3AR	Tel: 07624 460013. Five hardstanding pitches for motorhomes and campervans, with hook-ups, water and toilet disposal
Castletown	Castletown Campsite, Malew Road, IM9 4EA	Tel: 07624 251222. Open from the week before the TT to the week after the Manx Grand Prix, at Stadium Corner on the Southern 100 circuit
Port St Mary	Glendown Farm Camping Park, Truggan Road, IM9 5LD	Tel: 07624 497098. A short walk from Port Erin and Port St Mary

More on the Isle of Man and Britain

Britain by campervan
Northern Ireland, for the ferry from Larne
Cumbria and the Lake District
Ferries
Campervan insurance
Campsites

Sources: Isle of Man Government (overview of the island, Highway Code, Sulby Claddagh byelaws and camping FAQs, Ayres National Nature Reserve notice, Department of Infrastructure TT road closures and motorhome parking statement); Ramsey Town Commissioners motorhome and campervan code and permit form 2026; Douglas City Council car park orders and Noble’s Park planning consent; Visit Isle of Man; Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (vehicle guidance, fares, FAQs and TT 2027 bookings); Isle of Man TT Races; campsite listings; checked November 2026. Know of a change? Tell us in the comments below.