'I visited the picturesque island that's a 30-minute flight from Manchester Airport'

In most cases, a 30-minute trip from Manchester won’t get you very far out of the city.

A pretty Cheshire town or the hills on the edge of the Peak District are likely to be the top picks for a weekend escape without the hours of travelling.

So after arriving on a picturesque island with nearly 100 miles of rugged coastline just half an hour after taking off from Manchester Airport, I felt like I’d uncovered a very well-kept secret.

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Steeped in folklore, myth and legend, and with a rich cultural history, the Isle of Man lies in the middle of the Irish Sea, about equidistant from Great Britain and the island of Ireland, and is home to around 84,000 people.

The island is perhaps most famous for its annual TT motorbike race, but a long weekend on the island in mid-October taught me that the destination has far more to offer.

A spectacular food and drink scene boasts local Manx produce, from seafood, meats and cheese to beer and spirits made on the island, all of which are proudly promoted by the many restaurants and bars.

The Isle of Man is also home to an abundance of wildlife. During the warm season, basking sharks can be spotted off the west coast where they come to feed on plankton, while the north of the island is home to a population of red-necked wallabies, thought to be the largest of its kind in the northern hemisphere.

The island's natural beauty and charming character, as well as the ease of the journey over, make the Isle of Man the perfect hidden escape.

I hopped on a mostly full easyJet flight from Manchester Airport on a Friday afternoon. The drinks trolley had barely made it half way down the aisle