Quite a lot happens on Snaefell.

Walkers walk on it, the railway goes up it, the TT goes round it, the mine went under it, sheep farming happens all over it, and the Summit Hotel, radio masts and air traffic control communications huddle at the top.
 
But what keeps them all working?
 
Loaghtan Books set itself to find out.  We talked, among others, to maintenance workers, NATS personnel, railway staff and the people who run the hotel.  Each of them talked about what working on the mountain was like for them, the problems they faced, the challenges they had to overcome - and the unique experience of working at the top of Mann.
 
The result is Two Fish for the Summit.  It provides a glimpse of mountain life and work 'backstage'.
 
And the title?  When we were interviewing the stationmaster at Bungalow, the call came over the radio 'Two fish for the Summit'.  The Summit Hotel had an evening dining event, had run out of fish, and had arranged for more to be delivered from Douglas.  The fish had been carried on the MER to Laxey and then transferred onto the mountain trams for its onward and upward journey.  The Laxey stationmaster was calling to let the Summit Hotel know that it was on its way.  It seemed to encapsulate the co-operation necessary behind the scenes to make Snaefell what it is.
 
Two Fish for the Summit; life and work on the Manx mountain is published by Loaghtan Books, retails at ?5.95, and is available in bookshops and gift shops throughout the island. 

Photo - The book cover.