which town/part of the island, rather than a specific place/hotel?

thanks.

We stayed near Peel last year, which was fairly central. Avoid the northern plain, obviously

Good routes on the Manx government website
Isle of Man routes
These will give you an idea of where’s best for you

And check out the route of the End-2-End Challenge
End 2 End

We found a lot of trails very rutted from motorbikes!

I’ve been to the IoM twice for the TT, last time we camped in Laxey, which is a nice little village. Peel is very quaint in places, as is Castletown in the south of the island. I like the little towns, so I’d stay out of Douglas and Ramsey personally, but neither are bad by any means. It’s a lovely place all round, IMO.

Check out “manxmtb.org” and speak to the “Manxies” on the forum. The area around South Barrule has recently been re-developed in conjunction with the IOM forestry commission and very dedicated local riders. I haven’t had chance to go myself yet, but friends say it’s a great ride. The Island has many excellent natural trails and routes. The best thing is that with it’s relatively small size, you can get to any of them within a couple of hours. I would recommend Foxdale, Kirk Michael or Ballaugh, but may be difficult to find accommodation during the Summer.