Isle of Wight: Sandown to Ryde

 

Laura, Mabel and I were on the motorway well before dawn, en route to the Isle of Wight in anticipation of a rainy four days. 

Understandably reluctant 

We managed to miss the slip road off the M25 and then I managed to make Laura take the wrong exit back onto the M25 again but in the same (wrong) direction, so all in all that was an extra 25 miles which took us close to the wire for catching our 7.20 am (yes!!) ferry. We also went to the cross-channel ferry port in Portsmouth rather than the local ferry place. But despite all that, we made it. 

We were in Fishbourne by 8, and driving eastwards to Seaview, just past Ryde. We walked back to Ryde and got the bus to Sandown (Mabel having boarded only with the use of brute force).

Can’t believe you’re doing this to me

As soon as we arrived, it started chucking it down so we took refuge in a cafe for a bit of breakfast. 

Fortunately it then quickly brightened up and we wished we had some sun cream with us.

Walked round the Bembridge peninsula, chalk downs and a large and bland suburb, then into the old village which had various chi-chi shops, a deli and a lovely bakery/cafe (the Hotbox) where we stopped for tea and lemon meringue pie. I felt compelled to buy two delicious but very heavy sourdough loaves, which added some weight training to today’s regimen. Shortly afterwards we came to St Helens, a harbour full of interesting houseboats and an estuary with a narrow pedestrian causeway. We got to the middle of it, only to find that there was a dip covered in rushing water, so we had to turn round and go back again.

Saw this in the woods

Eventually we made it back to Seaview, where we admired lots of beautiful architecture.  

We were five minutes from the car when it absolutely pelted down with rain again. My trousers were soaked and we had to stand in the lee of a stone beachwall to shelter from the worst of it. Laura broke open some crisps to bolster our fortitude as we cowered there, and as we set off again in the rain to the car, the sun emerged and a rainbow appeared. We got back into the car very soggy.

Drove to our Airbnb in Brook via the supermarket, were there by 5 or so. Lovely cottage with nice garden. Very quiet. The evening has flashed past. Were very hungry by then and we had a delicious salmon dinner.

Definitely going to sleep well tonight. Fingers crossed me trousers will be dry again by morning!