Isle of Wight

24 – 28 June 2011

I love islands, which can be seen if you look at my wish list of places to visit.

So in need of a short break after the Egyptian adventure in January we decided on a long weekend on the Isle of Wight.  I hope that this will be the start of a collection of island based trips.

We started our trip from Portsmouth taking the 40 minutes car ferry to Fishbourne.  As it was still early afternoon and our ferry departed ahead of schedule, we decided to check out Ryde before finding our accommodation on the other side of the island.  Ryde is a large town which leads down to the Solent, but although we walked along the sea front we could not get to the sea.  Instead we turned inland and did some window shopping.  After a while it started to spot with rain, so we decided to try and find our B+B.

Chilton Farm near Brighstone

We were staying at Chilton Farm in Brighstone, and although we were staying as B+B guests, the farm also takes self catering bookings, so our tiny cottage had a tiny kitchen.  It was just what we were looking for, somewhere out of the way and quiet but close enough to everything for day tripping (although everywhere on the Isle of Wight is).  The full English breakfasts we received everyday were the perfect way to start the day.

We dumped our stuff, were introduced to the guinea fowl and took the short walk to the beach.  It might be a pebblely beach but here at last was the sea.

In normal life we live opposite a fish and chip shop.  We don’t use it very often, but it is nice to know that it is there if we need it.  Stupidly we assumed that being on an island surrounded by the sea, and after the evidence of Ryde, a chip shop wouldn’t be too hard to come by.  But chip shops are not marked on the map and so we then spent some time getting to know Freshwater, the closest large settlement to Brighstone, in the search for chips.

We did eventually find some, and very good they were with a sea view, something we never get at home.  Ironically having taken so long to find the chip shop we then seemed to pass it at least once every day for the rest of the trip.

St Catherine's lighthouse

The next day dawned gray, overcast and windy.  We had decided to visit St Catherine’s point on the very south point of the island and work our way along the coast, little knowing that it was also the day of the ‘round the island race’.  This meant that when we finally got out of the car and found the sea it was full of sailing boats.  The wind was perfect for them on this leg of the race pushing them on, but would slow them down once they entered the Solent to race towards the finish.  We walked to the lighthouse and back to the car before moving on to Ventnor where we walked round the shops, found lunch and watched more of the race from the beach.

We couldn’t find a sea view to enjoy our lunch and by the time we could see the sea again all the boats had gone.  It was strange to see the sea so empty having seen it so full. 

It was still cloudy and not particularly tropical but our next stop was the botanic gardens.  As garden lovers it was great to see some of our favourite tropical plants happily living outside in British weather.  I loved the grove of tree ferns.  I also rather enjoyed a cream tea (with home made jam) before making our way back to the B+B.  It was nearing ‘dinner time’ when we got back, but we were stuffed with cream tea, so we decided to walk out from the B+B down a road we had not tried yet.  This close to the longest day and with the overcast clouds it was very hard to tell just what time it was, it was close to 9pm when we got back to the B+B although it felt more like 7pm.  We saw lots of birds; yellow hammers, rooks and a little owl and also a hare.

Back at the B+B a small dinner and bed.

Sunday looked like it was just as overcast until we looked again and found it was fog.  We had planned to visit The Needles but knew we would not see much in the fog.  So after another grand English breakfast we decided to go to Yarmouth.  Yarmouth was thick with fog and walking along the wooden pier we found we could hear the car alarms on the ferry long before we saw it.

The harbour at Yarmouth was quite busy so we were quite happy to just sit and watch the boats come and go, until suddenly we realise we could see further and then a crack of blue sky appeared and there was the sun!

Maybe we would see The Needles after all, although we could still hear The Needles fog horn sounding.

We drove up to The Needles Fun Park which is the only place to park and costs £7.  A quick walk though the park confirmed there was nothing of interest there so we ate our lunch in the car park, watching the fog slowly receding, then walked to The Needles. 

The fog seemed to recede in front of us, so that when we arrived it was in full sun, but we hadn’t been able to see them until we got there.  The best views are either from The Old Battery, which is looked after by The National Trust, or from the site of the old rocket launching test site.  We started at The Old Battery, (with free entry as members of The National Trust) where we found out all about why it was built by the Victorians and then used in both World Wars.  There was even a tunnel to go down which takes you even closer to the cliffs.  The views were perfect, with white chalk needles surrounded by brilliant blue sea and sky and plenty of sea birds to watch.  Back on top we watched a peregrine circle.  Amazing. 

Scratchell's Bay

The sun was rather hot now and we wished for shorts as we walked up to The New Battery and the Old Rocket Launching Test site.  The walk was all up hill but well worth it as the view of The Needles was brilliant, as was the view of Scratchell’s Bay, which looked like something from a Greek holiday brochure.

The idea that secret test launches of rockets had taken place here during the Cold War was intreging and I wish we’d had more time to explore, but they were closing in 10 minutes.  

Walking back to the car we promised ourselves ice cream, but had to drive to Colwell Bay to find some.  It was worth it – island made Minghella Ice Cream with chunks of ginger in (mine was oriental ginger and honey) it was the refreshing treat we needed.  And the view of Hurst Castle on the main land was the opposite of one I’ve seen many many times.

To finish the day we walked to the beach near the B+B and watched the sun set.  A beautiful day.

Mottistone Manor Garden

Monday saw a more relaxed day, we started by visiting the tiny museum in Brighstone, which told us how people had lived in the village, most interesting of all was the display about the life boat, where men in a largish rowing boat would row out into the huge seas and try and help boats in distress.  I can’t imagine the bravery these men possessed to do that.  Most impressive of all is the numbers of people they managed to help.

From here we drove to Mottistone and the gardens at Mottistone Manor.  This is another National Trust property so another free entry.  We took it really gently after yesterdays hard walking and just enjoyed the boarders filled with flowers.  We took lunch in their café and had just got to the car to change our shoes when we had a heavy rain shower.  Once the rain had stopped and we had changed our shoes we walked up the hill to The Long Stone.  This was quite a short walk but up quite a steep hill through woods.  At the top you suddenly break out of the trees onto some grass land with a view of the sea and The Long Stone.  It is the only megalithic monument on the island and thought to be Neolithic.

As it was our last full day on the island we then drove to Yarmouth for a last cream tea or in my case ice cream milk shake with a fine view of the sea.

Dinner today was taken at Pizza Express in Newport.

Our last morning on the island was a warm one.  We’d decided to visit Cowes and so parked and had a good wonder among the shops, hiding when it rained, and walking along the beach in the sun.  To get to the ferry back at Fishbourne we had to cross the river but Cowes has no bridge.  You can either drive down to Newport and cross there, or take the chain ferry.  We took the chain ferry which cost us £2 and was not as exciting as it should have been.  If you were a foot passenger you might have been able to see things, but as the crossing is so short and we were in the car we saw nothing.  On the other side we sat in a car park with a sea view and ate our lunch before taking the ferry back to the main land.

Things to note:

The island does have a very good bus and train system and you could happily explore without a car, especially if you were staying in one of the small towns. 

The main cost of our trip after food was parking.

Cornwall and an English Summer

22 - 29 June 2007

After the success of Scotland we decided to try for a slightly warmer holiday.  So 7 days in Cornwall in June were booked.  Little did we know that the weather had decided against warm that week.  Being England we should have guessed.

The Devils Cauldron

It was already raining when we left in our hired car.  Not quite the drive we had going to Lossiemouth, but it would still take most of the day.  Especially as we decided to stop at Lydford Gorge for lunch.  We also decided to walk the 3 miles round the gorge which was beautiful and smelt of wild garlic.  We took it slow and enjoyed the views of waterfalls and were surprised at how many people seemed to march passed without looking.

This isn’t a walk for the faint hearted; in places we were going over slippery rocks and close to the river but it was worth it for the view of the Devils Cauldron at the end of it.  Here the water has cut away the stone and polished it as it swirls and splashes through, to stand above it is amazing.

We were staying in ‘The Old Dairy’, a self catering cottage on a farm along some tiny lanes near Turuo, where we arrive around 18:00.  That evening we watched the sun set over the sea while eating fish and chips.  A good start to the holiday.

The next day we visited St Ives.  I’d wanted to come here to visit the Tate Gallery, but the town itself was beautiful.  Compared with the London Tate, this one was quite small, but it was packed with art work and we had a good wander.  The sun had come out by now so we carried on to Barbara Hepworth’s house and garden.  I really enjoyed the museum, but then I am a fan of her work.

We thought St Ives was a lovely town, but signage isn’t their strong point.  We found the Tate, Barbara’s house and the car park more through luck and a willingness to keep walking till we find the thing we are looking for, than through any useful signage.

St Ives

On Sunday we visited the Eden Project.  It’s not how I imagined it would be, but I still enjoyed it.  We walked round the outside then went into the huge biomes, where the rain sounded like thunder on the roof.

I though all the information about renewable energy and recycling were inspiring, but I wonder how much of that inspiration makes it home.

On Monday we woke to flood warnings.  Heavy rain and winds made it hard to decide where to go, but in the end we drove to Newquey.  We stood on the cliffs and watched the sea crash on the beach, no one surfing today.  We had a walk round the shops, but were soon on our way back to the Dairy to hide from the rain.

Inside the Eden Project

The next day dawned dry if not sunny and we decided to find the Lost Gardens of Heligan, except there not really lost any more.  This was a real jungle garden full of bamboo and tree ferns and gunnera.  They had other gardens too, which were more organised and we spent all of the morning wandering.  Leaving late after lunch we stopped at Trewithen Garden on the way back.  Here we walked round their woodland garden, enjoying it nearly by ourselves before stopping for a cream tea.  I’d not had one before and it was delicious!  They also had swallows in their barn and we spent ages watching as the young who must have flown the nest quite recently came in and sat on the beams and chatted to us.

Our next excision was to Lands End.  I’m not sure what I was expecting really, but it certainly wasn’t a huge car park and a mass of shops.  Once you got passed the shops and amusements it was more like it should be, rocky and barren and cold.  But it looked like a lot of other bits of English coast so it was hard to believe that there was anything special about this bit.

We soon went back to the car to hide from the wind, and drove round to St Michael’s Mount.

St Michael's Mount

You can get to the Mount by a causeway, but it’s tidal, so we took a boat.  From the quay you walk up the hill, in places quite steep, to the castle at the top.  It’s surrounded on 3 sites by gardens on the steep sides and we walked though them.  Then for a moment the sun shone and the sea turned a brilliant blue and the gardens emerald green and I saw a glimpse of the Cornwall that everyone talks about.  Then the clouds came again and we went and hid from the rain in the chapel.

Our last day was spent at Trevarno, another garden, and then the beach.

Tervarno was lovely with a big lawn, woodland and lake and lots of birds, including peacocks and a golden pheasant.  I would swear that they posed for our photos, or maybe it was for our sandwiches?

After lunch we went to Godrey where we watched small black rubber seals bobbing in the waves by the cliffs.  Rather them than me.

And then the week was over and we had to make our way back home.

We stopped at Cheddar for lunch, but didn’t have time to have a proper look about.  Something for another trip maybe…

Lossiemouth - Scotland

4 - 16 October 2006

 Its a bit much when you've seen more of the world than your own country, so we decided to head off to Scotland. We were to stay in Lossiemouth a small town on the edge of the Moray Firth (sort of close to Inverness). Most people on hearing this asked about the RAF base there, but Lossie was more than just an air base, it was the perfect base for sight seeing round Scotland.

Getting there
As we live right down in the South of England and Lossie is right up in the North and we had decided to drive, we decided a stop on the way might be a good idea. So our first stop in Scotland was Edinbugh. 

Sueno's Stone

We knew that the parking in Edinbugh is near impossible so we decide to stay in a B+B on the outskirts and get the bus in. We stayed at the Eildon B+B in Musselburgh, which was really nice. Eve, the lady of the house was full of information and more than happy to pass it on. 

We stayed for 2 nights so spent one day walking round the sights of Edinburgh. Even in the light rain it was still a very picturesque city. My favourite stop was at the Museum of Scotland, which gave us a really good background for the rest of the trip, as well as being able to see the Lewis Chessmen. 

We also stopped at the Queens Gallery, where we saw a display of Canaletto in Venice, but the display changes regularly. Also in Mussleburgh, we had the best ice cream of the trip - S.luca. Eve said it was the best ice cream in Scotland and I'm inclined to believe her.

The drive from Edinburgh to Lossie took almost a day thought we did stop in Aberdeen for a look round their art gallery. 

Elgin Cathedral

Our apartment in Lossie was lovely. It was light and spacious with views out to sea. Perfect. It might have been windy that first night, but except for one day we had beautiful weather. I was ill the first couple of days so we took it easy with walks on the beach and chilling out. Lossie is the perfect place to do this, and I can imagine this would be a wonderful place to visit in the summer. We even saw dolphins from our bedroom on two separate occasions.

Being in Scotland I wanted to see some proper standing stones. So on my first day of feeling better we went to see Sueno's Stone in Forres. It's a huge (20foot) Pictish stone. Very impressive. Although we tried to find other stones, most weren't sign posted or the signs never lead anywhere. Which was a shame. We then went to Elgin Cathedral which is another impressive ruin. There are quite alot of these throughout Scotland.
It's also close to Tescos so we went and bought something for tea before going back home.

Loch Ness

Loch Ness

We couldn't be so close to Loch Ness with out going to have a look. I couldn't believe how big it is. The map just doesn't do it justices. We drove down the West side stopping at Urquhart Castle. Once again the weather was amazing. We carried on down this side to stop at Fort Augustus. Here there are many locks to take boats all the way from there to the West coast. We could have driven up the East side to get back but as most of it is single track road we decided aginst it. The veiws were stunning as the trees start to get their autumn colour.

Reindeer

The weather on Wednesday was rubbish so we stayed home. But Thursday dawned bright and beautiful, which was lucky as it was our last chance to get in to the Cairngorms and the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre. The drive took about 2hrs but we were still in time for the one and only guided excursion of the day. 

Leaving the Centre at 11:00 we walked up a small hill to find the reindeer who wander free on the top. They were lovely and very friendly (we did have food for them after all) and it was my favourate thing of the whole trip. We spent ages up there and I took about 60 photos - lucky it's a digital camera. To find out more visit their website.  After lunch by Loch Morlick we went to the Highland Wildlife park, just up the road. It was good, but I liked the reindeer best.

Heading home

All too soon it was time to come home. But once again we had decided a stop on the way might be a good idea. This time we decided to stop in The Lake District. We drove down the West side of Scotland, which was very different in landscape from where we had been staying. Quite amazing. Then back into England.

Castlerigg Stone Circle

It seemed very flat after Scotland. That is until we came into the Lakes just as the sun was setting and suddenly there were hills again. We were staying at another B+B, and thought it was comfortable, I was too spoilt by the rest of our accomadation to like it very much.

As we only had a day here, we decided against climbing to the top of one of the impressive hills, but rather to drive round and see some sights. We started with the Castlerigg Stone Circle. I'd hoped to see more of these in Scotland, but this was still excellent. We then drove down Lake Windermere before disapearing into some tiny lanes. We found somewhere to stop and went to for a walk as the light begain to fade. Its a very beautiful part of the country and I think we will have to go back to explore properly.
The next day we were up early to make the drive back to realitly.