Isle of Wight September 2011

Isle of Wight 2011

Ventnor

When Jane was a child she used to stay in Ventnor on holiday, in a flat on the seafront. There have been a few changes since the 1950s so she had difficulty identifying which building it was but the town has retained much of it's old world charm.
One thing we could be certain about the town was that it was extremely hilly and where we were staying meant that whenever we went for a cycle it involved a serious, hard climb upwards.

Our Rented Flat

We rented a flat from someone Dave worked with at Avis Car Rentals. It had a bedroom, bathroom, living room and a kitchen/diner area from where we could site and look out over the English Channel.

It was very comfortable and just what we needed.

House Boat at Bembridge

Our first cycle took us down to the sea front in the hope that we could cycle all the way from Ventnor to Sandown on the flat however this was no possible and after a couple of miles we had to make our way up a winding road until we reached the main coastal road. The climb up was a killer and Jane felt particularly unwell by the time we reached the top.
She soon recovered and before long we were through Shanklin and having a mug of tea next to the beach at Sandown.
Our route took us through picturesque Bembridge where we had lunch by the quay and admired the many houseboats dotted around the bay. If you're going to have a houseboat then this is the way to do it.
The final part of our cycle found us skirting around Ryde and through tree-lined country roads where we were lucky enough to see a red squirrel. Steve had never seen a red squirrel before so we took time out to watch it as it climbed up a tree by the side of the road.

Jane Cycling Up Hill

The island is very hilly both at the coast and inland. Our second cycle took us up (yes up again) out of Ventnor and via a series of ups and downs to Freshwater and then across to Yarmouth where we stopped for lunch.

In the afternoon we cycled through the centre of the island which was relatively flat until we headed towards Shorwell which was reached by cycling over a very steep escarpment. We did walk the last part because it was just too steep.

Jane is always happy on her bike and never more so than on this occasion when we were in a favourite holiday venue.

Shorwell Pub

No cycle would be complete without stopping at a country pub for a drink. In this instance it was coffee because alcohol during the day would make us sleepy and with another ten miles to go it didn't seem like the best thing to do.

We stopped here the last time we cycled on the Isle of Wight but that time we hired bikes which were nowhere near as comfortable as your own. It's a bit like walking in someone else's shoes not that we've ever done that.

Brading Roman Mosaic

The weather wasn't good enough for cycling on some days so we took the opportunity to walk. For this walk we parked at St Helens, near Bembridge and walked along footpaths over to Brading where there is a Roman Villa that has been incorporated into a covered museum.

The mosaics were incredible and although the archaeologists had been uncovering this since Victorian times it is quite amazing that so much of it has been preserved and it gave a good idea of how the villa was initially developed and how it fell into disrepair after the Roman Empire crumbled.

Bembridge Windmill

On our way back from Brading we took a different route back that took us across an area of natural wetland and reed beds and finally we walked right past Bembridge Windmill. This is the only surviving windmill on the Isle of Wight dating back to 1700 and last used in 1913. It makes one wonder whether the wind turbines being erected across the country will still be in use in 200 years time, we doubt it.

Despite high winds throughout the walk and a little drizzle when leaving the Roman Villa the day was really very kind to us and it was one of those walks that just drift by. Possibly one we will do again in the future.

Steve with Bikes - Cowes

Our last cycle took us up, yes up again, from Ventnor along country lanes as much as possible to Carisbrooke castle where we struggled up a steep hill out towards Yarmouth before heading north towards the coast and eventually down into Cowes.

We had a pleasant cup of coffee on the quay before saddling up again to head along the cycle track from Cowes to Newport which is a very pretty ride, all the more so because it is relatively flat following the line of the river Medina all the way into Newport town itself. From Newport we picked up another cycle track along an old railway line that took us to within five miles of Ventnor and as always the uphill cycle back to the flat.

St Catherine's Point Lighthouse

One dull afternoon we decided to take a drive down to St Catherine's Point to have a look at the lighthouse. As it turned out they were having guided tours and by luck we managed to catch the last tour of the day. What a find!
We had a very good guide who explained the history to the lighthouse through several rebuilds until it settled into its current form. The engineering that went into these buildings is truly incredible. The technologies deployed to keep the light maintained are now very 21st century with all systems monitored over a BT network to a Trinity House control centre in Harwich. There are failsafe mechanisms with back up batteries should the power fail for any reason. The prisms and parabolic reflectors mean the 400 watt bulbs are enough to send a light out for over 20 miles.
We had a fascinating climb into the lighthouse and although we've often admired these important edifices from afar this is the first time we've ever been into one. Just as we left the building there was a very loud clap of thunder and the atmosphere was perfect to allow us to imagine the importance of this building to sailors over the centuries.

The Pig Yard