Above - Ryde Pier looking towards Ryde, Isle of Wight
Above - Looking towards Portsmouth from Ryde Pier
Above - Looking towards Ryde from Ryde Pier
Above - Just walking off the Pier at Ryde
Above - Ryde beach with sand and shells
Above - Shanklin Chine
Above - Shanklin Chine
Above - Shanklin cliffs and beach
Above - A sandy beach
Above - A pretty tea shop in ShanklinOn Wednesday I went to the Isle of Wight. I took the 0903 train from Brighton to Portsmouth Harbour where I changed and caught the Wight Link boat to Ryde. The boat took about 20 minutes. When I arrived at Ryde Pier Head (at about 11h) I was at the very end of a very long wooden structure - presumably the Pier. I walked the length of this structure spanning the sea and onto the island. My first observation, apart from the boat only taking me half way across the channel to the island, was that there was a beach. With sand. This got me excited. If the north coast of the Isle of Wight can have sandy beaches then why can't the south coast of England? It just isn't fair.
I went to the tourist information centre. Originally I was going to go to Osbourne House - an English Heritage property in East Cowes, but it was a long wait for the bus. I decided instead to get the bus to Shanklin in the south east of the island. It took about 30 minutes. When I got there I had a walk around and went down to the beach. I then stopped for some lunch (a cheese ploughmans) in an open air cliff top cafe with sea views. Very nice. After lunch I went to the Shanklin Chine. A chine is a steep sided river valley where the river flows through coastal cliffs to the sea. Shanklin chine is an area of outstanding natural beauty that is very green with lots of plants and trees and a waterfall. There is also the PLUTO (pipe line under the ocean) running through it which carried petrol during the war from France to England.
After Shanklin I headed back to Ryde I took the train. There isn't really a train network. There is one line running down one side of the island with 6 stops. The trains they use are the old London Underground ones. The carriage I took was from 1938! There was no time to detour to East Cowes and Osbourne House. Nor did I get to visit The Needles in west of the island. I had no idea there'd be so much to see! It's a pretty island with lots of tourists, mostly old. In fact I don't think I saw anyone under the age of 65 all day! Nor did I pass any schools... I plan to go back for further exploring.
The Seven Wonders of The Isle of Wight:
1) Lake you can walk through without wetting your feet
2) Newtown which is very old
3) Ryde where you walk
4) Newport you cannot bottle
5) Needles you cannot thread
6) Freshwater you cannot drink
7) Cowes you cannot milk
