Day Three - Isle of Wight

We woke to a very cold, foggy morning and this persisted all day. The forecast was for a maximum of eight which we didn’t think it reached and for the sun to finally emerge at about six o’clock in the evening which it did! Following a hearty porridge breakfast we donned our warm gear and packed our rain gear and headed to the bus for another adventure. We are loving our Rover Passes - we go where we like, when we like and change buses as often as we like. We decided that despite the weather we would go for a walk along the tops of the cliffs near St Catherine’s Lighthouse at the southern part of the island. This meant catching the bus to Ventnor then changing to a smaller bus to take us to a little village called Niton.

We were hoping for a coffee at Niton but it was far too small for any tearooms. From Niton we walked out of the village and found the pretty coastal path which took us high on the cliffs above the sea. Being exposed to the elements on the cliffs we were forced to put on our gloves and beanies. It was very cold. We couldn’t see far down the coastline’s cliffs nor the horizon because of the fog and this was close to lunchtime. We did have a good view of the lighthouse.

We walked for about four kilometres and the path descended into Blackgang Chine which was another small theme park for children, this one centring around pirates. We finally found a cosy tearoom and we each had a large bowl of soup which hit the spot.

From Blackgang Chine we caught a bus to Newport which is the major town on the island. It’s also where all the buses pass through as the central point. We are mostly in luck in getting the front seat on the top of the double decker buses as most of the passengers seem to be elderly. From our high vantage point we are enjoying seeing the pretty countryside. The bare trees are just starting to sprout new leaves and buds and the daffodils are in abundance. The bus drivers are very adept in manoeuvring their large vehicles along the narrow country lanes and in-between the oncoming cars. A lot of polite turn-taking takes place. The top of the double decker buses have bull bars around the perimeter of the windscreens and these often come in handy as the buses pass through overhanging trees along the narrow lanes. At Newport we couldn’t resist finding another cosy tea-room, The Blue Door which sits on the edge of the central square. Henk enjoyed a Victoria’s Sponge and I resisted the temptation. We caught a bus to East Cowes, a busy port on the northern side of the island. We then caught two buses back to Shanklin via Ryde. By this time it was five o’clock and felt we needed to come in from the cold to thaw out before we headed out for dinner. However, Henk decided to go for another hour’s walk whilst I snuggled in and read the paper. Dinner was at a local Indian establishment and it was delicious. We had a great conversation with the Bengali waiter. We said we would return tomorrow night to continue the conversation. Photos: Ventnor’s esplanade on a cold, foggy day; The path leading to the cliff tops at St Catherine’s; St Catherine’s Lighthouse;