Day Two - Isle of Wight

We woke to a chilly, sunny morning and the temperature rose during the day to a brisk eight degrees. We were very ready for our eight thirty breakfast having woken at five o’clock. We have to remember that the English start later and finish later which is unlike most Aussies including us. We spent most of the day on the local double-decker lime green buses having bought forty-eight hours rover ticket. It proved to be a fantastic decision as we toured the very picturesque island from one side to the other and it gave us a good idea of which areas we want to explore more thoroughly. We mostly sat at the top, front seats which meant we had great views over the countryside, the Solent Strait and the English Channel. We are surprised how large the island feels even though it only measures 21 kms by 37 kms. The bus took us across large rural farms, through lazy seaside towns and passed many thatched cottages which belong on the front of chocolate boxes. We are surprised how large the towns are with their high streets and little shops. At lunch time we decided to get off the bus at The Needles which is the most western point of the island. We walked straight from the bus into The Needles Pleasure Park which was not expected. It apparently owes its existence to Alum Bay’s famous coloured sands of which the cliffs are composed. There are twenty different sand colours. We walked a couple of kilometres to get to the edge of stunningly white cliffs to view The Needles. It was a brilliant day to view them.

We bought our lunch at a National Trust kiosk near the viewing area. It was housed in an underground bunker which was interesting. We ate our sandwiches on a bench overlooking Alum Bay and its beautiful turquoise water. We returned to catch a bus via walking across the hilltops where we had magnificent views over many white cliffs. It was a great feeling to be back walking again.

We had caught the bus at ten o’clock and I returned to our hotel at six o’clock. Henk decided to get off the bus at Sandown and walk the nearly four kms to get some extra exercise.

The headlines on the BBC News and in the newspapers didn’t surprise us. It stated that Heathrow Customs will not cope with the Easter crowd nor the London Olympics. They stated that some passengers wait up to three hours to have their passports processed. We were lucky! Pictures: The Needles; Descending the hills to Alum Bay; The beach at Sandown just north of where we are staying at Shanklin.