Isle of Wight

This weekend, we took off on a 30-hour excursion to the Isle of Wight. Picking the kids up on Friday from school, we set off in our not-so-trustworthy Clio just before traffic set in. We reached southern England in 90 minutes and drove up on the ferry. Not unlike those in Seattle, the ferry was large with 2 levels of parking, 2 restaurants, and 3 levels of exploring. Liv and I wandered the decks enjoying the sun and wind before we settled into some booths. Noah and Liv drew pictures and read as Rachelle and I planned our trip. 30 minutes later we arrived on the small Isle of Wight.

We drove to our hotel and checked in. We had reserved a room at a cute hotel in Shanklin with 2 connected rooms. The kids were delighted to find chocolates on their pillows, which they ate before we walked off to dinner. Just down the street, we found the beach, which had a board walk. Liv ran along the sand, while Noah, Rachelle, and I walked along on the higher wall. We found a restaurant on the beach, which the kids loved and Rachelle and I agreed was high on the cheesy tourist scale. The food was decent, and the beer Rachelle and I split was excellent.

The next morning, we set off for a nearby gorge. We wandered along the little paths and board walks enjoying the waterfalls, streams, and lush greenery. The kids delighted in watching some squirrel/mouse-like animals and parrots in cages along the trail. We wandered through the little village of Shanklin, and the kids loved (and Rachelle and I endured) the tourist shops with all of the little trinkets.

Back to the Clio and we headed to the Needles area, which are some cliffs, beaches, and rock formations. After parking, we meandered through the fairground area. The crowd looked just like one you might find at Stone Mountain or Six Flags (i.e., tattoos, missing teeth, tee-shirts not quite covering bellies) minus the Southern accents and Rebel flags. We took some chair lifts from the top of the cliffs down to the beaches; Liv and I loved the ride and Rachelle and Noah white-knuckled it through. Once on the beach, we walked a bit and then hopped on a boat for a close-up tour of the Needles rock formation. The white jagged rocks looks a lot like ice bergs, but are actually made of chalk.

After the boat ride, we played on the rock beach for a while collecting stones, taking in some sun, admiring the multicolored cliffs, and listening to the wonderful sounds of the waves receding on the pebble beach. We then walked up the path back to the fairground, spent some pounds trying to knock down cans with bean bags (we did not win a dinky stuffed animal), and grabbed some food.

We then headed for a walk along the high cliffs to see the old and new batteries. Along the way, we had a little picnic and looked for rabbits. We reached the old battery, which was a sort of fort with cannons, lookouts, and a great underground tunnel leading to another lookout. The battery was manned throughout World War I, but no ships or planes were fired upon. Rachelle and Noah did an activity at the old battery learning about the war and location as they followed a guide and wore silly hats. Liv and I explored on our own sans hats.

The new battery was just up the hill at a slightly higher location and was used extensively during World War II. We explored the battery and enjoyed the sun and views of the cliffs, beaches, and ocean.

We jumped in our clio and headed home. Liv falling asleep in the car, which she has not done since she was a baby.

Sunday morning found Noah, Liv, and me headed to my soccer match, and Rachelle going to join the Ramblers for a 5 1/2 mile walk through the Cotswalds. Rachelle enjoyed the beautiful walk and talking with the elderly group (Rachelle was the youngest by about 20 years). Not to keep you in suspense any longer, I will share that Belvedere FC played a fine match and beat the much younger opponents 3-1. Noah, Liv, and I joined the lads at the Belvedere pub for 2 Shirley Temples, a Shandy (half beer, half sprite), and a bag of crisps (potato chips).

Now it is Sunday evening, Rachelle is making homemade pizza, Noah is doing his homework, Liv is reading, and I am updating the blog.

Cheerio!