Family Holiday to the Isle of Wight

Yesterday, I got back from a week on the Isle of Wight with my family.  We were hugely fortunate with the weather with only one day out of seven being rainy.  Pretty good going for a bank holiday weekend in England, let alone a whole week!

Yachts in the Solent

Anyway, here's a few snaps from the week, starting with a ferry crossing of the Solent.

As you can see, it was a pretty warm, sunny and calm Saturday to be out on the water.  The yachts were making the most of it and the scene almost looks like something you'd expect to see in the South of France rather than the south of England.  My brother & I enjoyed a beer on the deck and instantly started to chill out.

First view of the beach

The house we had rented for the week was ludicrously close to the beach.  On first laying eyes upon the beach from a cut-through beside a seaside café, I thought I'd stepped into Wonderland.

Brightly coloured beach huts lined the top of the beach for as far as the eye could see.  All manner of holiday makers were there, but it was like walking into a timewarp.  There were no crowds at all, but there were families, dog-walkers, and even horses walking along the sand.  Holiday mode well & truly engaged!

Watching the sun set with my brother and a glass of wine

I call this "Orange on White"

This is just about when I give up on chronology, but taking a glass of wine down to the beach after dinner became something of a ritual.  The rest of the pictures will be in no particular order!

Here, for example, is a completely random orange rock on top of a white rock somewhere on the beach.  Actually, I think it's a bit of brick which has been weathered by the sea, but I just really liked the contrast.

Bembridge RNLI station

Woodland path

And above is a snap of the Bembridge RNLI lifeboat station.  It's a recent multi-million pound replacement for the old station.  The public are allowed inside and I highly recommend you take a look around your nearest station.  The volunteer in this one was very informative.  He was able to answer all of our questions and gave us a great description of the £2.5 million self-righting lifeboat.  It carries up to seven crew, goes out in all weather and, should the boat capsize in high seas, it rights itself within four seconds.  It was also absolutely gleaming like a new boat, even though it's several years old.  The volunteer said it would still look exactly the same in twenty years' time when it will likely be sold to a foreign navy and replaced with a new model.  Fascinating stuff!

To the left is a wee cut-through which Dad knew about.  It took us from near the lifeboat station back into the middle of Bembridge on our way to the shop for the daily papers and some tasty buns.

Beach huts

Back to the beach, here's a snap of some of those beach huts.  If you think they look a bit tatty, you're right.  But that's not the norm here.  Most of the beach huts were severely damaged in the February tidal swell and their owners are still in the process of effecting repairs.

Driftwood

We were able to talk with some of the owners.  They seemed strangely happy about having to repair, and in some cases rebuild their huts.  I suppose it's an opportunity to do some upgrades, but I can't say I'd be too happy about it.  Must be the excuse to spend a few more days on the beach!

Sunny seas

Er, here's some driftwood.  I like driftwood.

And another shot of the practically caribbean looking sea.  We really were so lucky with the weather.

Sunset Shiraz

Donnelly Dolphins

Oops, and a bit more wine on the beach...

Then there's this amazing sculpture to the right.  The plaque on the fence (out of shot) reads "Donnelly Dolphins: Here once stood a majestic Cupressus Macrocarpa.  Blown down in a storm in 2012.  The trunk and fallen bow was transformed into this wonderful sculpture by Guido Oakley."

The main part of the sculpture visible here (the rest is out of frame to the left) is actually the original tree trunk and is still in the ground.  That means the carving was completed in situ, which is a rather impressive feat if you ask me!

High and dry

With the tide almost all the way out, this boat was left high & dry.  I'm not sure why, but I really liked this image when I saw it.

I wonder if the mooring belongs to the same people as those who own the beach hut directly opposite at the top of the beach.

Zig-zag tree

Another tree-related image; here is a fine example of a tree with determination to survive.  I've never seen a tree with such a full 'head of hair' entirely on what must have been a single branch.  Any other branches and most of the trunk were trimmed or otherwise lost a long time ago and it looks like the sole remaining branch was broken in two places at some point in its history, and yet the tree prevails.  The result is a weird zig-zag branch, in the end as upright as the original tree would have become, but offset by almost two metres from the trunk.  Very cool!

More wine, Mark?

And more wine!  This time you can see me attempting to keep my tiny brother's alcohol levels topped up with a gigantic glass of Shiraz.  He was very grateful.

As always, I hope you enjoy these pictures.  They're free to use in any way you see fit, as long as you attribute them back to me by way of a link to this blog.

I welcome any comments or questions you may have.

I'll deposit a final, unedited image to sign off.  It's my lovely family enjoying an after dinner drink to the soothing susurrations of the sea.

Mum, Dad, Brother