Photo-journal of my day trip to Ventnor and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.
This was a day trip as there was a sunny day (rare so far this summer) and I’ve never been to the Isle of Wight. I spent slightly more time on the island than in trains but the travel is a lot of the story of my day.
Impressions? In just a phrase, Shanklin reminded me of Key West. Less tropical and very English but I reminisced amongst the outdoor living and white-painted wooden house fronts, lush gardens and the wind-blown Cabbage Palms. And the people: families on a beach holiday, young couples, senior couples and the beach bums sleeping who knows where.
Fastcat at Portsmouth Harbour
HMS Richmond, Type 23 Frigate (F239)
Fastcat, leaving Portsmouth on sun-deck
Car ferry
Hovercraft
Ryde Pier Head Railway Station, Island Line. Carriages are converted from London’s District Line
Isle of Wight Steam Railway, Smallbrook Junction
Winter Gardens, Ventnor
Ventnor Undercliff, Esplanade and Beach
Ventnor was smaller than I expected but charming. The famed micro-climate below the cliff wasn’t particularly striking although the Winter Gardens had put on a fantastic garden display in a very sheltered corner.
Luccombe Chine
Shanklin
Shanklin Esplanade
Shanklin Esplanade had an impressive series of “experiences” for the kiddies: Dinosaur Experience, Pirate Experience etc. And a beach for Dads to loose credibility by falling off the kids' paddle-board
In that context I noted several B&Bs advertising as “Adults Only”; my first thought was “Oh, that’s good” until I surveyed the photos of their rooms, when it was apparent the rooms were very much set up for couples to have fun, though not necessarily with their usual partner...
Hovercraft - Solent Flyer
View from hovercraft porthole, so low in the water
Rainbow over Clapham Junction Station, London
The trains from London worked fine, as did the through ticket from my local station all the way to Shanklin, including the ferries. Trains on the Isle of Wight were fine too though a bit disconcerting to find myself on carriages from the District Line in London. The Fastcat terminal is adjacent to Portsmouth Harbour rail station with a shorter walk than many tube station interchanges. Hovercraft didn’t work very well as it lands on Southsea Beach and needs a hopper bus ride to the rail station so it goes the long way round, but an experience to ride one again.