Isle of Wight Day One

Nice drive to Portsmouth where we caught the Wight Link Ferry across the English Channel to the Isle of Wight. Another pleasant drive through the countryside to Shanklin where our accommodation was Fernbank B&B, the first of many to come. What a lovely surprise this was, a beautiful stone house complete with sitting rooms, bar and breakfast rooms all looking out over the garden.

Looking back towards Portsmouth Harbour

After meeting our host we decided to walk into Shanklin Old Village for a bit of a look and some lunch. We decide on lunch at the award winning Old Thatch Teashop which was a quaint tea room full of bits and pieces of tea pots, accessories and Royal memorabilia. We were seated outside in the garden which had a magical fairy garden in one corner. Very cute and was a hit with the kids.

Award winning Old Thatch Teashop

Fairy Garden

Once we ordered lunch, mine with a Pimms with all the trimmings, the clouds started to come over and we were eventually forced inside to finish. Once finished lunch we didn't let the rain deter us and we walked to the Shanklin Chine as this was one of the places Peter had researched. 

A chine is a narrow gully or gorge normally with a stream that cuts through it and runs into the sea. The Shanklin Chine dates from 1817 and has some rare plants and ferns. It was once used for Commando's training in WW2.

The rain had eased a little but as soon as we started to walk down it absolutely poured. We pushed on but eventually had to find some shelter as it was too heavy. Once the rain eased again we continued along the path and when we came out at the bottom it was sunny and warm. That's English weather for you!

We found ourselves at a beautiful spot with views along the coast to the chalk cliffs. The beach was called Small Hope Beach and the next one further up was Hope Beach very lovely. We walked along the esplanade watching families on holidays braving the water and enjoying themselves. The whole area is very popular for a summer holiday for English families. We stopped at the Beach Bar which had a view to the sea for a drink and naturally I had a Pimms, this is becoming a habit while here in the UK. It is a nice refreshing drink which also has lots of fruit so I am getting my daily intake of fruit, well maybe, but it does taste good, that could be because it is soaking in the alcohol of the Pimms. 

We decided it was time to go back and the thought of walking up the steep incline back to our accommodation wasn't a pleasant one but we found a lift which went up to the top and we only had a short walk back to our B&B for a rest before dinner. The whole place is absolutely lovely with gorgeous scenery and quaint cottages.

Our dinner stop for the night was a local restaurant called Pendletons and it was just wonderful. A family run restaurant with great food. The village has plenty of places to eat which are of a very high standard. After dinner it was back to our accommodation to try and do some of the blog from the previous days. 

While it doesn't sound like much we did do a lot of walking around so we were quite tired. 

I have a few things I would like to do while in the Isle of Wight so let's see if we get through it all.