ISLE OF WIGHT
FRIDAY-MONDAY, 20th-23rd APRIL 2012
This was our sixth walking holiday since Totton U3A was formed and for this we returned to our first venue, The Hambledon Hotel at Shanklin. This time, however, we had a new leader, Jim Harrod, who bravely stepped into Dave Butcher’s shoes and proved to be another cheerful, patient and very competent walk leader. The weather forecast for the weekend was pretty dismal and we went prepared for anything the heavens threw at us, from extra woollies to waterproof jackets, trousers, umbrellas, sunglasses and sunhats, gloves and scarves. In the event we were very lucky and the weather only let us down on the morning of our departure.
On Friday, we all arrived at the hotel by lunchtime and, after fortifying ourselves with food and drink, set off for a brisk walk along the coast towards Sandown. The weather was warm and sunny, and the outward walk was completed on the cliff top, with superb views out to sea and along the coast in each direction. When we turned for home we descended to the miles of sandy beach, some of us using the lift to return to the cliff top near our hotel, while others toiled up the road or the steps from the beach.
The evening set the tone for the whole weekend, with an excellent meal followed by a quiz evening, compered by Christine Farleigh, in the very comfortable lounge. These quizzes always seemed to culminate in a very noisy, often hilarious, but always friendly debate on the answers to the questions.
After a substantial breakfast, Saturday was a full day, with walks once more in coastal areas, the first with a sometimes steep ascent to the top of Culver Down and Bembridge Fort, then along the top to the Yarborough Monument, an obelisk in memory of Charles Anderson Pelham, Earl of Yarborough. Again, the views on this walk were breathtaking, the sea views to Portsmouth, the Spinnaker Tower and mainland coast to one side and back to Shanklin on the other, while inland we could see across the patchwork of fields and villages to the high spine running East to West across the Island.
After fortifying ourselves with tea, coffee or, in some cases, something stronger in the warm, sunny weather, we descended once more to our cars and set off to find more sustaining fare before our afternoon walk. This took us from Bembridge lifeboat station along rural paths which ran parallel to the coast through imposing houses, until it rejoined the sea at Colonel’s Hard. Here we thought our luck had run out as we reached the beach and saw blue-black storm clouds obliterating Portsmouth. Many of us donned our waterproofs before starting the walk back to the lifeboat station, but our luck held and the sight of the vivid turquoise sea against the livid skies, as the storm passed eastwards along the coast, was a real bonus. We even watched a heron fishing in the shallows as we passed and came upon the largest driftwood we had probably ever seen, in the shape of an uprooted tree still complete with petrified roots, totally bleached off-white and presenting a beautiful natural sculpture.
We returned to the hotel tired but pleased with our day, ready for a rest before our dinner and our second quiz evening.
Sunday proved to be another excellent day of walking, starting from Godshill and rambling through varied terrain of woods full of spring flowers, to more open land where a gymkhana seemed to have been put on especially for us. The bonus at the end of this walk was The Old Smithy, which complex housed a well-stocked restaurant where some of us availed ourselves of the good weather and ate outside, especially as there was a group of female Morris dancers to entertain us. There were also shops for browsing around until it was time to set off for our afternoon walk from Rookley Country Park.
We thought we really would be caught in the rain this time, but again we were lucky and only had one short shower, although the exposed part of the walk was quite windy. We executed a rough square around farmland and bridleways, finishing with a walk around the fishing lake at the country park. Another very varied day’s walking.
Tonight we had a treat after supper as our host provided us with a very good quiz, for which we stayed in the groups of six from each dining table. It’s amazing what a fund of knowledge can be dredged up when six lively minds put their heads together. We had to give ourselves names and the group which won was The Singles. I’ll leave you to guess who they consisted of. Needless to say, it was a fitting end to three days and evenings of lively company.
All too soon, we were packing on Monday morning for our return home. Jim had planned one final walk from Freshwater Bay on Tennyson Down, but at last the weather beat us and sadly we had to abandon this in favour of heading to the ferry in continuous rain.
However, nothing could take away the pleasure we had all gained from another great U3A Walking Holiday. Thank you, Jim, for carrying on this tradition so ably and enthusiastically. We all appreciated the effort and hard work which went into it. Thank you, too, Elaine, for being such a great partner and never bemoaning the fact that Jim was here, there and everywhere, ensuring everyone enjoyed their holiday. This will go down as yet another great success to file in the memory bank.
Sue
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