Alice in Wonderland? ...No just a trip to the Isle of Wight
Last weekend we went to the Isle of Wight (IW). I felt like Alice in Wonderland…
The trip was organised by the company for all its Indian employees currently deputed to work in the UK. It was organised as a Diwali celebration for all those who were away from home and family.
Isle of Wight is a charming island off the southern coast of England. The drive to Portsmouth was quite uneventful due to the light traffic on an early Saturday morning. The rain gods were merciful and we only met with some light showers throughout the journey. As we approached Portsmouth we passed several cars pulling yachts/sailboats to the coast. What a delightful way to spend the weekend!
At Portsmouth we took the Hovercraft to the town of Ryde on the northern coast of the Isle. It was my first ride in a hovercraft and it was quite bumpy; but I got the opportunity to see the hovercraft moving on land and in water (quite an amphibian!).
Ryde is a charming coastal town with a long pier which is around 200 years old. It is built of wood with solid iron railings. There is a railway line that extends to the end of the pier so passengers can make the transition easily from land to the ferry.
From Ryde we took a bus to East Cowes. This is another coastal town which is very popular for sailing and for its yacht races (which are held in august). The river Medina also runs outside this town and separates it from the town of Cowes. The river is at its narrowest between these two towns and there is an ancient floating bridge that connects the two. This floating bridge is like a barge and can hold about 10-12 cars and several people and transport them from one bank of the river to another. We crossed into Cowes on this bridge and it was a novel experience. It is supposed to be only one of five such bridges left in the country.
From Cowes we took a bus to Newport which is located almost in the centre of the isle and is the capital city. It is also an important junction and has bus services to every important place in the Isle. Just outside Cowes we went past Osborne house which was home to Queen Victoria and now houses reminisces of her life and times.
Newport is a busy town with its share of shopping malls and restaurants. There was also a beautiful church and a museum. From Newport we took a bus to Alum Bay. Alum Bay is probably the most famous tourist spot on the Isle. The drive to Alum Bay was extremely beautiful and it was all in a double-decker bus. We came across acres of green lands with gently sloping hills and cattle grazing peacefully. There were few houses in sight. We saw cows, sheep, pigs, ducks, turkeys, hares, etc. In other places we came across houses having thatched roofs and lovely gardens with pumpkin patches and flowers. About half way to Alum Bay we touched the coast and from then on, the view was breathtaking. At this point the front seats on the upper deck of the bus were vacated and we had absolutely the best seats to take in the view. We were driving on a narrow road with a grassy shoulder and a steep drop to the sea. The road wound through the chalk cliffs and we could only see miles and miles of water glistening in the sunlight. Behind the bus station at Alum Bay is The Needles Park which is a small amusement park with a carousel, a chair lift (it lifts people high above the sea, but it was closed during our visit), a dinosaur mini golf course, a coloured sand souvenir store (they sell glass containers of various shapes and coloured sand in different shades of red, yellow and white sourced from the surrounding cliffs, customers can fill in their containers with different coloured sand to make patterns) and the Marconi point which is the westernmost point of the island from where experimental radio transmissions had been carried out (there is a monument to commemorate these transmissions). We also got a clear view of The Needles which are natural rock formations that rise upwards from the sea. Since the rocks made of chalk, the cliffs and The Needles are white in colour giving the appearance of being snow clad. There are apparently several such white cliffs along the southern coast of England. At the edge of The Needles there is a lighthouse to warn approaching ships of the rocks.
At Alum Bay there is also a glass factory and for a fee of ₤1 we were treated to a tour of the glassworks and a demonstration of glass blowing. The demo was so captivating that we watched it twice. One artisan moulded a beautiful coloured vase from a lump of glass while another craftsman was making delicate glass animals. There was a shop attached to the factory and we bought a small souvenir of our highly informative visit. There was also a candy factory and store but for lack of time we had to skip the visit.
Right after I had a strawberry ice cream, we took a bus to Freshwater Bay. This place has a small curved beach nestled between high white cliffs. When we reached the beach the tide was up and there were strong winds blowing. We were almost drenched by the spray from the sea as it hit the rocks around us. There was a tea shop adjoining the beach overlooking the sea. About halfway up the cliff on our right was a small wooden structure with a door that seemed as if it was a part of the cliff. Right above this structure at the top of the cliff was a quaint house that did not look one bit out of place. It must be quite amazing to live in a place like that. On the other side of the beach was a narrow wooden staircase which took us to the top of the cliff. We walked along the cliff path and were literally blown away by the wind. Here we saw a small farmhouse with a fat sheep and some ducks. The view from the top of the cliff was magnificent even though we were a trifle unsteady.
We rode back to Newport along the same beautiful coastline and then back to Ryde to catch the hovercraft back to the mainland.
The trip was extremely memorable. The Isle has a tranquillity which is hard to come by in our daily lives. The people seem more prosperous; there are solitary houses standing amid acres of grassland, the houses are also bigger and unique unlike the uniform apartment houses found in several towns on the mainland. The roads are narrower with thick tree cover on either side in the interiors, the coastlines are untouched by commercial development and the grandeur of the cliffs is mesmerizing. Everything seemed to have come to a standstill when we were in the presence of so much natural beauty.
When we woke up the next morning and looked out onto our street with its familiar streetscape we almost felt we had been in wonderland and had been restored to reality. (At least I now know how Alice felt…)
The trip was organised by the company for all its Indian employees currently deputed to work in the UK. It was organised as a Diwali celebration for all those who were away from home and family.
Isle of Wight is a charming island off the southern coast of England. The drive to Portsmouth was quite uneventful due to the light traffic on an early Saturday morning. The rain gods were merciful and we only met with some light showers throughout the journey. As we approached Portsmouth we passed several cars pulling yachts/sailboats to the coast. What a delightful way to spend the weekend!
At Portsmouth we took the Hovercraft to the town of Ryde on the northern coast of the Isle. It was my first ride in a hovercraft and it was quite bumpy; but I got the opportunity to see the hovercraft moving on land and in water (quite an amphibian!).
Ryde is a charming coastal town with a long pier which is around 200 years old. It is built of wood with solid iron railings. There is a railway line that extends to the end of the pier so passengers can make the transition easily from land to the ferry.
From Ryde we took a bus to East Cowes. This is another coastal town which is very popular for sailing and for its yacht races (which are held in august). The river Medina also runs outside this town and separates it from the town of Cowes. The river is at its narrowest between these two towns and there is an ancient floating bridge that connects the two. This floating bridge is like a barge and can hold about 10-12 cars and several people and transport them from one bank of the river to another. We crossed into Cowes on this bridge and it was a novel experience. It is supposed to be only one of five such bridges left in the country.
From Cowes we took a bus to Newport which is located almost in the centre of the isle and is the capital city. It is also an important junction and has bus services to every important place in the Isle. Just outside Cowes we went past Osborne house which was home to Queen Victoria and now houses reminisces of her life and times.
Newport is a busy town with its share of shopping malls and restaurants. There was also a beautiful church and a museum. From Newport we took a bus to Alum Bay. Alum Bay is probably the most famous tourist spot on the Isle. The drive to Alum Bay was extremely beautiful and it was all in a double-decker bus. We came across acres of green lands with gently sloping hills and cattle grazing peacefully. There were few houses in sight. We saw cows, sheep, pigs, ducks, turkeys, hares, etc. In other places we came across houses having thatched roofs and lovely gardens with pumpkin patches and flowers. About half way to Alum Bay we touched the coast and from then on, the view was breathtaking. At this point the front seats on the upper deck of the bus were vacated and we had absolutely the best seats to take in the view. We were driving on a narrow road with a grassy shoulder and a steep drop to the sea. The road wound through the chalk cliffs and we could only see miles and miles of water glistening in the sunlight. Behind the bus station at Alum Bay is The Needles Park which is a small amusement park with a carousel, a chair lift (it lifts people high above the sea, but it was closed during our visit), a dinosaur mini golf course, a coloured sand souvenir store (they sell glass containers of various shapes and coloured sand in different shades of red, yellow and white sourced from the surrounding cliffs, customers can fill in their containers with different coloured sand to make patterns) and the Marconi point which is the westernmost point of the island from where experimental radio transmissions had been carried out (there is a monument to commemorate these transmissions). We also got a clear view of The Needles which are natural rock formations that rise upwards from the sea. Since the rocks made of chalk, the cliffs and The Needles are white in colour giving the appearance of being snow clad. There are apparently several such white cliffs along the southern coast of England. At the edge of The Needles there is a lighthouse to warn approaching ships of the rocks.
At Alum Bay there is also a glass factory and for a fee of ₤1 we were treated to a tour of the glassworks and a demonstration of glass blowing. The demo was so captivating that we watched it twice. One artisan moulded a beautiful coloured vase from a lump of glass while another craftsman was making delicate glass animals. There was a shop attached to the factory and we bought a small souvenir of our highly informative visit. There was also a candy factory and store but for lack of time we had to skip the visit.
Right after I had a strawberry ice cream, we took a bus to Freshwater Bay. This place has a small curved beach nestled between high white cliffs. When we reached the beach the tide was up and there were strong winds blowing. We were almost drenched by the spray from the sea as it hit the rocks around us. There was a tea shop adjoining the beach overlooking the sea. About halfway up the cliff on our right was a small wooden structure with a door that seemed as if it was a part of the cliff. Right above this structure at the top of the cliff was a quaint house that did not look one bit out of place. It must be quite amazing to live in a place like that. On the other side of the beach was a narrow wooden staircase which took us to the top of the cliff. We walked along the cliff path and were literally blown away by the wind. Here we saw a small farmhouse with a fat sheep and some ducks. The view from the top of the cliff was magnificent even though we were a trifle unsteady.
We rode back to Newport along the same beautiful coastline and then back to Ryde to catch the hovercraft back to the mainland.
The trip was extremely memorable. The Isle has a tranquillity which is hard to come by in our daily lives. The people seem more prosperous; there are solitary houses standing amid acres of grassland, the houses are also bigger and unique unlike the uniform apartment houses found in several towns on the mainland. The roads are narrower with thick tree cover on either side in the interiors, the coastlines are untouched by commercial development and the grandeur of the cliffs is mesmerizing. Everything seemed to have come to a standstill when we were in the presence of so much natural beauty.
When we woke up the next morning and looked out onto our street with its familiar streetscape we almost felt we had been in wonderland and had been restored to reality. (At least I now know how Alice felt…)
I love the detail with which you write, I can almost picture everything from the Isle, the glass factory, the floating beach, Alum Bay (that picture is so beautifully old English country!...reminds me of a mixture of Enid Blyton with Jane Austen)...you're right, natural beauty brings with it so much tranquility.
So keep writing, to give the rest of us a virtual experience of all these beautiful locales... :)
Posted by
Deepti Samant Raja |
4:51 pm
wow! that place truly sounds mesmerising. Thanks for the wonderful walkthrough, enjoyed it a lot!
Posted by
Girish |
4:37 pm
my dear sharayu, you write very well keep it up.
Narendra Bappa
Posted by
narendra |
6:49 am
my dear sharayu, you write very well keep it up.
Narendra Bappa
Posted by
narendra |
6:50 am