Isle of Wight

"Let me take you on a trip...."

This weekend i took a weekend trip outside London. My first UK destination for sightseeing was Isle of Wight. My colleagues from work were surprised to learn that i will visit Isle of Wight during this period of the year, since it is a summer holiday attraction. I said "why not?".

I booked my National Express ticket to Ryde (including fast-ferry) for only 33 pounds. Do you know that the song "Ticket to Ride" from the Beatles has a lot to do with Ryde ? If no, read here.

I boarded a nice bus Saturday morning and after 3 hours i was on the Ryde Pier. A quite strange pier where cars, foot passengers and a train are all together going to one one of the best towns in the island. Narrow streets, beautiful buildings, fascinating hills and very small prices are my best memories from Ryde. After i bought a 2 day rover ticket valid on all buses for 15 pounds, i set my wheels in motion for discovering the island's beauties.

I browsed through Sandown (with it's beautiful beaches and it's famous Pier), Shanklin and Ventnor with their beautiful houses and fascinating see-views. The weather was on my side while going to Newport (the Island capital) for a short walk on its streets. From here i took the bus to Cowes, the mecca of sailing. This town breathes sailing through every house , dock or street that i saw. In August a famous one day event gets together world renowned sailors. Across the bay from Cowes is the birthplace of the first Hoovercraft,the small city of East Cowes.

Great sights , great places nice views and the best of it i left it for another time. Because of the awful Sunday weather i skipped the "Needles" for another time. Returning by speed-boat to Portsmouth i lived to see what tidal waves are like on a rainy day. Quite balancing ride, back home, far more different than the first trip on a sunny day.

Portsmouth is a nice city with a huge harbor where old ships, like HMS Victory the first iron-clad ship, can be seen together with the new super-ferries that cross daily to Bilbao, Caen or other European ports. Besides this, the city is developing fast, with a big commercial area that reminded me of Hanover.

In the end i may say that the choice of Isle of Wight was a great one even if the sunny weather was not my friend on Sunday. :)

For more sights of the trip....go here