What?
A trip to the Isle of Wight.
After a taste of the coast just a couple of weekends earlier when visiting the New Forest, we took the ferry across the Solent for a proper coastal escape visiting family in the Isle of Wight.
On arriving in Ventnor in the afternoon, we enjoyed ice creams on the beach and tea and cake on the sea front. In the evening, G&Ts and beer tasting at the Ventnor Exchange before heading back to the flat for home cooked risotto with seabass fresh from Ventnor’s Haven Fishery.
The next morning we enjoyed a walk along the coast to the gorgeous bonchurch, then to Steephill cove in the afternoon. We perched on beach walls and ate crab pasties from the shack at Steephill. After our walks and all the fresh sea air, afternoon naps were had by all before more G&Ts on the deck and tapas as The Drunken Lobster.
Our final day started with a big climb up the cliffs of Ventnor to take in the views. We had a lovely long walk and picnic with some proper baked goods from The Kitchen at London House. In the afternoon, we sunbathed on the beach and swam (or just a paddle!) in the sea. We ended the day, and trip, with some pomerol brandy, singing along with the ukulele and listening to Irish folk music.
How?
Tube, train, ferry and bus!
How long?
- 40 minutes Tube to Waterloo train station
- 1 hour 30 minutes Train from Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour
- 22 minutes Ferry from Portsmouth to Isle of Wight Ryde pier
- 1 hour 30 minutes bus from Ryde to Ventnor – we pretty rode the bus from one end of the island to the other!
4 hours door-to-door
3-night stay
How much?
As we were staying with family, the biggest expense was the travel:
- £5.80 Tube to and from Waterloo
- £29.37 Return train from Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour (with two together railcard)
- £32.60 Return Ferry from Portsmouth Harbour to Isle of Wight Ryde pier
- £5 Bus to and from Ventnor
£73 total travel costs
