On the buses (I.O.W. part 2.)

The best way to travel around the Isle of Wight is on one of the many buses run by Southern Vectis.

It costs only £24 a week for unlimited journeys on their regularly scheduled service. It’s just not worth the expense or hassle of having a car over here. 

However, since many island roads are quite narrow, it can occasionally become a little unsettling on the double deckers when large overhanging tree branches hit the sides and roof of the bus as it hurtles along.

How it feels to be on top

 

Since all the Southern Vectis bus routes go through Newport in the centre of the island, the town has become our obvious basecamp for exploration this week.

                                                           Newport

Newport

 Newport (pop. 25 000) is the biggest town on the Isle of Wight, and the capital. 

However, it was rather sad for us to discover that although some parts of the town are thriving, the High Street, unfortunately, has not adapted well to change in recent years. 

Run down shops

Like other towns, Newport has had to contend with out of town supermarkets, internet shopping as well as the recession.

 In the High Street, in particular, it seems as though everyone has just given up trying to save it.

The old signs above the shops are seldom repainted when new businesses arrive. It is almost as though the new enterprises are expecting to go bankrupt sooner rather than later. 

The old post office

Even the magnificent post office building that once dominated the upper High Street has been abandoned, with nobody willing to take it on for a new purpose.

I know that I am being nostalgic for a time when every high street had its own butcher, baker and candlestick maker and that I must accept that change is inevitable. But still, I do think that Newport should make a little more of an effort if it wants to be known as the capital of the island.

A recycled chapel

However, not all is gloom and doom in Newport. The local chapel just around the corner from the High Street has been modernised, for example.

 In the past such a building once inspired the population of Newport towards the greater good.  Now that the building has been converted into a pub I wonder if people will draw inspiration from it again. 

It certainly inspires me J

The Isle of Wight adventure

Summertime booze!

It has been several years since I went to the Isle of Wight, my childhood home in England during the 1970’s.  And now that the summer is here, I’ll be revisiting some of my old haunts, in the hope that they, unlike me, have remained unspoilt over the course of time. 

                                             A few island facts 

The Isle of Wight

Lying 6 km off the mainland of Southern England, the Isle of Wight is diamond shaped, spanning 40 kilometres from west to east and 20 kilometres from north to south. However, although the island is famous for several things it does NOT have an annual TT motorbike race (go to the Isle of Man for that) and it is NOT a tax paradise (see Jersey instead). Nevertheless, the Isle of Wight is home to 120 000 people and it did host an iconic pop festival in 1970; it was even mentioned in the Beatles song, “When I’m 64”.

                                                                                                                 

                                                                         All at sea

As you would expect, the sea surrounding the island plays a major part in everyday life. And as the difference between a high and a low tide can be several metres, knowing the right time when to leave the beach just might save your life, or stop you from running aground in a boat. Simply put, it takes 12.5 hours for the tide to come in and the same amount of time for it to go out. This means that every day the high tide is one hour later than the day before, albeit the Solent (the body of water separating the Isle of Wight from England) actually has two high tides. 

Fishbourne harbour at high tide

                                                      

                                                                   Hovering about

A hovercraft

I decided to play it safe with the tides and instead of going by boat, I flew in to the island from Southsea by hovercraft,  a wonderfully noisy machine  originally invented by a Finn called Toivo J.Kaario, even though most of the credit is given to a Brit called Christopher Cockrell. 

But, let's not get bogged down  in detail. After all this is supposed to be a summer blog:-) The best thing about the hovercraft is that it only takes 10 minutes to make the crossing, which means that there will be more time  to sample some of the island pubs this evening.