It was a bit tricky getting six people to agree on a place for a bank holiday weekend away; the seaside, a farm house in the middle of nowhere, a city break somewhere far?
We decided on the Isle of Wight, a place none of us had been, close enough to home but somewhat of an adventure. We stayed on the north side of the Isle, it was quiet, though all agreed the west/south sides is more favorable. The island is small (30 minutes here to there) and so it didn't really matter where you are if you have a car because it is easy to get around. We stayed at Regatta Cottage:
Regatta Cottage
We couldn't ask for better weather, it was so bright and sunny Saturday and Sunday. In classic British form it rained the bank holiday, Monday, but quickly dissipated to warm overcastness. Saturday day we spent traveling on the ferry, exploring the village of Cowes, and drinking mojitos waiting for the coals to burn in our BBQ.
Sunday we woke late, had a huge breakfast out in the sunshine, went to 'the Needles' famous for its jetting rocks and coloured sand. We took a chair lift down (see photo) to the beach where a boat awaited us. It was nice being out with the boats, the water off the coast of England continues to surprise me, blue as blue can be. We drove south to look for drift wood on the beach. I was feeling a bit sick so hung back on a cliff while the others walked on the beach and found 'dinosaur' prints.
Monday we got up early and went to find a Lavender farm. There wasn't much Lavender, but the countryside was beautiful. We then went to a local winery. I had low expectations about the quality of the wine and they proved right, it was a beautiful area all the same. We ended up at a Spanish restaurant which was an interesting experience as our waitress was a newbie and trying to tell us about the dishes. What was funny was the fact that of our party three were from Spain and the other two, myself and Roger, the husband of one of our Spanish friends knew what we were ordering. The waitress didn't really get it and kept saying, 'yes it's spanish'. I found myself enjoying our diversity; Roger was from Australia, Dav another friend from England but truly Punjabi, and myself from America and the three Spanish woman, all from such different parts of the country, had such different personalities and experiences, but all so fun! After lunch we walked on the beach, had an ice cream and then made our way back from the ferry (we made it by five minutes).
Roger dropped us off in a chaotic crowded London which was a mighty contrast from the quietness of the Isle of Wight.
The next British adventure, camping with the girls up in the lake district!
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