2 May 2014

Portsmouth Day 2 - Isle of Wight

Today was cold. We went to the isle of Wight on a ferry from Portsmouth harbour. That is just around the corner from Gunwharf Quays, where we're staying. The ferry ride was quite short, and smooth, and cost us 17 pounds 50 each (return). There were good views of the two local landmarks, the Spinnaker (a man made viewing tower), and Gunwharf Quays on the 7th floor.

 

Portsmouth looking much bluer than it really was. (Photo has been edited to remove icy wind, traces of snow, grey cloud, rain, those pesky seagulls, and English people)

 

 

The ferry docked at Ryde after a 20 minute trip.

 

 

 

Ryde, from the dock.

 

Ryde looked pretty at the other end of the pier. After a 15 minute walk along the pier, it looked just as pretty close up. Fortunately the bus station is located at the start of the pier. We bought Day Rover passes and jumped on a bus to Newport. This is the capital, and all the buses terminate there. After tea and scones, we took a bus the western tip of the island. There are chalk outcrops there called the needles.

A chairlift is available to take tourists down to the beach nearby, and we paid our 4 pounds each for a return way trip. There are stairs down to the beach, about 200 of them.

 

The needles are clearly visible from the beach, but we didn't have time to walk around to see them up close. Instead, we looked around at the pebble beach, and the cliffs, which includes several colours of sand and clay. I felt the water with my hand, and as I was contemplating how bloody cold it was, I felt the water in my right boot as a small wave dumper a little bit of the English Channel into it. That too was cold, and wet, for about an hour.

 

 

 

Robyn modelling a coat in front of the needles. She also sports thermal underwear, a thick, warm top, and a vest. She was still cold.

 

Back at Newport bus interchange, we climber aboard a number 5 bus and sat upstairs, at the front. It is a little concerning, sitting in a very big bus, in very narrow streets with oncoming traffic diving into parking spots to avoid collisions. Some small cars seemed to pass underneath me, sitting in the top right front corner. I actually closed my eyes a couple of times and waited for the bump. The drivers are used to it though, and all polite- somehow we got to Osbourne House without having to call the police.

 



 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Osbourne House, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's little country retreat.

 

 

We are members of "English Heritage", who run the place. We got in for free. The estate contains the main house, a museum, the Swiss cottage (for the kids), the little house where they kept the deer (!), the private beach, and the surrounding beautiful, manicured, extensive gardens.

 

The Swiss House is a chalet style house built for their children. They each had a garden plot for vegetables, including individual wheelbarrows and carts. In the grounds of the house there was a tiny brick fort, complete with model cannons, and a moat. The house had a scullery and a kitchen, a play room, a dining room, and other rooms, including a model shop. The place was a wonderland for the children, and echoed a Swiss Cottage that Prince Albert had when he was a boy in Germany.

 

 



The Swiss Cottage - the royal cubby house !

 

We actually visited the Swiss Cottage first, and left the house until last. I could not believe the size, the opulence and the size of the house. There were several entrances to the house, each leading visitors to a different gallery. Each gallery was adorned with a theme; Indian, Classical Greek, and Contemporary Victorian. There were sculptures and paintings everywhere. There were small objects in ornate, beautiful glass cases. There was gilding around the ceiling cornice, false stone columns at intervals along the galleries, there were Greek scenes cast in plaster, set into shallow recesses in the walls, high up (the ceilings themselves were even higher up). It would takes weeks to see it properly, months to catalogue it and years to understand it all. It took a lifetime to collect it and Victoria had a long life. She died here in 1901; we got to see the very bed where she finally passed away. It became a shrine, kept private by her family for 50 years.

 

I would like to come back on a warmer day and see it all again.

Here is Robyn on the terrace, looking back across the "Solent" (the channel between the island and Portsmouth). The grounds go right down to the beach.

 

 

At 5 o'clock, we were kicked out of the house, in the most polite possible way. We made our way around the gardens for a bit then headed home via bus and ferry. It is the start of the bank holiday weekend; and we saw people going towards the island on other ferries. I hope they have nice weather over the next few days.

 

 

Passing through our local Tesco Express (local grocery shop), I bought more beer (it's cheap here - 3 pint bottles for 5 pounds- $9 Australian).

 

 

Now we are home and ready for bed - another long day.

 

 

Till tomorrow.....

 

Lex and Robyn.