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This is our third visit to The Isle of Wight and our second visit to Whitefield Forest Camp site. The sunny weather was a bonus and made the crossing of the Solent a delightful cruise.
It was a short trip to the campsite, soon we had been allocated a pitch ( no 61), which is bathed in sunshine. We soon had the awning up, becoming quite a dab hand at this by now. The bikes are assembled next, some annoyance caused by a reluctant peddle to be re attached, as it took a lot longer than desired.
 | After a BBQ tea, we decide to walk to Sea view, 2 miles away. On arriving at the reception a red squirrel delighted us with a visit. our progress down the lane was hampered by all the rain the Island has had, we dodged the muddy puddles as best we can before eventually reaching the beach. We choose a convenient seat to watch the cruise ships pass, whilst enjoying a coffee we had brought along with us in a rucksack before heading back to camp. |
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A cycle ride to Ryde. That is after a nice breakfast, campsite eggs benedict. Our first aim is to head for Brading, via the little lane opposite the site, this saves us using the main road which is busy and fast. With a short hill climb we free wheel down into the village and soon along a disused railway track, which will take us to St Hellens. However a brief stop by the railway bridge leads to a pleasant surprise and a longer stay than expected. Leaning over the railway bridge to capture a photo of the approaching train my attention is drawn by activity to the right. Five fox cubs had emerged from their den and scampering about. Video posted below |
| The cycle path is the old railway track , rutted in parts by the local tractors, now muddy after the bad weather they have been having lately. St Helens is bright and sunny when we arrive, several people are enjoying the beach which we decide to cycle across. We soon arrive in Ryde, after lunch and a rest watching the various boats pass by, we ride to the Hover craft terminus to see on arrive. |
| The pier was close by, so we decided to ride to the end and back. The end of the pier is the embarkation point for the Wight Catamaran, the train station being next door. |
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Half way back to the Camp site, Lesley calls in at Tesco’s to buy some clotted cream, which we enjoy later with scones and jam whilst lazing in the Sun the rest of the afternoon. |
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 | The weather forecast for the day, after a sunny morning suggest's we should have rain. With this in mind after paying our entrance fee £13.60 each, we decided to see the outside first and headed off for the Swiss Cottage. Its 3/4 of a mile down a gravel drive until we reach the location, a quick visit to the bathing machine and then a cup of tea and biscuit. The museum is next door and is our next |
destination, a fascinating collection of items and gifts brought back by Prince Albert for the children. Its a short walk to the Swiss cottage which has some interesting features and we are once again walking back towards the House. We save the tour of Osbourne House until the afternoon and enter just as it starts to rain. The experience is still a satisfying one even though it is only a year since our last visit. My favourite room being the Durbar Room for its intricate plaster ceiling and panels around the walls. |
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 | The walk….12 miles across Bembridge Down over Culver Cliff from Sandown. But first we have to get there After a 2.5 mile walk we take the train from Brading Station £1.30 each. An old London underground tube train serves the purpose and soon bounces us along the 2 miles of track to Sandown. Due to the weather being very cold the beach is empty, we stop for a coffee on one of the many unoccupied seats before walking on along the empty promenade to the start of the ascent up Culver Cliff. Having arrived at the top and walked the short stretch of road, we take a look at the Culver Battery (NT) before |
choosing a bench with a view over the Solent to Portsmouth, where we have lunch. The rest of the walk to the Bembridge Windmill (NT ) £3.20 is via the coastal path passing some unsightly static caravan parks at Whitecliff Bay and then on up Steyne Wood. The windmill is fully accessible with steep ladders taking you to the top. |
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Our walk continues on to St Hellens and then back to the campsite via Attrill’s Lane ( my favourite view is from here across the Solent to Portsmouth, you can clearly see the Spinnaker Tower. |
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Our last day a 16 mile bike ride over Attrill’s Lane to St Hellens , Duver, Bembridge point and down the disused railway back to Brading. |
We start after a good breakfast, rather later than planned due to a slow puncture. This repaired we head off in the direction of St Hellens. Attrill’s Lane is superb, its view over to Portsmouth stunning.St Hellens is reached fairly quickly but our planned stop for 11’s is put off by work going on improving the foreshore. Crossing the causeway brings us back onto the main road and then Bembridge point for lunch. |
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Our journey continues after lunch down the old railway track to Brading, we rather expected to see the five fox cubs jumping around,but they must have beeen asleep. From Brading we cycled on to Ashey a sleepy railway holt to see a steam train pass. The train obliged half an hour later allowing us to finish the rest of our provisions before setting off back to Camp………..exhausted. |
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Here are some of Lesley's photo's:
https://picasaweb.google.com/105194178542182166401/Lesley?authkey=Gv1sRgCO2jlMKG6caibw