England

Exploring the Isle of Wight

I mentioned in the previous instalment of my UK trip saga that I was planning to travel to the Isle of Wight for a few days. This I have done, by means of a train, hovercraft, bus, and tired legs. Once I had established the whereabouts of a grocery store and other mundane necessities, it was time to explore the island. I had decided not to bring a car so I have been relying solely on public transport. This involves a lot of walking, since the buses are not obliged to drop you off exactly at your point of interest. These are some images from today as I explored my little village of Bonchurch, together with its quaint beach, and the Ventnor and Wroxall Downs which rise up from the coast and overlook the coastal villages below.

11th Century St. Boniface Church, Bonchurch

View from Ventnor Down to Shanklin and beyond

A Continuing Adventure

Sometimes things just don’t work out as planned. Such is the case with my English expedition. The plan was to meet my sister in Stanton, the Cotswolds, spend a couple of nights in this cosy B&B, and then continue on to her home in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Well, the entire family came down with COVID (again) so as my Google Maps app says, “re-routing, re-routing”. Missing Mandy, I nevertheless found old ruins to explore, traditional pubs in which to dine, country walks for exercise and also for photo opportunities. Here are a couple more of those Cotswold area photos. Next, instead of going to Wales, I am heading in the opposite direction to the Isle of Wight, where I have found a place to stay that is part of the Home Exchange program that I belong to. Currently I am on a train bound for Portsmouth Harbor, and I will get the hovercraft from there to the IOW Ryde ferry terminal. I don’t yet have the exact address of my destination in Ventnor, IOW. Just praying that info comes in by the time I get there!

Exploring the Cotswolds

And now for something completely different from the marshes of the low country. I am in England for a couple of weeks, and staying in a beautiful little stone cottage in a village called Stanton. Here are some of the images that I captured yesterday while exploring the town. There is only one pub, no other restaurant facility, the nearest grocery store is an “express” (fruit, sandwiches, other basics) and is located a few miles away in the next village. The village is surrounded by soft green hills abounding with sheep, cows, and horses. It’s raining today but hopefully the weather will allow some further wanderings in the area.