The Wonders of the Isle of Wight
The Needles at Alum Bay was our first stop on our day of being tourists. This iconic landmark is well known for its multi coloured sandy cliffs and stunning views across The Solent. The Needles itself are a sight to behold as three white chalk stacks tower above the sea. We stood on the lookout deck and took in the amazing views across the bay, taking photos and watching the boats out in the distance.
In the Sand Store we filled a glass ornament with layers of the different coloured sand from Alum Bay. This was a fun activity, and we were proud of our end result. They made a special memento to take home to remind us of our holiday.
Next, we moved on to the world famous Alum Bay Glass Factory which offers unique handmade British glass items. We watched the skilled craftsmen demonstration glass blowing and watched in amazement as he made a beautiful swan.
A drive to Freshwater Bay was a must! This picturesque beach is covered in a mixture of grey flint and chalk pebbles that make a unique sound as the waves rise and fall onto the shore. We sat on the seafront and enjoyed an ice cream soaking up the warm sunshine. Then, we took a stroll down to the water’s edge, jumping over the water that lapped the shore.
A brilliant morning was spent at the Isle of Wight Military and Heritage Museum which holds an interesting mix of tanks, artefacts, other vehicles, small arms and a range of uniforms from the 19th century to the present day.
The small arms collection is extensive and when we were lucky enough to be able to handle some of the smaller arms. We learnt about life in wartime and about those who contributed so much to the war effort as we investigated the replica street scene, 1940’s garage and other exhibits. There is also a new German exhibition cabinet. The museum is a registered charity and any profits made go to Armed Service and related charities.
It was game on as we took a trip into Ryde and headed straight to the bowling alley for a few friendly, yet competitive games. After a close game with lots of high scores, we crowned Leslie champion! He was super proud of himself.
A splendid day was spent at Godshill, a popular village with charming, thatched roof cottages and traditional tearooms and of course the famous Model Village.
The village is set in two acres of beautiful, landscaped gardens with miniature models of both Shanklin and Godshill taking us back to the 1920s. Walking around the village scenes was amazing and we did the quiz spotting things along the way. We spotted the intruder on the football pitch and the naughty dog stealing a bone and we even managed to find quite a lot of the red squirrels that had been hidden.
Fun in the sun was had as we made use of the onsite games playing boules and a good old game of quoits and horseshoes.
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