Paler Shade Of Wight

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It had been a fairly uneventful and straightforward journey down to Southampton. I don't particularly relish a 300 mile drive these days, but the trip was as good as it gets. The blistering temperatures had seen the rush for the coast start early, so by the time we were skirting Winchester traffic was light. The M27 was a bit of a race track as usual. The Hamphire drivers like nothing better than to get their foot down. We took the city centre route through Southampton, which was largely closed with it being Easter Sunday and arrived at the Red Funnel terminal 2 hours ahead of schedule. Alas, the 1400 hours sailing had just slipped away from the berth. We swapped the ticket and were pretty much first in the queue for the 1500 hours crossing. The ferry was very quiet. The majority were already there and the rush at the end of the Bank Holiday hadn't commenced. The Solent was alive with craft given the favourable weather. It is very much part of the life here. People buy a boat in the same way that the rest of the country would look perhaps getting a second hand soft top car for the summer. Jet skis buzzed about in the wake of the ferry. I am surprised that there aren't more accidents.

I checked what written words had been added to travelblog.org since our last visit down here. I was surprised and a bit dismayed to find the answer as not a single utterance. It seems that the island was being overlooked in much the way Tasmania is by visitors to Australia. We still maintain our lead photograph on this website, as the two of us with a backdrop of Cradle Mountain in glorious sunshine. It rains 300+ days a year there, so I always treasure the moment. The road less travelled is sometimes more rewarding. I have three other published blogs from the Isle of Wight, so could I add anything? I figured if I can write blogs on day trips to overgrown pit villages in County Durham, this should be easily achievable.

The Outlaw was keen to see her brother, who has resided on "the Island" for the last 20 odd years. The world calls it the Isle of Wight, but the residents are satisfied with their own title. It is as though no other piece of land surrounded by water exists. We rolled into St Helens, where our parking space by The Green had been secured. After the greetings were completed and the baggage installed, we headed out for walk down to the Duver. It still seems strange to me, that this piece of unkempt heath land was once integral to the world of golf. A golf club that could count royalty, top politicians and celebrities as members over the years faded and disappeared. In 1888, the rule of forfeiting the hole for a lost ball was replaced by the drop ball and a 2 stroke penalty devised here. The Island rule was adopted by the powers at St Andrew's. The former land of the Royal Isle of Wight Golf Club is now utilised to dog walkers, city folk down for the "holiday' and home to an awful lot of rabbits. The old clubhouse still stands.

The tide was well out, as we surveyed the scene at the point. A yacht was beached on the far side by the Bembridge Yacht Club. There was hardly a breath of wind and the late afternoon sun felt warm. A nasty aroma from the mud floated across our nostrils which kind of ruined the moment. The tide was so low, it almost felt like you could touch the St Helen's Fort out in the sea. The locals will tell you that you can actually walk out to the Fort at the right time of year, but perhaps the notoriously high and fast turning spring season was not the best time to try out the theory. The horizon towards Portsmouth was now looking somewhat hazy, so the other military relics such as No Mans Land built to deter the French were not in clear vision. We walked back along past the beach huts, where Baywatch had just re-opened for the summer season. A healthy number of alfresco diners were enjoying the last of their food. The wine bottles were being checked to make sure that the last drops of chilled chardonnay had been extracted.

St Helen's Church at the end of the car park dates from 1220. It ceased to function as such in 1703 and merely acts as a landmark for vessels out ar sea. The only remaining part is the Tower. It is said that the stones of the remainder were taken as "holy stones" by seaman over the years to scrub the decks of the wooden sailing ships. The Tower marks a pivotal location in British naval history. On 14th September 1805, HMS Victory was at an anchor just off St Helens and Nelson himself left from this very place to board her on his way to lead the fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. We walked back up the road towards the village. A red squirrel casually scampered down a tree and wandered across the road in front of us. He was still too quick for the camera lens. "The island" is one of the red squirrels last strongholds. The more powerful grey imports have almost driven them from the mainland, so this was an unusual sight for us.

The following morning I was up with the lark. It was matchday. Newport (IOW) FC were due to play their final league match in the Sydenhams Wessex League at 3 pm. St George's Park just south of the town centre is prime development land and the club had sold up on the promise of a bundle of cash and a new ground being built for them. The plan had been on hold for a bit, but despite no new facility in sight the plan was now set for the club to vacate and share on a temporary basis with East Cowes Victoria. Today was the last league fixture at the Park. The Wessex League had been due to finish on the previous Saturday, but as luck would have it Alton FC from across the water in Hampshire had been unable to fulfill the fixture on a midweek Tuesday in March. The Wessex officials had given dispensation with no crucial points at stake for the game to played on Easter Monday. I had tried an abortive trip here at Christmas 2017, when the "derby" against rivals Cowes Sports was called off at the 11th hour due to a waterlogged pitch. I was shocked, given that it was a beautiful Boxing Day and there had been no significant rain in the preceding 2 days. I woke on this Easter Monday to see bright blue skies and a forecast of 21 degrees. Waterlogging was definitely not on the cards today. Alas, I hadn't counted for the fickle nature of non-league clubs in Hampshire. At 9:55 am on the morning of the game, Alton FC had tweeted their apologies. The game was off. Alton apparently couldn't muster enough players to travel. It was like something from a Sunday league, when too many of the lads had been out Saturday night on the p***. I was fuming. They obviously knew beforehand, that they had no intention of making the trip, so why leave so late to cry off. Newport FC merely stated they would await the League's decision and clearly expected the award of the 3 points. The local social media was less than favourable, but an Alton fan had already set off from the mainland seemed unfazed and merely stated he would have a day out instead. The League will have stated disciplinary rules. However if I had my way, Alton FC would be receiving a crippling financial fine and a points deduction to start next season so large that they would effectively be relegated before a ball was kicked. A club with this attitude surely has no place at this level of an organised league set up!!

I wandered off to Newport town centre in search of alternative entertainment. As I have found out previously, the mainland natural reaction of just going to find another game doesn't work so well on an island. Portsmouth was the closest option and that involved a 1230 kick off, 2 buses and a hovercraft from Ryde. Today, the seaports of "the Island" would be more associated with Cowes, East Cowes and Bembridge. However, the largest settlement of Newport has its own historical maritime history. The clue is in the name. The River Medina was more navigable in Roman times before it silted up and as with Brading, the additional distance from the coast proved a good deterrent against attack from unwelcome visitors. Newport was once just the suburb and trading port for nearby Carisbrooke Castle, but has now turned into the local centre for commerce for the whole of the Isle of Wight. I normally never see much more than the Bus Station, so I was pleasantly surprised by the attractive buildings leading down to the old harbour. The old quayside had been converted into arts centre with the obvious name of Quay Arts. The cafe was doing brisk business. A few craft were moored up including a sizeable yacht, which showed what could still make it upstream on a high tide. The Guildhall had been converted to a tourist information centre and Museum of Island History. It was designed by John Nash in 1815, who was a local man from East Cowes. John Nash as an architectural icon means very little to most people, but it is put into some context when you are told his later works included much of Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Marble Arch, the rebuilding of Brighton Royal Pavillion and part of Buckingham Palace to name but a few. East Cowes born and bred, he perhaps had more personal affinity with this project. The Calverts Hotel next door still retained an impressive entrance. It is now described on their own website as budget accommodation, but the 1732 townhouse was once the home of the local Mayor. The nearby art deco cinema formerly known as the Medina Cinema had reinvented itself into a Slug and Lettuce bar (after the demise of the local Yates). The local Spoons had been made to make do with renovating an old church. The most impressive building in town was probably the Newport Minster. It was just the plain St Thomas Church until it received Minster status in 2008. It was originally dedicated to Thomas Beckett, but that was skipped over after King Henty VIII branded him a traitor. Elizabeth, daughter of Charles I, is buried here. She died in 1650 at Carisbrooke Castle on "the Island", after being detained with her father at the end of the Civil War. Queen Victoria later erected a memorial for Elizabeth during her time as a resident at nearby Osborne.

Sydenhams Wessex League (Division 1)

Newport (IOW) FC P Alton FC P

Date : Match Cancellled - Monday 22nd April 2019 @ 1500 Hours

Venue : St Georges Park, St Georges Way, Newport, Isle of Wight. PO30 2QH

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Photos

Calverts Hotel
...formerly the Mayor's residence

Newport (IOW) FC
Match Off! St Georges Park ..... all closed up after Alton FC decided not to send a team

Slug & Lettuce, Newport
.....formerly the Medina Cinema

Newport (IOW) FC
St Georges Park ..... all closed up after Alton FC decided not to send a team

Comments

[Rainyb]

Thanks for sharing!