East Cowes Mini Aventure

Sometimes big plans just don’t happen. Sometimes that extra half hour in bed is too sweet, and a brunch with family warrants just one more cuppa, or a project at the kitchen table is too involving to abandon. And sometimes not having a car makes travelling to some scenic country spot just a little bit too much bother. But, failed plans can make room for mini adventures; this one an easy explore on our doorstep.

So today we didn’t get up to the downs before breakfast, but instead ran down to the chain ferry and across to East Cowes after teatime. We explored a local bit of townside coast, and watched our little town from across the estuary. It’s surprising how many interesting things there are amongst the concrete. Old ship yards and high windowed warehouses looking out on an esplanade of sunday strollers and kids fishing.

We got a little carried away in the quiet pace of it and would have missed supermarket opening hours, if it weren’t for Tom being a much faster runner than me. So, thanks to him we had yummy Sunday dinner and a well-stocked evening by the fire. Feeling ready for another busy week.

A Few Small Moments

Taking my own advice, some of the little moments I’ve been enjoying:

wet spray over the seawall whilst cycling along Colwell Bay
fresh air and rolled down windows as we roar along to Mr November
sea as still as a millpond as we scramble over rocks around the headland
deep mud sucking at our boots mid-hop through quagmired fields
pure golden light across the canopy of Parkhurst Forest on an evening ride

Starting the Day on a Boat

Setting off on still grey waters, with a cup of strong coffee and a good book is not a bad way to start the day. I may have a longer commute now, but there is something quite delicious about the way travel creates a chunk of time to do nothing but sit.

It’s just as well I have some extra time as I’ve taken on a big social reading challenge and I’m a slow reader. I’m too easily distracted and on this, of all weeks, I have lost my iPod. So, instead of Joanna Newsom’s clear tones and James Yorkston’s easy turns, I have enjoyed a ferry soundtrack of business calls and tv show debriefs. I’m only surprised by how sociably inclined other people are so early in the morning.

Southampton’s big industry port and busy shipping lanes sets a different pace from Cowes’ sailing boats and quiet marina. City rush hour traffic is a shock to the system, and I’m suffering from bike envy, seeing those wheels nip off down a speedy side road while I join the slow-moving rank of cars. In comparison to that, a boat is a most civilised way to travel!

Up on the Downs

It used to seem odd to me that we call the high land on the Island ‘the Downs’. Surely they’re the Ups?

Apparently it stems from the Anglo-Saxon word dun, meaning ‘hill’. On the Isle of Wight these chalky ridges stretch across the length of the island, making them great for one big all-day walk, or dozens of mini adventures. Our recent habit of diving in the car on a Friday evening to catch the last of the light inevitably takes us Up Downs and we revel in the high fast winds and the ever-changing clouds, with the brightest rays of sun and the biggest plops of rain.

It’s always fun to come up here and get whipped about in the wind and lean against it’s push. We had to belt it down the hill again as the rain descended. But it wouldn’t be a mini adventure without a few mishaps.

Mini Adventure to Mottistone Down

Dashing out between downpours, we scrambled through shiny wet ivy leaves, stepped over bramble tripwires and slid up the muddy path to the top of Mottistone Down.

The view at the top never gets old, with the entire South Wight stretched before us and a sunset that changed the light every minute. We walked down the hill as the light faded and got back to the car in time for the next downpour. Perfect timing.