The Rat and Cheese

Dear…

Day Five of our walk.

We got up super early today – not that unusual, but when Twig went scuttling off into the garden sniffing around the shed as usual, Dad mentioned he spotted a big fat rat there yesterday evening. WHAT?! A RAT ?? !

Anyway, we then set off back down the old railway track soon arriving at the train station. Oh good a train ride too just to frazzle my nerves a bit more!

We caught the train back to Ryde and when we got there we set off to walk along the promenade. It was a beautiful morning, and we passed some pretty coloured beach huts and a little tower overlooking the beach.

Today the coast path had lots of lovely views, we made good pace and soon we got to Bembridge – a beach with rock pools and a magnificent pier where the life boats are launched from. We had a quick scamper on the beach before we carried on up to the magnificent Yarborough monument – a giant obelisk on the top of the cliff used in days gone by by ships as a guide.

There was a little cafe there where ice creams were consumed, Dad had a 99, and he saved the cone and a scoop of ice cream for me and Twig. Mum only gave us a morsel of hers, she was enjoying it a bit too much – apparently it was salted caramel!

We headed off again and you could see Sandown in the distance and we went over the fields along the cliff tops. Mum remembers Grandad getting her to climb up the cliffs as a child where she listened to hundreds of grasshoppers making their funny little noises in the evening dusk.

We walked along the promenade into Sandown and Mum pointed the pier out. She told us about having happy memories of running along it to the end to see Grandad fishing, saying hello and jumping off the end and swimming back to grandma on the beach time after time (responsible parenting !!!!)

On we carried back to Shanklin, stopping at a super cafe called the Hideaway for a very late lunch which involved a lot of cheese on Mum’s part as per usual!

We carried on along back to where we had originally started and that was the Isle of Wight coast path DONE! We did however have to retrace our steps back down the railway track to the cottage. Dad said he felt a bit squiffy, so he had a sleep when he got back and he wasn’t well enough to go out for dinner so Mum opted for G ‘n’ T ? for hers.

Of course, we’re giving Dad extra cuddles.

I DON’T LIKE TRAINS

Anyway bye for now.