Creek

Today is our last full day and PY was determined to visit Newtown Creek.  It would have been on our agenda on Wednesday had the weather not been so bad.  We took the bus and alighted at a stop that, appeared to be, just next to a field. It took a little bit of time to walk towards Newtown Old Town Hall (which is a National Trust location but was, sadly, closed). A little further on is Newtown Harbour,  the name given by Natural England to the River and surrounding land.  According to the guide books this is the only national nature reserve on the Isle of Wight. 

The area of fields, boardwalks and bird-watching hides, was stunning in the sunshine and it was incredibly peaceful to be able to sit and watch the wildlife. I do think it’s experiences like this that make the island so attractive to us. PY had some binoculars and we spent time watching the wildlife both from a bench by the water and, later, by making use of the hide.  There were not too many people around which made it all t more tranquil.

On the walk back we stopped to look around Holy Spirit Church which dates from 1835. It’s a small church that managers feel comfortable leaving open in the day for people to wander in. We took good look around. It’s also one of the very few places that didn’t appear in my Foursquare/Swarm app and so I was able to create a new venue.  I still use the app to track where I have been and I have not come across a missing location for quite some time.

The walk back to the bus stop was in the sunshine but it was getting quite hot and I was glad when we found the stop which was, like the one this morning, on a small strip of land adjusted to a field full of inquisitive sheep and the main road into Yarmouth.  We’ve had a lot of luck with the buses on this trip - and using a 48 hour pass yesterday and today - and the bus was on time.

On the spur of the moment we decided to get off at Yarmouth bus station: having the bus pass makes that easier as we won’t need to pay for another ticket.  We were not exactly sure what to do and PY was on a, eventually unsuccessful, hunt for pistachio ice cream. In the end we went up to the Terrace bar and restaurant - which is on top of the passenger entrance to the ferry - and spent a lovely hour with some nibbles and glass of wine.  The sunshine makes everything better.

We boarded a bus back and got off early enough to visit Freshwater Sainsbury’s and walk back to the chalet. We had dinner plans in Freshwater. The Piano Cafe was opening late and had live music so we walked there. It’s about a mile and a half but, it got dark and we were not certain where we should be going, so it felt longer.  Nonetheless, the food was great and the entertainment made it a lovely way to spend the last evening.