Cowes Cycle Track

We went for a brisk Sunday morning walk in the drizzle along the cycle track towards Newport today. This is a popular route with walkers, runners, dogs and, of course, cyclists. I do wish that the latter group would all get bells and use them as you can't always hear them coming up behind you. Mind you, when one did employ his bell I nearly jumped out of my skin and into the river! Didn't get run over though...

There were early signs of the approaching spring around, with many trees laden with catkins and birds tweeting furiously and swooping through the air between bushes. There were lots of swans and cygnets on the river and inlets too, with the occasional mallard or coot to be seen.

As we approached our furthest point, between Vestas and the big metal bridge over Dodnor Creek, we found that someone had made a discovery among the undergrowth and what had been scrub land was now an archaeological dig. This was the site of 'Mummies Caves', a local cement works from the last 200 years. Plenty of infrastructure is still standing and was fascinating to look at through the fence. We paused again halfway along the bridge then turned round and made our way back to Cowes and lunch.

Distance: approx. 5 miles

View towards Whippingham



Mummies Caves, Dodnor



Dodnor Creek



Disused boatbuilding dock



Dilapidated workshop, Arctic Road

Seaclose to Medham

Day three of Travels with Teenagers, so we took pity on them and had a virtually flats walk today. We started at Medina College and walked through the arboretum and across Seaclose Park and down to the Quay Arts Centre in Newport. We followed the road round past the Bergman's Rest pub, along the industrial estate and joined up with the Cowes to Newport cycle track, which we ambled along until we got to a disused and crumbling quayside near the turning to Medham Lane. We stopped here and had an early lunch in the sunshine, then pottered back the way we had come.

This seemed like a short walk, but was actually the longest we had done all week. Hills make a massive difference!

Route: https://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4579877.html
Distance: 8.3 miles

Wild Nights out..... April

April Fool's Day ended with an enthusiastic and tuneful performance of Dvorak's 'Stabat Mater' at Medina Theatre. The members of Isle of Wight Cantata choir sang their hearts out, and were ably accompanied by a selection of musicians from the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra, as well as four choral soloists. Rachel Tweddle conducted everybody with great skill, as ever.

 

To bookend the month, I took the teenager to see 'The Queer Bash' at The Apollo Theatre; this was written and performed by members of Red Tie Theatre, and was performed with a great deal of skill. The theme was to explore issues surrounding the LGBTQ community and society as a whole, and had the audience running the full gamut of emotions throughout. I cried and laughed throughout. This was an extremely thought provoking production by young actors who had a lot to say, and a lot of talent to say it with. Coincidentally, one of the cast members had made the national headlines that day by calling out the local MP's views on homosexuality while he was visiting her politics class at school. He resigned. #whatesthersays

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/28/tory-mp-steps-down-after-telling-pupils-homosexuality-is-wrong