Terry turned up 10 mins early so it was panic stations to put the last few bits in the panniers and make sure the tent etc was secure. Finally it was done and Hub had to help push the bike off the centre stand as the load and the road camber were just too much for me.
And we were off! I led the way to the A3 via the Elephant and Castle where Terry was to take over using his sat nav as this is where I got lost last time. AHA! Even his sat nav tried to get us lost, in exactly the same place. (must be a bit of a Bermuda Triangle there) All sorted and we were back on track to meet Mark at a Tesco along route, we were only ½ hour late. It was about this time I began to smell a hot burning rubbery smell, perhaps it was a car nearby? It soon went so I dismissed it and carried on. By now it had begun to rain. Not heavy rain but an incessant drizzle and it stayed with us for almost the whole journey.
We met up with Mark at the Tescos and after refuelling, (me anyway) we set off again towards Winchester, that’s where the fun started.
On route though I was still getting a whiff of that burning smell. Had I not tightened the sump nut enough? Where was the smell coming from? Sometimes it was there, other times I couldn't smell it at all. Terry was still in the lead and I was wondering about signalling him to pull over to investigate when he pulled into a layby anyway. It was his bike that was smelling. It was thirsty for oil. Nasty as it sounds I was so relieved that it wasn't Ruby.
We got to Winchester where we had to find the A3090 to Romney. Terry told me to lead but I couldn't find it. After various trial and error routes, including a sign for Southampton that inevitably led to a motorway (no go for me or Mark) we ended up back in Winchester. We finally found it and with relief we were on our way again.
At last, SOUTHAMPTON! I was leading. As we went through the city centre we began to see the tops of ships and signs for docks, lots of docks. I knew that we wanted a quay, and that we had to travel along West Quay, and I was expecting to see signs for ferries and/or Red Funnel at least but there was nothing. Suddenly there it was, Red Funnel, we’d arrived at the ferry, soaking wet but relieved. Now it stopped raining.
Mark and I joined the queue but there was no sign of Terry. After 10 mins or so Terry appeared a few cars back. It seems he’d run out of petrol. Odd That, because after I’d filled up at that Tescos, Terry pulled into another garage a few miles down the road so in theory he should have run out after Ruby had run out.
We’d missed our ferry by 10 mins so got on the 11am ferry.
Neither Mark nor Terry had any idea how to get to the campsite when we got off the ferry but I had a map!
Again I led the way stopping once to confirm we were on the right road and soon we were pulling into the campsite. There we were greeted by a fairy lit flagpole with a white IoW silhouette with C90CLUB written on it and sitting in front of his tent was Wightegi looking very King Canute like.*
Barker turned up a few minutes after us and Wightegi helped us both with our tents which was most appreciated.
Both me and Barker retired to our tents for a nap and throughout the afternoon the others were arriving amid hoots and beeps with Newt arriving after dark with his bike all lit up like a Christmas tree.
Some set off to get the bus into Cowes to watch the fireworks and Red Arrows but most stayed on site. Half an hour later and Terry came back on his own. “You didn't go to watch the fireworks then?” “No, they didn’t get any further than the pub.” ( I wonder who ‘they’ were?*) I think Terry was a little disappointed there.
Now Wightegi had a chair with him, a patio chair that was more substantial than a camping chair and a lot more comfortable than my simple camping stool. Me and Barker would casually race to see who would sit in it whilst Wightegi wasn't using it. Poor man, I don’t think he had much chance to use it with us around but we had to vacate it while he ate his dinner that night. Barker went into town and brought us back a fish and chips supper and we sat in someone else’s chairs while we ate that, the majority of the crowd were standing around near Diesel Dave’s van chatting.
We, me and Barker, had an early night, laying in our tents listening to the laughter and banter of our fellow campers until we drifted off to sleep.
The morning, (Saturday) was bright and sunny, such a change from the day before and ideal for an island bimble. I had to scrounge some petrol to get me to the garage as I’d arrived at the campsite running on fumes alone. I hadn't wanted to unload my bike so close to the site the day before so Terry said he’d give me a drop (although it was Barker who gave me some in the end) and first thing that morning I nipped to the garage and got some petrol and a few foody supplies. The bimble was a bit delayed as we had to wait for some latecomers to arrive but soon we were on our way for a tour of the Isle of Wight.
The first stop was Duver,
It was quite warm and many expressed a need for a cold beer. Naughty naughty, ice cream would be better.
We set off again and as we passed Bembridge I sort of guessed where we would be heading, Culver Downs, a clifftop view of the Solent and English Channel plus the site of an anti-aircraft battery from the second world war and the Yarborough monument. There is also a little tea hut/ice cream shop just yards from the Culver Haven pub. As we were going up the dirt road hill, populated by cattle, towards the top I could feel a difference in Rubys pulling power, not much but noticeable. At the top the main group carried on to the headland carpark, I stopped by the monument and the tea hut and bought myself a nice cold ice cream. A little later some of the others came back and bought themselves some sort of nourishment as well including for one, a wasp sting near the base of his thumb. Unfortunately we’d lost part of the group and Wightegi had to go back down to look for them and bring them back up to the rest of us.
Next we rode past Yaverland and into Sandown then on to Shanklin and the first of the steep hills. Ruby didn’t like this and was really struggling to get up the winding slope. Down from 3rd to 2nd (still not enough) and into 1st. Except that Ruby wouldn’t go into first, I got a false neutral instead and stopped dead. We were riding really close and my sudden stop almost caused a pile-up. Still, I didn't appreciate whoever it was that sounded their horn at me, I mean, it wasn't as if I’d done it on purpose.
Our next stop was Ventnor with its (mostly wet) fish shop although you could also buy cooked fish at the side. Much needed toilets were nearby.
But this was also another steep hill road out and Ruby was still struggling. To avoid a repeat of the Shanklin fiasco I indicated and pulled over in 2nd and stopped. Diesel Dave came alongside and escorted me slowly up the hill where we carried on towards Freshwater. Halfway there we pulled into a roadside carpark, with refreshments, and I decided that I wouldn't complete the rest of the bimble but instead head back to the campsite. There weren't really any more steep hills ahead but I couldn't trust Ruby at this time so I continued into Freshwater while the others turned and headed north, after all, I’d been there before so I knew what I would be missing. I sat on the seafront for an hour or so before heading back to camp. I got back about 15 mins before the rest of the gang trundled in.
That evening the ‘group’ moved around between tents, sometimes standing/sitting here, there or elsewhere. The last thing I saw was BCP about to make a snakebite using Special Brew and then they all disappeared from view.
Sunday morning and Diesel Dave came and adjusted Rubys clutch. It was the one thing that I’d forgotten to do before the trip
. I went out for a test ride and it was a lot better, not fully but enough for me to be fairly happy to stay on the island for the rest of the week as planned. Thank you DD. 
When I got back to the site later that afternoon, some had already left earlier and I sat and watched as the rest of them packed up their stuff and rode off. Soon there was only the two tents left, mine and Diesel Dave and Brenda’s. Kind Wightegi had also left his chair for me to use and it came in very handy as a climbing frame for getting in and out of the tent as well as for sitting on.
Monday morning and I sat and watched as DD and Brenda packed up.
They brought me a cup of tea before they left and Brenda told me about the Visitors Centre in Rhyde, I’d visit there tomorrow. While I was in my tent I had my feet out in the porch area. I looked down just in time to see a worm crawling into my basket and minutes later the earth beneath my foot began to move. An escaping worm! It was trying, successfully, to get away from a mole. My tent was surrounded by mole hills. DD and Brenda were now all packed up and they left, Brenda in the van with DD’s bike in it and DD riding Mats (he with the broken arm) back to the mainland. I was now all on my own with no other campers near me.
My first port of call was to the visitors centre in Rhyde to see if there was a way to find a B&B but they were most unhelpful only giving me a list of local hotels. I drove down a bit further along the seafront and found a sheltered bench and watched the ships, ferries and hovercraft going back and forth across the Solent. I gave up looking for a B&B and just went for a gentle ride down to Bembridge for some fresh crab. Sadly, although the crab selling boat was still there is was closed down and behind it was a crab café. I did have some crab there but it wasn't a patch on what the original crab boat had sold.
From there I visited the Lavender Farm for a cream tea. Guess what? No cream, and the tea wasn't up to much either. Then I went to the Needles....
.... but I didn't go down into Alum Bay instead I drove around for a bit and ended up sitting on the seafront in Sandown until dusk then a short ride back to camp and an early night.
I now had another little problem, how to charge my phone. I have a socket on the bike but it’s not working and by the end of the week the battery would be flat, Hub doesn't like to be out of contact with me. I had all sorts of ideas on how to overcome that problem but I’d need to think them all out.
Tuesday morning and just after I’d made my morning coffee the gas for my cooker ran out. Now, you’d think that an island so geared up for camping and the likes would have lots of places selling camping gas but even our host at the campsite didn't know where I could buy a small can of gas. No problem I thought, I’d just go back to the visitors centre and ask them, after all, they should know shouldn't they? Nope, they didn’t. All they knew was a hardware store in Rhyde and he only had a limited selection of two camping gas cans and neither of them would fit my cooker. I went and found that shelter that I’d used yesterday and sat down to read a visitors magazine that I’d picked up in the office. There were quite a few people about, on the beach and sitting on the wall and soon I was joined by some older generation people who sat and talked amongst themselves about Spitfires and other WW2 planes and bases. Then there they were…. a Battle of Britain Memorial flyover of Spitfires and Hurricanes. Sadly by the time I realised what it was it was too late to get my camera out. As soon as they’d flown over all the people went too and I was left alone once again. I had to content myself with a photo of the hovercraft as it came into Rhyde.
But the day wasn't wasted as in the magazine I spotted an advert for a camping shop in Sandown. (have map, can find it. *) Sure enough he had the very gas bottle that I needed so I could look forward to a nice cup-o-soup when I got back to camp. In the meantime I went and sat on the seafront at Sandown again. On the way back to camp I went through Newport and spotted a Wetherspoons pub (food) on a roundabout there. I pulled into the carpark, walked across the walkway, got in the lift and came out on the other side of the complex. No sign of the pub though.* So back in the lift and back to the bike and round the roundabout again and into a different carpark. Still no sign of the pub. But there was a KFC so that would do. All I wanted was chicken and fries but it seems they sell all sorts of other things there now. But they did some chicken for me and when it was ready the guy called out “Who ordered the old fashioned chicken?”. Hmm, am I that old?
While I was sitting there eating it I remembered that I’d passed a Maplins as I drove through the carpark so I went there when I’d finished my uncoated cold drumstick, luke warm chicken thigh and cold fries, to see if they could help with the phone charging problem. They offered me this battery back-up thing that could charge iPads, phones and cameras etc but……. the leads that came with were with modern plugs, mine wasn't in the selection. But…………. I had my ‘octopus’ with me.
My charging system on the bike, like most, uses a cigarette lighter socket. The thing that I've got that plugs in there has the lead plugging into it with a USB plug, the other end has about 8 different plug options one of which fits my phone. Maplins had one of these charger things that was already fully charged itself so I bought it, or rather Hub did as I put it on his card. So that was two of my problems sorted. My ‘octopus’ would also double as a charger for the battery itself by plugging into the USB on my PC and then using one of the ‘pussy’ plugs (USB again) into the battery. Happy camper.
Wednesday morning and our host had warned me last night that rain was expected around noon. I had planned a sightseeing/shopping trip around the centre of the island but didn't fancy doing that in the pouring rain. When I got up I made my way to the Sloop Inn where I had one of their £3.99 all you can eat, breakfasts and a cup of tea. Yummy.* On the way back to camp I stopped in the Tesco for supplies and to buy a top-up voucher for my phone. Oh sh*t, it seems that maybe the IoW hasn't quite caught up with the mainland. They’d never heard of my phone supplier, GiffGaff. “We've got O2” “No, GiffGaff” “What about Orange or EE?” No, GiffGaff.” So that was a no no then. It seems that I'm beset of little problems every day.
I went back to the tent, made some coffee and settled down to read the papers while I waited for the rain. And it came, time to crawl into the tent. All day long it rained and long into the night as well.
I phoned Hub and he would buy a phone voucher and give me the code number the next day to put credit in my phone.
Thursday and my last day on the island. Showers were expected throughout the day so I chanced it hoping they’d only be light showers. The first place on my agenda was Godshill but as I was driving down I could see rain over the high ground in the direction that I needed to go. A short stop in Sandown, (I keep ending up there) to see what was next on my list and the rain caught up with me. It was only light at this point but I needed to find some shelter.
The only place I knew was that one in Rhyde so that’s where I headed. I got a bit wet and the shelter was occupied by some homeless people but they made me welcome even offering me some of their food. I sat there for a couple of hours until the rain eased off and then headed for one of the shops that I had on my list. I managed to get two out of the four that I wanted to visit so that would do.
Now it was Friday morning, nice and sunny, and time to pack up for the 10.30am ferry. But first a cup of coffee. I had three visitors. The first was a wasp, (they came to me every time I was there). They didn't seem to be after food or sweet things, it was heat they wanted. Well this wasp got a bit too close. As I poured the boiled water from the pan, in he came and touched down on the dry bit of the hot pan. That must have burned his little feet and he fell into the boiling water. Poor thing, wasp flavoured coffee. Then, while I was sitting there I heard a rattle from just inside my tent. I looked down and my cooker was moving. The mole again! I managed to video a little bit of that.
And finally, in the bushes behind my tent… a red squirrel, well, more orange than red, but he was a bit too quick for my camera.
The mole, by the way, had surrounded my tent as well as a few attempts at joining me inside.
I couldn't quite pack the tent properly but that didn't matter much, it would have to be unpacked when I got home to dry it all out anyway. Everything was packed and loaded on the bike but where was my camera? It wasn't on the ground, it must be packed in somewhere. I certainly wasn't going to unpack everything looking for it, my phone camera would have to do if an opportunity came up. And I set off for the 10am ferry in good time. I heard my phone signalling a text message but thought it was probably Barker so I didn’t stop to read it. I took a scenic route to the ferry and got there within the half hour of departure. Now, while I was sitting in the queue, I could read the text message. It was from Red Funnel telling me that they were very busy and could I get there an hour earlier instead of the half hour. Sh*t. The ferry was still there though, still loading and was running twenty minutes late. Cars that had been behind me were being waved through, but not me. The ferry left without me. I’m bl**dy sure they could have got me on that ferry. I now had to wait for the next ferry which meant I landed in Southampton at 12.50, half the day gone.
The route home involved backtracking the way we had come. If only it was that simple. I saw New Forest ponies and I now know the way from Southampton to Lymington, if only I’d known that two years ago. Back on track and I found Romney, then Winchester then I managed to find the A3 and it was virtually a straight run all the way home. Ruby’s clutch was still playing up but we managed to get to 55mph and I was home by 5.45pm. Taking in the detours and stoppages I think it took me about 4 ½ hours actual travelling.
in header.
