Surbiton Probus Club
Report of the
SPRING WEEKEND 2010
ISLE OF WIGHT 14th – 17th
MAY 2010
Friday dawned bright and clear, the
coach arrived very early as did most of the thirty nine participants
for our much awaited weekend trip to the Isle of Wight. Tim was our
driver again, having also previously taken us to Sherborne and
Carmarthen, this time he was accompanied by his wife Anita whom we
made very welcome.
We set off promptly at 9am heading
for Portsmouth to catch the ferry to Fishbourne. The journey was
uneventful and we managed to catch an earlier boat than scheduled so
that we gained an hour on the island.
Our lunch stop was at Carisbrooke
Castle where we toured the museum, saw the donkey tread the wheel to
raise the bucket from the well and the more fit walked the
battlements. Next onto Godshill and the model village, a wonderful
place and well worth a visit, as is Godshill itself although a
little touristy but we were tourists!
Carisbrooke Castle
The booked hotel had been changed at
the last minute to The Shanklin Hotel which proved a winner. On
arrival we were greeted with tea or coffee and the whole
organisation was very slick. Many of us had sea view rooms and the
whole stay was excellent.
On Saturday we toured the island
visiting the Botanical Gardens at Ventnor, the Needles, Yarmouth
etc. Surprising how quickly the time went.
On Sunday our visit to Osborne House
was delayed slightly by another coach blocking us in at the hotel,
It refused to start until someone found a ‘Re-Set’ button! There is
such a lot to see and admire at Osborne House, a wonderful
experience. Afterwards it was on to Havenstreet and a trip on the
steam railway.
Osborne House
Monday bags packed and ready for the
off, how quickly a weekend passes. We haven’t quite finished yet,
Newport for retail therapy and Rosemary’s Vineyard, a spot of lunch,
wine tasting and off to the ferry. We again caught an early boat and
arrived back at Tolworth in good time.
The weather was pretty good during
our trip, just a few spots of rain on Sunday. As the organiser I
thought everything went very well and I think everyone enjoyed it,
at least I hope so.
Alan Neale
