Monday 12th February 2024

On the road, again.

Its been a while, but just four days after returning from holiday, I was packing my case again, this time for a work trip.

Just to the Isle of Wight again, so I needed a hire car. So, after coffee, Jools dropped me off on the promenade on her way to work, so I could have a wander, take in the air and have a look at which wild plants were blooming.

My min target was Alexanders, and a few of those were in flower. It is a plant introduced by the Romans as a salad crop, and die to climate change is seen everywhere in east Kent at this time of the year now.

I walked to the car hire office, through the underpass and through St James, and after a short wait was given a Nissan Qashqai, which was nice to drive, and a hybrid too.

Back home then to pack, have breakfast and be ready to be on the road before ten.

There was a change to my normal plan to get to the Isle of Wight, in that I had to collect a colleague from Southampton airport at five, so I had time to fill. Which is why I programmed the sat nav for Hythe in Hampshire, to fill my time.

Hythe has a pier, and on it is the oldest pier railway, I think in the world. And just when I was down here last, it was planned to close, but there was a outcry, and it seems to have been saved, but I have promised myself a trip down to snap it.

Not much to tell of the run up the M20, along the M25 and down the M3. You know it my now; crowded, frequent jams and mad drivers. At least it was sunny.

I made good time and pulled into the car park near the pier just before one.

Time to buy a parking ticket, walk the the main street and the pier, buy a ticket, then walk along the pier before the next train was due to run.

It was an exceptional high tide, and with no wind, the Solent was like a lake.

The train rattled along, swaying on the track, and inside had two passengers, but seems comfortable enough for the 750m run to the pierhead station, though I turned back.

I walked back to land, turned left and came across a pub. Was I thirsty? Yes I was.

Inside, it was a warren of wood panelled rooms and bars. I went to the snug, where a couple were drining.

Want a drink, the lady asked.

Yes, if I can.

I'll ring the bell she said.

And as if by magic, the bartender appeared and served me a pint of foaming ale, or John Smith's Smooth as it was called, and a large pack of cheese and onion crisps.

Which hit the spot.

I had two hours and then some to kill, but there was the main road back to Southampton to get along, busy at the best of times, but this Monday had two set of major roadworks just a mile apart, so a ten minute drive took nearly an hour.

Back around Southampton and back onto the motorway, stopping off at the service station for a coffee while I checked the arrivals at the airport, now just five miles away.

Now, not all airports are created equal, some are big and sprawling with many terminals and space age shuttles to get between them. Southampton is not like that.

I followed the signs, the road took me past the railway station, past the post office depot, and there was a low two story car park, and the small terminal building opposite.

Once parked, I went to the terminal, where the previous flight from Belfast had landed and people all left either to the station or their cars.

There was a Costa Coffee, a large WH Smiths, but both had no customers, as I and a tattooed guy waited for the arrival.

The plane landed, but it was 20 minutes later, before Askil appeared from the customs hall.

We shook hands and walked to the car, we had 50 minutes to get to the ferry terminal, lest we'd have a further 90 minute wait for the next one.

With darkness having fallen, Southampton was a city of bright lights and heavy traffic. We inched along the main road until we got to the turn to port, where the lanes were all full with traffic waiting to board. The ferry itself was there, but disgorging traffic from the island.

Anyway, we all got on, the boat was busy, with a number of screaming children because a sea journey had to be accompanied by screaming.

We went up on deck to look at the lights of the harbour, and away to the left, the behemoth that was a new cruise liner, looking like a Christmas trimmed Office black laid on its side.

Brrr. It was cold, so we went back inside and stared at the short rolling, ever-repeating local ads showing on a dozen screens around the lounge.

We were one of the last cars off, and I expected the queue for the floating bridge to be huge, but there was none, and I looked I could see the ferry down the ramp with a member of the crew waving at us to come down before the ramp was raised.

Result.

Two minutes later, we were across, then through the maze of streets and along to Egypt Point and our hotel.

Phew.

After checking in and dropping our bags off, we went to the restaurant for a quite meal looking out of the front of the hotel at the blackness of the Solent.