Sandown

On our recent trip to the Isle of Wight we paid just the one visit to Sandown, parking on this occasion on Culver Parade, otherwise the B3395, on the north eastern outskirts of town.

Quite a lot of people on the beach, but a different flavour from Ryde, although fail to put that difference into words. Maybe there were fewer locals in the mix at Sandown than at Ryde, which is a substantial town as well as being a destination. One of the people on the esplanade was a full-on spider man, possibly a relic of a Gay Pride event in Ryde.

Quite a lot of fuss about the Ocean Hotel in local media, just one of a number of derelict or vacant sites in the town. From reference 3, for example, I learn that: 'Phoenix Commercial Property Development Limited has taken on the historic property having purchased it from the joint liquidators of the collapsed Carlauren Group. The company has also taken on The Auckland House Hotel in Shanklin, which was also owned by Carlauren'. Phoenix is a company created earlier this year by some entrepreneur from somewhere up north, probably as a vehicle for this very transaction. Negotiations with the council about redevelopment and sharing out the pie probably ongoing. We will see if anything has changed by next summer, but we are not holding our breath.

Some entertaining contraptions by the pier. Sadly, inquiry revealed first that they were quite expensive, maybe £10 or £20 for 30 minutes, second that they were not intended for the shallows, rather you were supposed to pedal them out to sea, in which the wheels functioned as paddles. So not for us, not being equipped for swimming. But it all looked rather fun when, on the way back, we saw a bunch of them heading out to sea.

The Beach Shack which we had used several times over the past few years, appeared to have changed hands, possibly into those of a Portuguese, rather than the beach type that was there before. Crab sandwiches off and grilled sardines on. On this occasion we settled for tea.

Took the high road back, that is to say through town, rather than along the esplanade. The first finding being that the old fashioned tea and cake shop we had also used several times over the past few years, appeared to being made over with a Caribbean flavour. While the Boots, where I was able to buy a small tube of skin lotion, better for holidays than the tubs it usually comes in, was still helping customers who had troubles with their complicated medications and were prone to tell the patient pharmacist long stories about said troubles.

Some quite decent olive flavoured bread from the small Sainsbury's.

Emerged again onto the esplanade, just by jet ski central, with quite a  number of them available for hire. Plus some reasonably serious looking speedboats. No more for us than the pedalos already noticed.

Found some decent shade from which we could admire the goings on in the handsome, dinosaur flavoured crazy golf in Sandham Gardens, otherwise to be found at reference 4. Much smarter looking than such things often are, with the panorama view above provided by one of the ferry companies. All put together by Heritage Attractions Limited, another operation from up-north. Much further up-north than most of the holiday makers, who sound as if they come from the midlands. Places like Birmingham.

Next stop the old church at Yaverland, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, originally built for the convenience of the Lords of Yaverland in the 12th century, probably on the site of an earlier church. Eventually falling into the hands of some academic lords, that is to say the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge.

We renewed our acquaintance with the Horns of Moses, horns which were the result of sloppy translation of the Hebrew Bible back in the middle ages, an error which the church chose to preserve in its iconography. All of which is explained at reference 6. And first noticed in these pages three years ago, at reference 7.

And it was now time for lunch back at the cottage. The principal part of which was finishing of the Kosovan sausage and lentil stew.

After a suitable pause, off to Yaverland to take a walk along the beach there, taking in the hobby of reference 8 on the way. Early evening, tide well out and still plenty of people about, in various states of dress and undress. Two floating care homes, one looking to be heading left for the Netherlands, the other right for France.

Wound up the proceedings with a bottle at the Bugle.

PS 1: we had intended to pay a visit to Dinosaur Isle of reference 1, in the news earlier in the year on account of fine new find on the island, noticed at reference 2. I was a bit uneasy about how hot it might be inside what amounted to a large tent, but in any event, what with one thing and another we failed to make it. A white tent, visible top left, just below Culver Cliffs in the aerial view above.

PS 2: I might add that the BBC provides a good story at reference 2. It will be a great pity if the truss is confirmed in her view that the BBC is just a bunch of wokes and commies which needs to be cut down to size. To let Murdoch's News Corp do the job properly.

References

Reference 1: https://www.dinosaurisle.com/.

Reference 2: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-61743759. The source of the first snap above.

Reference 3: https://www.islandecho.co.uk/ocean-hotel-eyesore-in-sandown-sold-to-new-owners/.

Reference 4: https://sandhamgardens.com/.

Reference 5: http://www.havenchurches.org.uk/history-brading-yaverland.

Reference 6: https://www.gotquestions.org/Moses-horns.html.

Reference 7: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/08/wash-up-from-other-island.html.

Reference 8: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/07/a-hobby.html.