On the beach with #MiniBreeze

We were planning a holiday in the US, starting next Monday.  However, sadly, we have had to cancel that but we do live in a lovely place and its been a long time since we had our holiday at home so we will find plenty to do.  We love to walk on the island.  #MiniBreeze decided that he would start the holiday early with a trip to the beach.

Last month we showed you some of the sights of Ryde, we walked that way again but went further.  Once #MiniBreeze had got past the places he showed you before he started posing for pictures.

Just at the point where the coastal path leaves Ryde and becomes Springvale #MiniBreeze noticed this fort out to sea.  This is the one nearest to to the island but there are three of these in this part of the Solent.  They were built to protect the entrance to the Solent from Napoleon, during the Napoleonic wars, as the English worried that Napoleon would send troops through the English Channel and into the Solent.  The island has a large number of fortifications from that war.  They are quite ugly but this one is a luxury home now.

From the end of the Ryde bit of the path he could see:

Springvale beach,

The Boat House pub, which he would very much like to visit because they serve delicious scampi and chips,

and he could see the town of Seaview in the distance.  We walked that way, going through Seaview to two bays beyond.

Before leaving Ryde completely he investigated that very English of traditions, the beach hut.

These are little huts people spend they day at the beach in.  They change into their swimming costumes and usually have a kettle so they can make tea.  Many people keep comfortable beach chairs in them and even barbecues.

Moving on along by Springvale beach #MiniBreeze noticed that there was a countryside view on the other side of the road.  the picture is not too clear but there is a big house and cows in the field.

He got better views of Springvale beach, looking towards Portsmouth on the mainland.

Ah, well #MiniBreeze loves sunbathing, while we were trying to walk between the two bays, through the rocks, he decided to sunbath for a while.

Then he did some rock climbing, there were not many trees on this walk so rocks would have to do for climbing.

He could see out towards St Helen's.  This is St Helen's bay and village on the island, not St Helen's in Lancashire, which is in the north of England.

Ah!! a problem!!  The tide was coming in and #MiniBreeze spent so long sunbathing and rock climbing that the tide cut us off from getting round to the next bay.  We had to go back and climb over the the cliff and down into Priory Bay.

Priory Bay is a sweeping sandy bay where a lot of people bring their boats.  It was quite quiet yesterday, which is surprising on a sunny day in August.

#MiniBreeze found a piece of drift wood to sunbathe on.

Then a rock which enabled him to look out to sea.

He loved the sandy beach.

On the walk back he noticed this building in the sea, near the boats that were waiting to get into the Port of Southampton.  This is another fort which we think is also Napoleonic, it is St Helen's fort.  In the middle of the summer, sometime around July, the tide goes out so far that, for a very short time it is possible to walk out to this fort.  You have to do it at exactly the right time and there is a club that does it.

On the way back we walked back round to Seagrove Bay which is slightly busier and noisier than Priory Bay.

These bays are a beautiful part of the island and we are so lucky that they are within walking distance from home.  The other good thing about them is that they are not easy to get to unless you walk or have a boat and even then when the tide is low sailing round is not that easy.  This means they never get so busy that you can't find a place to sit or swim.

We walked back the same way via Seagrove bay, Seaview town, Springvale and Ryde, an eight mile walk in total.  At home #MiniBreeze took up his favourite position on the sofa to watch our team win.