Come cycle round islands with me! There's a hovercraft

[fivemack]

I noticed, when I bought my Network Railcard, that the Network is quite big; indeed, the Network Railcard is valid for the trip by train and hovercraft from Cambridge to the Isle of Wight, and the saving on the return trip exceeds by some way the cost of a Network Railcard.

So, for the late-May Bank Holiday, I plan to cycle round the Isle of Wight. It's not a very big isle, it's about seventy miles all the way round, so there's time to spend one day getting there with a fair amount of time to see the naval attractions of Portsmouth, stay at a B&B in say Bembridge on Saturday evening, then a day and most of another day cycling - probably go round clockwise, so the south of the island on the Sunday, sleep at the youth hostel at Totland Bay, then round the north of the island to leave Ryde at about 5:30 on Monday and be back in Cambridge at ten.

But it would be more fun not to cycle round the Isle of Wight on my own; would anyone like to join me?

Comments

[rezendi.livejournal.com]

ObSomeoneHadToAsk: Is the hovercraft full of eels?

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

So there are still hovercraft ferries, even though the SR.N4 is dead?

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

Yes, there's a little hovercraft operated by http://www.hovertravel.co.uk/ which shuttles back and forth across the Solent every half-hour. The company have three hovercraft: two hundred-passenger AP1-88 and a slightly bigger BHT130. They're made in Britain; the British hovercraft industry, while objectively kind of tiny, is one of the world leaders in hovercraftiness.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

Neat. Perhaps on my next trip to the UK I will catch a ride.

gohover is a hovercraft buff (obviously) who drives small ones on rivers and lakes around here. We've only met once; I hope to catch a ride someday. Because I've worn a jetpack, but my life will not be complete until I get to ride in a hovercraft, too.

[mair_in_grenderich]

well lots of people will cycle with you on Sunday http://www.cycleisland.co.uk/

[mair_in_grenderich]

oh no, wrong weekend

[downybearded1.livejournal.com]

I love cycling but my bikes busted at the moment :o(

[jojomojo.livejournal.com]

Wish I could; until the age of 7 I lived in Fareham and we'd go to the Isle of Wight all the time to visit Blackgang Chine. Wonder if that's still there.

[gnimmel.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's definitely still there (fibreglass dinosaurs and all...). However it keeps on getting moved up the hillside as more bits of the cliff fall into the sea.

[gnimmel.livejournal.com]

BTW, I lived in Fareham until moving the the Isle of Wight when I was 11 and appear to have been in the same school year as you (judging from your user info). So we may have very distantly met.

[jojomojo.livejournal.com]

Does Wallisdean Junior School ring any bells? :)

[gnimmel.livejournal.com]

Sadly not; I went to Funtley and then Orchard Lea when Funtley closed.

[emperor]

How fast do you expect to be cycling, and is this road-cycling, or you-will-need-an-MTB cycling?

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

This is on-road cycling, and if I average nine miles an hour I'll think I'm doing well; I am not a fearsome cycling beast.

[gnimmel.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately I'm in Zurich that weekend, but I grew up on the Isle of Wight and am going there this weekend (with a network railcard, as well) to see family. So if any local info is useful then feel free to ask. I don't know much about local hotels, though, other than that there are many of them.

I still have fond memories of going on the hovercraft when I was little, but these days I take the catamaran, because it's joined up to the rail network and the hovercraft isn't. if you get the default ticket to any rail station on the Island the catamaran is definitely included but I've never tried using those tickets on the hovercraft.

[addedentry.livejournal.com]

This sounds wonderful and if it weren't three weeks into my new job then I would join you like a shot (although I cycle somewhat slower than a shot). Bon voyage!

[lnr]

I think this is unlikely, since we'll only just be back from far too much walking in the pennines, but I shall try remember to mention it to Mike anyway.

[naath.livejournal.com]

This is very tempting.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm going to be in Alnwick but I would otherwise. I'm in a cafe in Newcastle, catching the 12.39 train to Lockerbie, having something to eat then going to buy a packed lunch. I am feeling a bit prepared for the race on monday, but will try and settle down. Love Ben

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

I was just re-reading The Backroom Boys. While you're going round the island, keep an eye out for the spot where Saunders-Roe used to do static firings of Black Knight sounding rockets and the Black Arrow satellite launcher.