Chale to Shanklin
Almost immediately after leaving Chale we were at Blackgang Chine. There's a theme park at the top of the chine, including shops and amusement rides. We stopped in "The Fossil Shop", a small shop full of fossils on exhibit and for sale. They also lead groups on fossil-hunting expeditions; when we arrived the shop was swarming with school children. One of the proprietors was telling them what to look for, and showing them examples, preparing them for their outing. The lecture made it clear - if it hadn't been before - that the "dinosaur bones" which we had picked up on the beach are nothing special. But we kept them, and carried them with us, and still think of them as our dinosaur bones!
Soon we were climbing the hill behind and above St. Catherine's lighthouse, finally looking down on it.
| We were tickled to see a bench beside the path, honoring someone's 100th birthday, which had taken place just a week earlier: |  |
| Sometimes the path went through thick growth: | Another bench provided a comfortable spot for lunch, pleasant and with great views. | |
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| We then dropped down almost to sea level, as we approached the town of Ventnor. We read that the "White Park Cattle" here are a rare breed, dating back at least to the 5th century B.C. They were assumed to have magical powers. |  |
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Before we came to Ventnor, we walked through the lovely Botanic Gardens. And beside the gardens is the very interesting "Museum of Smuggling History." We spent a long time there, seeing lots of amazing smuggling methods. This wax model is of Margaret, the wife of Thomas Cranmer. He was archbishop-elect of Canterbury, and supposedly celibate, when he smuggled her into the country in a herring barrel! |
After a few more downs and ups we came to Ventnor, a Victorian resort town. We stopped immediately at the first pub for drinks, enjoying them while sitting outside in the bright sun.
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A few miles later we stopped in to see the church in Bonchurch, "Bonchurch Old Church". It was a Saxon church, rebuilt in 1070. | |
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We had spent a lot of time stopping and seeing things during the day, and the last four miles into Shanklin seemed long. We finally arrived, checked in at our guest house, and went to the town park, where we had read that there was a brass band concert. We listened for a while, and then went to dinner at a restaurant in the "Old Town" area, which is mostly thatched cottages.
