December 17th 2021 and it was time to leave my lovely flat in Ryde Isle of Wight and move to Bembridge Isle of Wight , just a few miles up the road by bus. I had lived there five years but needed to leave due to stairs and steps which I could not manage anymore ….So a new move to Bembridge in April 2022 to a cottage with no stairs or steps and 5 minutes walk to the beach was beckoning.
It is now August 10th 2023 and I’m now settled .
After living in Ryde , Bembridge is totally different . Ryde is buzzing with all age groups and nationalities , with the lovely shops and cafes from the top of the high street to the bottom of union street ending with Ryde Esplanade and the gateway to the mainland …Trains that go along the pier to the catamaran. There is also the hovercraft invented by Sir Christopher Cockerell in 1955 that made its debut across the English Channel in 1959 that will take you to mainland England in about 10 minutes and the catamaran which takes about 30 minutes if you are a foot passenger . The car ferries don’t go from Ryde they go from Cowes and Fishguard and take about an hour.
Bembridge is very different ,it is more community ,it has a village hall which is the hub of the village where most activities stem from . It has a butchers, greengrocers , chemist , library and various gift shops .
So where will Bembridge lead me ? Im planning to stay in Bembridge for the rest of my life so I need to embrace it … Two years on from moving from Ryde to Bembridge ,I am well and truly settled .
The pictures above are pictures taken by me on the beach which is 10 minutes walk from my home. It is not a beach for sunbathing more for walking with or without a dog and for children to paddle and search under rocks for crabs and creatures. Lot of swimmers in all weathers .
It took me a while as I thought I was going to have difficulty making new friends but Bembridge is great because it has the lovely village hall where most things happen . I have good neighbours and feeling very secure I have joined a few things in the village which keeps me out of mischief .
First of all there is the Bembridge Belles WI..The Wi is one of the groups I thought would not be for me as I expected it to be making jams ,Jerusalem the hymn and to be honest boring ..But nothing could be more from the truth. The members are mostly of ladies who just need contact with others .
The activities are great with trips out to theatres , lunches, gardens and various other places of interest .I also joined a book club who meet once a month with a new book to discuss and enjoy….or not some are a bit of a flop.
Because of my dodgy knees I also go to exercise classes run by Penny Dove that are run in the village especially for people with balance problems or mobility problems . These are held at the village scout hut.
Hopefully future pages here will be of my favourite places on my side of the island and nature around me that gives me pleasure .
There is no need for anyone to be lonely , taking that first step to joining a group or activity is the hardest bit.
- Back to the Beach
- Bees in abundance
- Findings on the beach
- Gulls & more gulls
- Looking up and around
- Love Lane
- My walk to the beach.
- Sandown Isle of Wight
- Sunflowers & their beauty.
- Sunrise in Bembridge
- Whitecliff Bay
- Wildlife from my window
beach Beaches Bembridge birding birds Blackbird dinosaur dinosaurs Dunnock fossils garden birds gulls hiking isle of wight nature paleontology photography robin roman villa x Isle of Wight x science sea glass sunrise travel Whitecliff Bay wildlife
Moving on to Bembridge 