A Stormy Holiday
18th Feb 2020
What better time to have a coastal break in the UK than right in the midst of Storm Dennis?!
Last year at the same time, we’d taken the children to Mexico for a much needed bit of winter sun. Swimming in the warm sea, lazy days relaxing in a hammock with the palm trees swaying overhead: I had a feeling this trip might be a little different.
We had booked a beautiful wooden beach cottage on the Isle of Wight for a few days during half term with the children and puppy; as we sat waiting for the car ferry, I grew increasingly worried about the weather. Even a jacuzzi bath makes me feel sea sick, so I wasn't sure I could handle an hours stormy crossing!
As it turned out, we were lucky. The 11am crossing was completely smooth! Although the midday crossing had to be cancelled due to the storm.
We sought shelter in a lovely pub called Ye Olde Village Inn in Bembridge, which on the off-chance happened to be kid friendly, dog friendly and even most astonishingly, vegan friendly! In fact I was blown away that everywhere we went had an abundance of Vegan options, including (as we were to later discover) a lovely little vegetarian café called No.8 just a short stroll from where we were staying.
We then decided to head down to the front to walk the dog and kill some time until we could check into our accommodation. The beach was gone! The tide was in, the waves were crashing against the sea wall and the wind was howling as the rain lashed our faces. We couldn't walk on the beach, so we explored and went off the beaten track along a little path. By the time we could check into our accommodation, we were soaked to the skin and caked in mud.
It was a trip down memory lane for me as when I was growing up, my Grandparents had a guest house on the island. As a child I’d visit every February and October half term with my siblings and friends. I was used to always having terrible weather and being on the beach in the wind and rain, so it felt just like old times.
We didn’t let the weather dampen our spirits though. The children thought it was a great adventure to visit the lifeboat museum at the end of the pier, play dinosaur golf in the rain and when it all got too much we headed for the amusement arcade. We played on the beach and at one point the sun even came out; we saw a rainbow over the Solent.
It was lovely to enjoy the simple pleasures of being together as a family, building sandcastles, walking with the dog, and snuggling in our cosy beach hut.
