Earlier this summer Hannah and I took a trip to the Isle of Wight as my old school-friend, Akosa (a legendary gent), married his lovely partner Stacey, who grew up on the island.
Hannah and I stayed in the town of Cowes, the most northern part of the island. Our B&B was a short walk to the wedding venue and close to the port - a super ideal location!
As we were only on the island for a few days we didn't get to see as much as we would have liked, but we did manage to squeeze in a walk around Cowes and a visit to The Needles Battery. The Needles was a unique place to visit and well worth the bumpy bus journey!
So please take a look through my photos and enjoy:
Day 1 - winding down to the sea-front of Cowes, we decided to take a walk west along the coast.
A statue of a lion set against the distant background of the UK mainland.
A heron atop a drinking water fountain.
Han poses in front of this large coastal structure.
Beach huts line part of the Cowes coast.
A weary shed in someone's garden.
Han taking a snap of the rusted railings.
Rusty rails battered by the sea, with rusty deposit on the wall underneath.
Cyclists taking a break on shale.
Mermaid and dolphins carved out of a tree.
Flags galore!
These tiles can be found dotted around on the ground in Cowes.
Art deco-style apartment building.
Stopping off for a bite to eat.
A chain ferry runs between West and East Cowes.
Rusty coloured chains.
An industrial part of town.
Orange house on a slant.
Day 2 - a Dalmatian 'spots' us during a morning walk before the wedding.
After the wedding ceremony: guests and Akosa (right) are intrigued by something...
...that Akosa's friend laughs about...
...a caricature artist drew portraits.
The caricaturist draws portraits of James (another school friend) and his wife Tilly...
...applying the finishing touches...
...they look pleased with their drawing!
Mike, one of my school friends, keeping a watchful eye out for the canapes.
Stacey (the bride) throws the bouquet.
Akosa and Stacey labelled and grouped tables by various places that had been important to them through their lives. This table was for us, the school gang.
Ferrero Rocher shaped as pineapples.
The happy couple cut the cake!
Akosa getting into the groove of the music.
Props chosen for a group photo.
North Wales group photo with (left-to-right) James, Mike, Andy, Han and Nicola (Andy's wife).
Day 3 - we decided to take a trip to The Needles at the south-west corner of the island. This involved a bus trip to Newport...
...then from Newport to The Needles.
The Needles from the north side. The Needles Old Battery was a Victorian defence fort built in 1862 and used during both World Wars.
On our walk to The Needles Battery we passed this house. The front of it was full of funny little messages and toys from tv and film, such as The Simpsons, Disney, Sesame Street, Power Rangers and even Mr. Blobby!
The Needles from the south side.
The lighthouse on the left was built in 1859 and has saved many a life since.
From the southern viewpoint of The Needles, the land continues to wind to your left to...
...a former secret rocket test site.
Viewing The Needles from inside the National Trust battery site.
After leaving The Needles we made our way back and made our way to the lower beach...
...part of the pathway down...
...or you can take a skyride down.
The rock formation and colouring was striking.
Waiting at the Newport bus stop to head back to Cowes.
Day 4 - leaving our B&B room. We stayed at the Caledon which I highly recommend if you ever visit Cowes. Click here for more information.
Leaving the Isle of Wight on the Red Jet ferry. (and seated on their very red seats!).
So that rounds up our trip to the Isle of Wight - I wish I could have seen more of it! I imagine there are some other stunning views and places to visit on the island. Perhaps I will get to see them some other time in the future.
I'm planning to do a separate blog about The Needles as I took more photos there than I could fit into this blog. Would you be interested in seeing that? Let me know in the comments below. As always thanks for looking at my blog and subscribe below to receive the latest blogs straight to your email inbox.