A Bus, A Walk, & A Lifeboat...

Sunday started off traveling to Ryde Bus Station to catch another bus to Shanklin, but I am getting ahead of myself...

I so often see my own church members on a bus, passing my home that I have often wondered why I have never followed their example. With the car off the road at the moment due to having my front number plate wiped off the front sometime from Wednesday - Saturday that the time had come to catch a bus!

I checked the signposted timetable on Saturday, but that was confusing, as there seemed to be two lines for Sunday Morning with conflicting times of arrival. I consulted the Bus Times booklet for the whole of the Isle of Wight, but these seemed to be in conflict with the signpost at the end of the drive to Quarr Abbey.

I decided that the best thing to do was to pick seven different times ranging from 0823 through to 0909 in the hope that a bus would come at one of the five other times in the time frame. It arrived at 0839. At Ryde Bus Station, which is next to the Train Station that is next to Hoover Craft Ferry Port. I waited for the 0915 to Shanklin, bought a ‘Freedom 7’ ticket and climbed to the top of the bus, front seats all the way. Arrived early enough to have a cooked breakfast (there is no cooked breakfasts at Quarr Abbey) and a top of tea at Morgan’s. Then walked down the road to Shanklin United Reformed Church for a very evangelical power-pointed service with worship band and singers. 90 minutes zipped passed, but the them of the service was about “A Spirit-transformed Community”. Since one of my questions for each of the island communities is, “What is the christian/community spirituality of the island now?”

Met and made so useful local church contacts for the coming weeks to answer not only my first two questions, but also the one above. After a cuppa, I was off for my walk, which to be fair, looked a long way, but doable. So from the Ventnor end of Shanklin I started to walk to Lord Yarborough’s Monument, known locally by some, as ‘that pepper pot thing’ or a ‘beacon’. I walked around most of Sandown Bay on an under cliff road. Before ascending up a steady hill to this monument. Also here is the much needed Culver Haven Inn for those in need of much needed sustenance!

Along he way I came across this little scene. The Shanklin & Sandown Inshore Life Boat craft being expertly maneuvered back into it’s garage. The clearance on either side was about 8-10 inches and the tractor unit was double jointed in the middle, which had a blue flashing light on top that just cleared the top of the garage door frame. My understanding that the RNLI would not or could not put a lifeboat station in the bay when there was at Bembridge, just around the headland going towards Portsmouth. So, by public subscription their is a volunteer inshore rescue boat for the bay only. I can understand why, with so many young people learning how to wind surf and sail within the confines of this wide bay.

In order to make this blip today a little more interesting I thought I let see the colour negative version. All you have to do is work out the correct colours...

The Yarborough Monument:

To The Memory of Charles Anderson Pelham
Earl of Yarborough, Baron Yarborough, or Yarborough in the County of Lincoln

Baron Worsley of Appuldurcombe in the Isle of Wight, D.C.L. F.R.S. F.S.A. &: &:

Whose Benevolence Kindness of Heart and Many Virtures Endeared Him To All Who Knew Him

This Monument Was Erected As Testimony Affection Respect By Public Subscription