On Saturday May 27th 2000, ten intrepid and perhaps foolhardy cyclists set off from the ferry port at Lymington.  The objective of the next two days was to cycle around the Isle of Wight.  We were all from the South West Herts cycling group, Spokes.

Friday's weather had been terrible.  The rain had been incessant.  I hadn't been sure if the ferry would even be running, although that was perhaps just wishful thinking.  It's fair to say that the prospect of cycling seventy miles in strong wind and rain wasn't quite my idea of a good Bank Holiday weekend!  But Saturday morning arrived, cold and a bit windy, but amazingly enough, dry.  The forecast was poor, heavy and frequent showers on the way, but as the ferry docked in Yarmouth on the island, there was still plenty of blue sky and sun.

Lesley Keddy who had organised the weekend, arranged for the support vehicle to carry luggage not needed during the day (along with a large selection of food).  We loaded the unwanted gear into the car, and manned by Lesley's husband Steve, ably assisted by William and Alice, the support left, leaving us to place foot on pedal and set off.

The Isle of Wight Council have published a leaflet "Round-the-Island Cycle Route" containing both a map and directions for the round the island cycle.  It offers a number of options as to how you wish to complete the cycle, these are known as the "Clockwise" option or the "Anticlockwise"!  We chose the former, and Lesley, Paul and Sue, Kevin, Iain, Roger, Sue and Alan, Carol and myself, set off on the first leg of the trip to Cowes.

We were offered a brief glimpse of the coastline before turning inland and away from the sea.  Although we were never far from it, the route keeps you away from the coast, and as a consequence, from the main roads.  We were instantly in to beautiful countryside, winding between open fields in some instances, and low hedging in others.  The pace was gentle, and although the group of ten quickly spread out, frequent halts kept us all in contact.  Initial pessimism about the weather meant the first couple of halts were used to shed the outer warm and waterproof layers, and even a couple of pairs of legs appeared as leggings were replaced with shorts.

The first main stop was just outside of Cowes for a sit-down and a cup of tea.  From there, we wound our way through the town down to the "floating bridge" ferry and across to East Cowes.

The terrain from Cowes became a bit more difficult, with the hills seemingly steeper with each one.  It wasn't long before the leading party were spotted by the trailers, sitting in a pub.  Declining to join them (reluctantly), the new leaders headed on towards St. Helens and the scheduled rendezvous with Steve and the kids for a picnic lunch.  On the way, the first navigation error of the day resulted in a mile detour when a missing sign on the otherwise well signed route let us down.

After reaching St. Helens, depositing the huge picnic spread on the green in the village, Steve raced away to the first mechanical problem of the day.  Alan, with buckled wheel, was given a lift to Ryde where a local bike shop quickly sorted him out, before Steve ferried him onto the picnic site, which owing to a sudden downpour (no it didn't stay dry all day), had now relocated to a nearby bus shelter.  The early pub-stoppers soon arrived and the food was quickly diminished, Lesley's potato salad being an early casualty.

After lunch, and a rather pitiful display of football skills from Roger and Alan against William, we set off on the final stretch for the day.  Once again, the hills seemed to get steeper as we went, but the weather was now fine, and despite the odd heavy but quick shower, progress was easy.

Passing the bay at Bembridge and on towards Sandown, our destination for the evening became the main topic of conversation.  The main area of interest seemed to be "how much further is it"? or "is this the last hill"?  Lesley's psychological manipulation of the circumstance meant that expectation of imminent arrival was maintained at near fever-pitch for about an hour!  When we did arrive at Middle Barn Farm near Sandown, the only apparent disappointment was from the fact that the local pub (The Fighting Cocks), wouldn't be open for another hour.  The hour passed quickly and the entire party descended on the pub's restaurant for (another) well earned feast.

Early nights seemed popular, and although everyone agreed the accommodation at Middle Barn Farm was excellent, after the forty mile cycle, good food and a pint or two, I for one, could have slept anywhere.  The only slight discomfort came from the sound of the wind and rain that seemed to beat down for most of the night.  Would we be able to cycle in this tomorrow?  Would the ferries be running in this kind of wind?  Peaceful exhaustion took over, and at the remarkably civilised hour of eight the next morning, the farm cockerel awoke us for breakfast.

Sunday's weather was wonderful after the rain overnight.  Once again, the breeze was fresh, but the sun was out.  Although clouds threatened showers later on, the hearty breakfast was followed by an optimistic departure for Ventnor and the Blackgang Chine.   The muscles soon loosened up, and once again, we got on with enjoying the gentle green Isle of Wight countryside.  The final climb to the hill above the chine gave excellent views back over the route we'd taken, but wasn't reached without the odd stop in a bus shelter to avoid the worst effects of showers.

The long climb was rewarded with a rapid descent towards the southernmost point of the island and our lunch in the Three Bishops at Brighstone.  Once again, the route kept us away from the coast for most of the time, making the occasional glimpses all the more rewarding.  Some of the party missed the rendezvous at Brighstone and continued to Freshwater Bay.  However, after our own lunch, the way to Freshwater was quite an ordeal.  Back on the main coastal Military Road, the wind from the sea was fierce.  As we climbed slowly up the cliffs above the town, all concentration was on trying to keep in a straight line, pushed from one side by the gusts of wind, and threatened on the other by decidedly unsympathetic motor traffic.  The climb was rewarded by another heavy shower of rain.

Descending to Freshwater however, and with only five or six miles back to the ferry, we were able to relax a bit.  The sun came out and we had another chance to enjoy the view.  With a place on the 17:00 ferry booked for the car, we couldn't relax for too long.

Setting off on the final leg for Yarmouth, everyone was pleasantly surprised to find the route taking us along a cycle track on a disused railway line.  The run back into Yarmouth was very pleasant, with the additional bonus of knowing we'd finished, and the relief that we didn't have to do any more cycling!

Crossing back to the mainland on the ferry, the weather dealt its final blow.  Our arrival back in Lymington was greeted with another heavy shower.  As a result, the retrieval of the luggage from the support car and the subsequent farewells were a bit hurried.  Despite the rain, spirits weren't dampened, and everyone agreed that it had been an excellent weekend.

My thanks go to Lesley for organising what turned out to be a great two day break.  I know she was concerned that if she organises another similar event, nobody will come.  I can assure her that after this one, it will be a case of booking early to avoid disappointment for the next!