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gnommiWell I finally managed to get some time off to go on holiday. It was a pretty adventurous affair that necessitated getting the car ferry and proceeding at a stately 12 knots to East Cowes and thence by several buses to Ventnor.
Ventnor is a lovely and slightly bizarre place: it's stuck in a peculiar series of time-warps, making it a town of Victorian villas, perennial bunting, un-ironic Royalist tat, etc. as well as literally crumbling into the sea on a daily basis, which adds a certain something. It's also fairly eccentric: the fish and chip shop which sits atop the fishing harbour sells such delicacies as lobster meat on chips (!), crab croquettes and apple fritters with cinnamon. Ventnor also boasts a marvellous Botanic Gardens due to the unique sub-tropical microclimate, which has a huge permanent out-door cacti and succulent garden full of immense agaves and aloes. It was alive with lizards when we went, basking in the sun and skittering up the palm trees. As an added bonus the other half almost got a very large insect in the face: a gorgeous deep green Cetonia aurata, which then proceeded to bury itself in the wood chippings of the scree beds.
We rather rashly walked back via the picturesque Steephill Cove where we were sadly denied CRAB PASTIES.
Next day I finally carried out my long-standing threat to take the other half to the horror that is Blackgang Chine: LAND OF IMAGINATION. Not having been since I was tiny, I was a bit worried that it might have been toned down from the psychedelic parade of nonsensical fibreglass monstrosities that I remembered. I shouldn't have worried in the slightest. Humpty and his surreal nursery rhyme companions are all still there, only slightly more inland, since a great chunk of the Chine has hurtled into the sea since I was last there. There also seem to be some new things: Rumpus Mansion was actually really quite engaging (and peculiarly grotesque), The Mouth Of Hell and Triassic Club amongst the usual gnomery, highly unconvincing and camp dinosaurs, cavemen and cowboys. Oh and how could I forget the educational thrills of Chimney Pot Walk?
We did manage some culture and went to The Hambrough for dinner. In summary, service keen but patchy, waitresses hot, starter (everything you can eat off a rabbit) was good, main (red mullet, scallops and something) was possibly the best fish I've eaten anywhere ever and dessert (blood peaches and vanilla things) was really disappointing, very pretty but tasting pretty much of vanilla and nothing else. Overall happy but it was more expensive and with less charm and invention than The Black Rat, if you're going to do Michelin-y places in the South. It was also more than a little disturbing to be the youngest patrons by at least 30 years.
Given the semi-revolting weather the next day, a visit to Isle of Wight Glass to watch the master glassblower and his apprentice (shut up at the back) at work on some really hardcore collectors pieces. The sight of a wiry middle aged man rolling molten glass at somewhere between 600 and 900 degrees around on the palm of his hand, protected by nothing but a wad of wet newsprint was pretty dramatic, I can tell you. Highly recommend! We had 2 hours of fascination here for £1.50. For £6 you can try glassblowing yourself. Someone popping a glass bubble by blowing too hard: VERY SCARY.
Also managed to make it out to The Garlic Farm. Be warned, this is nowhere near public transport of any description and we ended up doing a 45 minute hike (admittedly over glorious countryside) from the bus-stop and getting a taxi back. I never knew it was possible to spend the best part of £50 on home-made condiments but now I do. Also, if you drink garlic ale you will be sniffed by taxi drivers and everyone else you contact in the day, but you knew that right?
On the food front, honorable mention to El Toro Contento, possibly the best tapas I've had outside Barcelona: wild boar stew with orange and raisins and piquillos stuffed with hake and crab were both exquisite. Food quality on a par with The Hambrough to be honest, though it is a bit cramped in there but frankly at under £40 for two including wine and dessert it's ridiculously good value.
For the record, we stayed at St Augustine Villa which is so near the sea-front that it's practically on the beach. When they say excellent sea views they really mean it, plus the breakfast was awesome. Recommend!
Ventnor is a lovely and slightly bizarre place: it's stuck in a peculiar series of time-warps, making it a town of Victorian villas, perennial bunting, un-ironic Royalist tat, etc. as well as literally crumbling into the sea on a daily basis, which adds a certain something. It's also fairly eccentric: the fish and chip shop which sits atop the fishing harbour sells such delicacies as lobster meat on chips (!), crab croquettes and apple fritters with cinnamon. Ventnor also boasts a marvellous Botanic Gardens due to the unique sub-tropical microclimate, which has a huge permanent out-door cacti and succulent garden full of immense agaves and aloes. It was alive with lizards when we went, basking in the sun and skittering up the palm trees. As an added bonus the other half almost got a very large insect in the face: a gorgeous deep green Cetonia aurata, which then proceeded to bury itself in the wood chippings of the scree beds.
We rather rashly walked back via the picturesque Steephill Cove where we were sadly denied CRAB PASTIES.
Next day I finally carried out my long-standing threat to take the other half to the horror that is Blackgang Chine: LAND OF IMAGINATION. Not having been since I was tiny, I was a bit worried that it might have been toned down from the psychedelic parade of nonsensical fibreglass monstrosities that I remembered. I shouldn't have worried in the slightest. Humpty and his surreal nursery rhyme companions are all still there, only slightly more inland, since a great chunk of the Chine has hurtled into the sea since I was last there. There also seem to be some new things: Rumpus Mansion was actually really quite engaging (and peculiarly grotesque), The Mouth Of Hell and Triassic Club amongst the usual gnomery, highly unconvincing and camp dinosaurs, cavemen and cowboys. Oh and how could I forget the educational thrills of Chimney Pot Walk?
We did manage some culture and went to The Hambrough for dinner. In summary, service keen but patchy, waitresses hot, starter (everything you can eat off a rabbit) was good, main (red mullet, scallops and something) was possibly the best fish I've eaten anywhere ever and dessert (blood peaches and vanilla things) was really disappointing, very pretty but tasting pretty much of vanilla and nothing else. Overall happy but it was more expensive and with less charm and invention than The Black Rat, if you're going to do Michelin-y places in the South. It was also more than a little disturbing to be the youngest patrons by at least 30 years.
Given the semi-revolting weather the next day, a visit to Isle of Wight Glass to watch the master glassblower and his apprentice (shut up at the back) at work on some really hardcore collectors pieces. The sight of a wiry middle aged man rolling molten glass at somewhere between 600 and 900 degrees around on the palm of his hand, protected by nothing but a wad of wet newsprint was pretty dramatic, I can tell you. Highly recommend! We had 2 hours of fascination here for £1.50. For £6 you can try glassblowing yourself. Someone popping a glass bubble by blowing too hard: VERY SCARY.
Also managed to make it out to The Garlic Farm. Be warned, this is nowhere near public transport of any description and we ended up doing a 45 minute hike (admittedly over glorious countryside) from the bus-stop and getting a taxi back. I never knew it was possible to spend the best part of £50 on home-made condiments but now I do. Also, if you drink garlic ale you will be sniffed by taxi drivers and everyone else you contact in the day, but you knew that right?
On the food front, honorable mention to El Toro Contento, possibly the best tapas I've had outside Barcelona: wild boar stew with orange and raisins and piquillos stuffed with hake and crab were both exquisite. Food quality on a par with The Hambrough to be honest, though it is a bit cramped in there but frankly at under £40 for two including wine and dessert it's ridiculously good value.
For the record, we stayed at St Augustine Villa which is so near the sea-front that it's practically on the beach. When they say excellent sea views they really mean it, plus the breakfast was awesome. Recommend!