Wednesday 15-08-26 Thoughts on Camping on the Isle of Wight

So we have just got back from the Isle of Wight, a camping trip. while we got wet on the way home, the stay itself was very nice. We went with friends and it was most relaxing; so much so that it seems strange to think that we were only there for three whole days. We went on Thursday and came back on Monday, so had Friday to Sunday on the Isle.
Friday was good weather, so we went to the outdoor pool and then to the beach at Sandown in the afternoon. Saturday we spent at the Needles, and TW was quite surprised that I went in the chairlift down to the beach. It was a bit of a heart-in-mouth moment, but I made it down and up again, which was the scarier part of the journey. We had a lot of vouchers to spend in the sweet shop at the end of the day, so much so that the children still have some sweets left (!). On Saturday night we were treated to a natural lightshow, thanks to the lightning over Sandown, but the rain missed us and we were kept warm by the wind. It got noticeably warmer by a couple of degrees in a matter of minutes, it was quite a phenomenon.
Sunday morning was when our luck broke; the rain came in and we had to spend all morning in our friends' tent, all nine of us. However, apart from the occasional moment, the kids all got on well together and it was quite relaxing. Sunday  afternoon we went to the indoor pool and our friends took their tent down while we swam with our and their kids. I stepped into the jacuzzi and didn't realise that there was an extra step down to the floor of the jacuzzi, so fell face first into the water, causing great hilarity for the children. Then in the evening we went for a big nosh up at Pizza Express; as someone said, how middle class can you get?
Monday morning it rained and we had to dismantle the tent; it didn't go too badly, but we got horrendously soaked when we went to the Bembridge windmill. The journey home was a bit of a chore, as a result, but we got here.
It was a good break and I would do it again, at least we were able to laugh at our damp misfortune. But I'm damned if I'm going camping again next week...