In the woods

Up around 9am. PY had training for the London Ambassadors program at 10am so was and had breakfast. It was only by the time he joined the call that I was cooking my bacon and bagel as a breakfast. I could hear his voice through the wall so it was clear that the training was a bit interactive but, after about 45 minutes, there was break and he managed to cook his bacon to take back int the next session.

We took a walk to the end of the pier to try to watch the Round the Island race. In theory this should be a great vantage point and there were a few others - some with large cameras - that had clearly come for the same reason. I think we might have been too early so that, although there were yachts heading round (and competing with car ferries and hovercraft) we didn’t get a sense of the scale of the race. I think we were both a bit disappointed so decided to walk down to the cafe at Appley and try to sit outside with a view

The wind was up which, I assume, makes ideal sailing conditions but less pleasant sitting al fresco. We tried ordering a shandy, a drink which was so refreshing last weekend, but that seemed beyond the technology the waiter had. We ended up with two lagers. Later we bought a lemonade and decanted to more-or-less got what we wanted. 

This spot provided a much improved view as we had a much wider seascape. The day had also progressed, as time will, and there appeared many more boats out. My photos will never capture the spectacle but it was incredible to see hundreds of boats, in full sail, heading round (see extras).

After a quick spot of dinner, mainly a lot of left overs we put together, we walked to the new ‘transport interchange’ to board a bus for Newport. We had half an hour sat in the bus station before taking another bus out to Robin Hill Country Park. It was clear we were not the only people doing this which was reassuring. 

We were heading to West End in the Woods; a musical evening in the amphitheatre of songs from West End shows. The walk from the bus stop was quick. The security check amused me. When asked, “do you have any alcohol in your bag” we responded, truthfully, “no” and that was it. Waved in. I can’t see a London venue taking us at our word. Full marks. 

Talking of alcohol. We bought pre-show drinks from one of the kiosks. Clearly, bar service is not the usual so service was slow and I felt ordering two wines seemed to confuse. But, come the interval, service was speedy in a way a West End theatre could learn from. 

The show itself was great. The singers, who were introduced but we couldn’t find their names anywhere else, were excellent. The song selection a little quirky - generally not most well known songs from the shows - but it worked really well. I might have opened with a big hit to warm the crowd up but that’s just picky. An outdoor crowd is interesting to watch. It was family friendly so kids playing on screens and being taken to the toilet by walking right across the performance area was the norm. Not intrusive, just interesting to observe. 

I’d looked up return bus times. We could take the 8 in either direction: long way round to Ryde or back to Newport and change. At half an hour apart, that gave us choices depending when the show ended. PY was concerned about the arrangements fearing over-crowding or long waits in the cold and dark. As it turned out, the 10 or so people who rode from Newport to Robin Hill also ride back. The bus was on time, almost empty and the wait not long. All in all, a pleasant evening both in terms of the concert and the transport.