A Visit to the South Coast

 One of our recent adventures was a journey down to Hampshire with our human guardians, who used to live there before they came to Staffordshire, and still have some friends and family living on the south coast.

On the way down, we stopped near Newbury for the weekend with our friends the Berkshire Bears (who aren't all bears, by the way).  

Endon Bear helped them to take some cuttings from a big geranium plant that had got rather "leggy".  Mrs Mo Mouse promised to look after them and give them a gentle misting with water while they were making roots.

Then Endon and I went to the garden centre with Little Brown Bear (LBB) and Mrs Mo Mouse and our great friend Gecko bought huge cheese scones for us and our human guardians.

It was the last day of Premiership football and our pal Charlie from the London Canal Museum, who joined our Hug on our way home from the Lee Navigation, was hoping that his team (Arsenal) might win the title.

They didn't, but LBB had the bubbles from a consolatory beer to share with poor little Charlie (Grizzly got the actual beer).

After our lovely visit to Gecko's house, it was time to continue down to Hampshire.  Polar had booked us into a small hotel in the New Forest, which is a place none of us Bears had visited before.

We had a nice room with a settee for Small Bears, and just across the road was some typical New Forest scenery, with woods and also some open heathland - and ponies!  While Grizzly and most of the Bears had a nap, Polar and I went out to explore and we saw some lovely ponies.  

Polar said it was important not to get too close to the horses, as they are not tame, and that we should give plenty of space to the little foal as the mother would get very cross if we got too close.

Polar and Grizzly decided to go to Lymington for their evening meal, and took Hanley and Huddlesford with them.  After a drive down through the New Forest, and spotting some deer in the woods, they arrived at the pretty little harbour town.

They enjoyed looking at the boats in the harbour, and enjoyed the bubbles on Grizzly's New Forest beer!  They also saw where the trains go out to meet the Isle of Wight ferries that come and go from Lymington and agreed that it would be great to visit "The Island" one day.

They travelled back to Lyndhurst along the road towards Beaulieu and saw more deer, ponies and lots of donkeys.  Grizzly drove very, very carefully as it was getting dark and it wasn't always easy to see the animals if they crossed the road.  

Polar and Grizzly were meeting some of their friends the following day, and started with another trip to Lymington.  This time, Endon and Charlie went with them.  While the humans enjoyed their morning coffees, Endon and Charlie watched the Isle of Wight ferries going to and fro.

   

Then it was time to set off on another adventure, to Calshot Spit.  There is a castle here, and a lifeboat station, and it was also where lots of fampous seaplanes used to be built.  

 

Mr R J Mitchell, who was from Stoke-on-Trent and designed the Spitfire, designed some of the best ones and there are murals on the old hangers showing some of the planes.  There is also a special Transport Trust plaque, like the ones Hanley Bear likes to spot along the canals at special places.  Hanley had sad ears that he missed it.

Endon and Charlie thought that it would be fun to spend some time in one of the little beach huts along the shore, watching the big boats and ferries coming in and out of Southampton, until Grizzly's friend Mr Chris told them about the flooding there was during the spring at high tide.  He was very worried, as he says it is getting worse every year.

Everyone went on to Mr Chris and Mrs Maureen's house for a nice lunch, and a look around their garden.  Endon Bear loved the garden, particularly a beautiful Tulip Tree that was just coming into flower.  And the Bears were also pleased to meet a little man who they thought must be one of the crew from the Calshot lifeboat station, who brought them some cookies to eat.

 

It was my turn to have an adventure on our next day in Hampshire, as Polar took me with her to visit a friend of hers who lives in Portsmouth.  We went by train from Ashurst station, while Grizzly went by car to visit a friend that he used to work with.

 

 Polar's friend met us at the station and drove us to a smart little town called Emsworth, where we had a walk along the shore and around the old mill pond, before having a nice lunch in one of the cafes.  After that, we went to Southsea, and saw where the old railway station used to be, so we had something interesting to tell Grizzly about.

 

Then it was time for more tea and some cake, so we went to a cafe on the seafront.  Here, I met another Small Bear who had just been adopted by a human cub and his dad.  They had decided to call the Bear Strawberry.  I told him about my blog and I hope that, if he is reading this, he is setting in very well with his new adoptive family.

It was very rainy outside, so I couldn't enjoy the view across to the Isle of Wight and the forts out in the sea, but I did enjoy the cake.  I wonder if my friend Henry Bear knows where this is, as I know he goes to see the hovercrafts sometimes so I think he might not live very far away.

Luckily, the rain stopped and we had time for a visit to the Old Town at Portsmouth, where there are fortifications and a big ferry port, and also the historic dockyard where famous ships like the Victory and Mary Rose are looked after.  And there is the Spinnaker Tower.  I don't know if I would be brave enough to go right up to the top - Polar says there is a glass floor you can stand on (but I don't know if she did, as she doesn't like heights very much).

Hanley and Huddlesford saw boats going to the Isle of Wight from Lymington, Endon and Charlie saw Isle of Wight ferries from Southampton to Cowes, and I got to see some Isle of Wight boats too!  Polar says she thinks they go to Ryde from Portsmouth.  I don't know which way we will go when we go there, but I am sure we will visit one day.

 

On our last day in Hampshire, we made our way to Dr Rachael's mum and dad's house, as they had invited us to stay overnight so Polar could collect an old friend of ours. Dr Rachael has been giving Horsey too many big hugs, and the seams in his neck and shoulders are split and he has lost some stuffing!  

 

Dr Rachael's mum helped Polar put him in a big bag, to catch any loose stuffing that came out, and we Bears looked after him on the way home.  Huddlesford hadn't met him before and, after being told to keep away from the New Forest ponies, was surprised to find one right beside him in the car!

 

We will all do whatever we can to help Polar make Horsey better and we look forward to returning to the south coast with him - perhaps on our way to the Isle of Wight!