First full day on the Isle of Wight

Hi Blog followers. Well here I am on the beautiful Isle of Wight. I am settled on a lovey campsite called Kite Hill by Fishbourne near to Ryde. (about 2 or 3 miles) It is a lovely site as I think I've said, with all mod cons. Weather has been incredible, varyng from pretty cloudy first thing this morning to clear blue skies and really hot sunshine. Slept really well again last night. My body obviously likes the outdoor life. My oxygen was waiting for me on arrival yesterday. That was a relief, but my doctor's HOOF form and Vitalair got it all spot on. Well done them. So far, the buggy has proved brilliant. I've had many buggies over the year, but this new one, the TGA Electrics Breeze IV has proved to be more than up to the task. To ask any machine to transport me, (and I'm no lightweight) towing their trailer with all my camping gear and luggage for an average of 20 miles a day in varying weather conditions is a huge ask, but here I am on the Island, in one piece and not even a numb bum. A real feather bed ride. Mind you, I'm sure I heard it breathe a sigh of relief today wnen I drove into Ryde with no trailer or luggage. lol.Well done TGA for developing a machine I could say is up to any task. Many thanks also to Tim and all the boys and girls at TGA for their first rate technical support and customer services. A rare thing these days. As I said yesterday, I met up with Hilary from Naomi House when I reached Gunwarf Quay in Portsmouth. She took some photos of me on the Breeze IV which she is going to e-mail to me over the weekend. I'll post them Monday or Tuesday.
So today was go and explore Ryde day and pick up supplies and replacements for the gear I left at home. (I know. I'm a silly bugger) I set off just before lunch and had a good road into town. Passed several signs warning me of the presence of Red Squirrels in the area. Haven't seen one yet but keeping my eyes open and the camera ready. So if any do show themselves, hopefully you will see them too.
Got into Ryde and headed straight for the seafront as, it appears, did half the world. I really is lovely there. Actual sandy beaches.


Driving along the seafront I came to the Isle of Wight Hover Craft base.The only operating passenger hovercraft ferry in Europe. (and we invented the darn thing) I had to photograph it through a rather grubby perspex gate as "Health and Safety" don't allow the public too close when it taks off because of the sand and other debrit it kicks up.

Quite a sight.

Carrying on along the seafront you come to the usual attraction. Ice rink, Bowling ally, gift shops, trampolines. (no they said I'd break them if I had a go)and beautiful little gardens filled with spectacular colourful flowers and palm trees.



At this point I headed into the centre of town to do the boring and very expensive shopping. With th buggy fully loaded I headed back to the campsite. dropped off the shopping and went out again to Wooton. Stopped by the creek to have a pint in the early evening sun. Now back in my tent about to have dinner and settle down for the night. We have just had a shower, very light. Lasted a whole 2 minutes. Tomorrow depending on the weather, I am either going to the nearest attraction to me. Quarr Abbey and ruins, of if it looks good to go further afield I'll try Cowes. Also want to check out the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. So nightie night. Sleep tight (take a bottle of gin to bed lol)

Waking up in an orchard

Well that is another night under canvas survived. Firstly an apology. Last night I placed the blame for the noise on a bull nearby. Sorry Mrs Cow. It was dark and raining and you were the other side of the hedges. It turns out that the cows had just had their babies taken from them and were calling for them. So sad. Can't blame them for kicking up a bit. Anyway, as I said on closing yesterday, it had finally stopped raining and I drifted off to sleep. the blanket I was loaned certainly helped as it was a very cold night, but this morning dawned bright and sunny. The camp was in a lovely orchard and I had a pear tree next to my tent. One of my neighbours, as promised arrived with tea and biscuits, followed shortly after by a bacon buttie. Yummy yum yum. Feeling well fed and rested watched as the squad of fellow campers dismantled my tent and packed everything up for me. The site owner kindly donated £5 to the cause and off I went. Next stop Portsmouth. In bright sunshine I made good time using the cycle lanes and actually had an un-eventful drive. Having left the camp well before 9, I was at Gunwarf quay by 3pm. Met up with Hilary, from Naomi house and was able to have a good chat with her about how things are going. You will be pleased to hear that the administrators of the failed Icelandic bank have agreed to repaying 20% of what they lost. A whole million. Very useful but far from enough. At least the plans for the teenage unit can go ahead. The nearest dedicated teenage unit for the south east of England is in Oxfordshire. Not very good for families already facing the ordeal they face. That's why your help is so greatly needed. Right so after my chat with Hilary, and receiving the good wishes from all back at Naomi House, I was led onto the ferry to Fishbourne on the I.O.W. Arriving in glorious sunshine about 4pm. At this point allow me the thank Sue Hemmings and all the staff and management of Wight Link Ferries for donating my return ferry tickets and for the superb treatment I received. Bless you all.
Arrived at the campsite, Kite Hill, just before 5pm. The site owner, a lovely Welsh lady mustered the help of a Welsh family on the site and my encampment was ready in no time flat. Great people. Having rested sa while and had a good session on my oxygen I set off down to Wooton Bridge and into the village to hit Tescos. Had not done much shopping en-route as I wanted to keep the load down to a minimum. I also picked up a Chinese take away so I won't have to cook tonight. The campsite is lovely. nice level pitches with short grass, and excellent facilities, including a proper dedicated disabled toilet and shower. Going to enjoy it here. Anyway going to finish my take away and enjoy the evening sunshine So good night and God Bless you all.

Second day stared well. Slept like a log. Woken at 4am by the most incredible dawn chorus, here was also a mysterious furry creature wandering about during the night.(no it wasn't me)The site owner thinks it might have been a fox. Also, the camp pussy cats had a go at the ducks on the river just behind my tent. Total mayhem.
Anyway, got back to sleep until about half seven and woke to lovely sunshine. A couple of strangers I met on the way to the washroom donated a fiver to the cause, and my neighbours on the site gave me a tenner,n as did the campsite wner, the delightful Helen. Finally packed up and go on the road about noon. That is when the nightmare of a day began.
I had downloaded routes from Google Maps. Just goes to show how naive I can be sometimes. the route from Brighton to Ford was pretty well fine but the Ford to Chichester route was a total disaster. It was meant to be 15.7 miles. Easy for the buggy but. Following their directions, I turned onto a road and set off along it. after a couple of miles or so, I came to a railway which could only be crossed by footbridge. My buggy is not very good at climbing stairs lol. So, turn round and back tracked almost all the way back to Ford. Spoke to a local who sent me off on a new route telling me it would get past the railway and back on track for Chichester.
All seemed to be going well. 8 mph down the A27, sticking to the very inside of the inside lane. unfortunately, some nice person reported a slow moving vehicle, me, and I waspulled over by the law. They insisted that I get off the A27 as soon as possible and using his sat nav, got me a safe route to Chichester. talk about round the houses. Eventually, by 5pm and with the rain starting to come down, I reached Chichester. Batteries nearly fkat. I tried to phone the campsite to tell them I was on my way, but could only get a recorded message. With the rain now fallong steadily I found my way to a hotel in the centre of town, thinking if push comes to shove,get a room for the night and recharge ready for the morning. Now I'm not a horse racing follower so was unaware the this week is the big Goodwood meeting and Chichesterwas suffering from Bethlehem Syndrome. "No room at the inn" What to do. The young receptionist was brilliant. She got me a cup of tea and set up a new routefor me to my camp. only 6 more miles to go, I finally got through to the campsite on the phone and once on the road, checked in for route updates, finally arriving, soaked and in the rain at the site. Once again the true spirit of the British camper shone through the gloom. the site owner mobilized a small army of fellow campers who in a short break in the weather, pitched my tent, unpacked my things, connected my electricity and while the site owner kindly furnished me with a hot mug of tea, another couple offered me a very tastey bowl of leek and potato soup and bread which arrived accompanied by a bowl of home made apple crumble and custard. Another couple insisted that the bring me at least a bacon buttie and tea for breakfast, and supplied me with a blanket to keep warm. Such people really deserve far more thanks and praise than I can express here. If the rest of the world behaved like these people what a wonderful place it would be. Anyway, I am now snuggled into my bed ready to cruise the highway to the land of nod, And it's finally stopped raining. One last thing. a very near neighbour of mine on the site appears to be a large bull. He's been creating a right racket. Will try to get a photo of him in the morning. S fare thee well my friends and God bless. Tomorrow Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

Well here we go.

The adventure begins. Who was it who said, "The best laid plans of mice and men...." Well, as I said yesterday,I had put all my stuff in the hallway ready to load into the trailer this morning to get an early start. As the Meerkat on tv says "Simplz" You'd think so wouldn't you. So how come I managed to leave my plates, cups,knives, forks, can opener and pots and pans behind. Didn't realise until half way through Hove, bombing along the seafront like easy rider. Weather nice and sunny but very breezy down there. Nearly lost the nice cap that TGA, the makers of my buggy gave me. Just caught it in time. So, followed the seafront cycly lane until it turned inland to skirt the Shoreham harbour. Noticed that the batteries were running down a bit, and my mobile phone was also dying so stopped off at the only place I could find. Macdonalds, to have a coffee or two and a mint choc chip macflurry. Don't know if you've ever tried one but it really surprised me. Very tasty but unfortunately gave me brain freeze. lol Thank god for hot coffee. The manager there was most helpful, allowing me to park the buggy and running a long extension lead out to me so I could top the batteries up. Many thanks.
I then proceeded to Worthing and Littlehampton without further problems. Called TGA and they are meeting me at my campsite in the morning to check and if required replace my batteries beforethe next leg. Had another break in Littlehampton and then armed with a new camp cooking set and good local directions from a young police community support officerm set off for the campsite in Ford. What a lovely site. Very quiet apart from the birds. Just wish I could identify their calls. Helen, the campsite owner couldn't have been more charming and helpful. Wouldn't let me lift a finger, and with the help of my camp site next door neighbour Dave and his wife had my tent pitched in no time. Now relaxing having had a quick chicken curry. probably have an early night tonight. 6 hours driving a buggy on a route you don't know can be a bit wearing. So I will wish you all a very good night as I settle down on my nice plunchy air bed for a well earned, I hope, good night's sleep. Bless you all. Adrian.

!!!!!!!!HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!!!

At Last. The big day has arrived. Not a bad nights sleep (Slept like a log - Woke up in the fireplace lol) so feeling quite refreshed. Everything packed. Going to pick up a few bits and pieces en-route. Then First scheduled stop WORTHING. Watch out for all the news of the day here tonight. Mobile Broadband allowing. So see you all soon. Wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed. And of course, Most imporantly Make a donation to Naomi House Childrens Hospice on
www.justgiving.com/backpacking-for naomi-house
or throw money at me if you see me on the road. Thanks all. Bye for now.

It's nearly time.

Hi folks. It's me again. Well only a day and a half before I set off into the unknown. (Any Sherpas around). lol. Arundel actually. I will be leaving Brighton early Tuesday morning and heading West via Hove, Portslade and Shoreham to Worthing. I plan to stop off in Worthing for a couple of hours to have a bite of lunch and if possible, top up my buggy batteries. If anyone can suggest a nice cafe who will let me re-charge while I eat, please let me know. It would be a great help.
After my lunch break I will be heading to Littlehampton and then on, up to Ford where I am booked into a campsite for the overnight stop. Earlyish night, Fully re-charge the buggy so I can make an early start Wednesday morning to Chichester and beyond. If you happen to see me en-route please say hi and maybe keep me company for a while. Also feel free to make a donation to the Naomi House cause. The reason why I'm doing this trip. My next post will be on Tueday evening from the campsite in Ford. Wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed (and anything else crossable) for my batteries and the dreaded English Summer Weather.
Warmest Regards. Adrian.

Thought some of you might like to see the Scooter/Buggy that I will be using to Back Pack for Naomi House Childrens Hospice. I will be towing a small trailer with my camping gear etc. Also a rigid box instread of the rear basket to carry more 'delicate' items. TGA Electrics havealready supplied me with spare tyres and inner tubes, and tyre sealant and will be supplying en route technical support if required, Many thanks to them for giving me peace of mind.
Sponsorship is starting to come in. Thanks to all those who have signed the sponsor forms and donated on line through the "Just Giving" site.
http://www.justgiving.com/Backpacking-for-Naomi-House/
Keep visiting for more up-dates. Cheers. Adrian.

Getting closer

Here we are again. The big day is getting closer. The web page on Direct giving has received its first donation. A very generous £20. Naomi House really need every bit of money they can get to continue and extend their most valuable work. So Please Please dig deep. The address of the Donation page is:

http://www.justgiving.com/Backpacking-for-Naomi-House/

Please alsp leave a message of support if you can.
Anyway must get on. There's still loads to do. Warmest Regards. Adrian.

Supporting Me And Donating to Naomi House

Hello again. The big day is getting closer and things are coming together beautifully. The technical support is almost all in place,Mainly thanks to Total Mobility and TGA Electrics Routes planned, Campsites booked. Now starts the most important part of the proect. Raising as much money as we can for a very very worthy cause. Naomi House have supplied me with official sponsorship forms, which obviously is great for pestering friends I can see in the "real world". But what about all the friends that I have on line, and those I don't know yet and may never meet personally. Well Naomi House have thought of that, and a page has been set up on Just Giving, a site were you can make a secure donation by Debit or Credit card which will go directly to Naomi House. Please remember, if you use this site, and you are a U.K. tax payer click the Gift Aid option and Naomi House will recieve an extra 28p in the pound from the goverment. The web address for Just Giving is:-

http://www.justgiving.com/Backpacking-for-Naomi-House/

Please support me. Give generously and leave a messae of support with your donation. Many thanks. See you all again soon. Warmest Regards. Adrian. The Fool on Wheels.

Back Packing For Naomi House Childrens Hospice

Hi there. My name is Adrian, a disabled professinal photographer from Brighton. Before becoming disabled I used to thoroughly enjoy camping, going to festivals etc. A few weeks ago, I replaced my scooter with a new T.G.A. Breeze IV. which tows a small trailer. Talking to a friend I suggested that with the trailer I could go camping again. "You can't go camping, You're disabled" he said. At this point the phrase "RED RAG TO A BULL" sprung to mind.I took it as a personal challenge. I know that many disabled people have done far more adventurous things but this will do me for starters. "just watch me" I replied, and next day went out and bought all the gear I would need.
That was when the hard work began. Certain things have to be considered setting up something like this. The range of the scooter on a full charge.(about 20 miles) If you run out of petrol in a car you can take a jerry can to a garage and get a top up. On a scooter, if you run out of battery power, you can't do much about it. Very long extension lead? nah. So you have to plan your trip in maximum 20 mile stints. Maybe stop off for lunch and see if the cafe owner will let you plug in to top up while you are eating. Maybe go to see a film if you want a bigger top up. At the end of each day you have to find a campsite where you can pitch up and can supply you with an electric hookup to recharge overnight. Now I am on oxygen therapy and therefore have to arrange for an oxygen supply at each stop over. This is done through my GP and a wonderfully entitled HOOF form. Rather apt I thought lol. So each day an oxygen bottle will be delivered to my next port of call and the empty collected the following day. When on the Isle of Wight I will be staying on one site for 7 days so I will be supplied with an oxygen concentrator. An electric machine that makes oxygen out of the air. Clever eh? So with all the root planning, campsite booking and HOOF forming taken care of, I can go. I must at this point thank Tim at T.G.A. Electrics the makers of my scooter for giving me spare tyres and inner tubes and a couple of those emergency tyre sealant/inflators in case of emergency, a cover for the buggy for overnight stops. He will also make sure that his company will supply breakdown assistance en route if required, and has arranged for their agents on the island to help me over there if required. Couldn't wish for better.

A friend of mine suggested that while I was doing this trip, why don't I get people to sponsor me for charity. What a good idea I thought but which charity. There are so many. Very quickly came to a decision though. Any of you, my dear readers, who live in the South of England may well remember during the early days of the "Credit Crunch" a Children's Hospice in Winchester, Hampshire lost a lot of money which had been invested for them in an Icelandic bank which failed leaving them with no chance of getting their money back. This meant that not only plans for expansion had to be put on hold, but they might even have to cut back on the services they already offer. This Hospice is called Naomi House, and has a great reputation for their standard of care, and a great atmosphere for the kids and their families. Of course, the "Powers that be" were swift in their response to their pleas for help. "Sorry, we're too tied up bailing out our banks and big businesses so that their bosses don't have to go without their fat cat bonus's and multi million £ pensions. Poor dears. So Naomi House struggles on thanks to "Friends" support. So I contacted them and they have accepted my offer to try to get sponsorship for my trip all of which will go to Naomi House. They are sending me sponsor forms and details of a web site where you can make a donation by Debit/Credit card. I will post the details of the site here shortly. So please help.
I will be doing a daily blog throghout the trip, with pictures and maybe video so keep coming back to see what this fool on wheels is getting up to. lol. If you are keen, and want to know more, you can of course e-mail me.
See you all again soon. Adrian.