About a year ago, Richard’s Dad and his friends were chatting about hovercrafts in the pub. That conversation led to a discovery: there’s a scheduled hovercraft service from Southsea to the Isle of Wight, and it’s dog-friendly! So, we started planning.

We did some research, finding the service runs regularly and is about a 90-minute drive from home. We gathered ideas for walks and even found dog-friendly cafes. Though, as it was a warm day, we didn’t really need the cafe research; it’s rare to find one that doesn’t allow dogs in their outside space.

Then we waited, keeping an eye on the weather for a dry, not-too-windy Saturday. We booked our tickets yesterday, even though we were pretty sure earlier in the week that today would be the day. Looking back, we probably would have saved ourselves a little stress if we’d booked on Tuesday or Wednesday.

So, this morning we drove to Southsea. We arrived early enough to check out the excellent Southsea Coffee Company, then we checked in for our “flight.” Breezy was great. I kept the chews coming, and she stayed calm and settled, such a good girl. She didn’t seem to mind the noise, and it was smoother than many bus journeys we’ve taken with her.

As we sat on it, I realized this was a pretty human-centric trip. We wanted to experience a hovercraft. Yes, we’d planned dog-friendly walks and packed Breezy’s food, treats, and cool jacket, but it was truly an itch we wanted to scratch. That’s unusual for us, and it was also unusual to have a totally new transportation experience as an adult.

Only when we arrived back in Southsea did I read the information board, which told me this is the only scheduled hovercraft service in Western Europe.

We enjoyed our day on the island. We took the train (an old District line model which Breezy didn’t enjoy) and got ourselves to Shanklin. From there, we walked along the coast to Sandown, stopping at Fins for lunch.

Then it was back on the train to Ryde St John’s for a walk to the sea through Appley Park, before we walked along the coast back to Ryde.

A cracking day out.