Bayside Cafe, Stokes Bay

To avoid the frantic Christmas shopping traffic

- we headed to Stokes Bay

Not the best view of the Solent - but very wet and windy!

in Gosport today for brekkie.
We went to the renowned Bayside Cabin café, located by the beach.

Bayside Cabin Cafe

Very windy/rainy day - so hit by the strong winds off the Solent getting from the car to the café.
 Annoyingly you always have to pay for parking - 70p for 1 hour, but seems daft having to pay in the winter (and on Sundays) when it would be very rare to have a full car park for the beach. Usually a great view with the windsurfers out - but only the bravest dogwalker went past today.

Worth braving the elements. We were the first lot in when it opened at 0900. Very quick and polite service. All the breakfast items have a nautical name, like the 'dingy' (scrambled eggs on toast), or 'Gosport ferry' (cooked breakfast).

Margaret went for the waffles with bacon,

and I went for pancakes with bacon.

Both came with a large pot each of maple syrup, and huge bacon rashers. Pancakes homemade and yummy. With 2 coffees came to £14.

Yum Yum

Thoroughly worth it.

Both then headed off in different directions to deliver presents/local shopping, and met up again for an afternoon walk with Peggy, Jake and Jessie.

Peggy - who hates getting wet!

Brave old Jake getting stuck into paddling

Jessie posing

We were exceptionally lucky, as seemed to miss the wind and heavy rain completely. We headed for Warsash Common, which is a nice length walk (about a mile if you follow the walkways), and as gravel/wooden paths we guessed would be less wet (as Jan has a major wellie boot leak!!).

The 3 vagually looking in the right direction for once!

Uneventful walk, despite having to splash through a few puddles. Which is obviously a bit tougher on Jake and Jessie with their little legs!

Jake sticking his tougue out at Aunty Jan

Jessie being sensible and avoiding the puddle

Mega deep puddle for the little legs

Polly went for her weekly swim at Hydrotherapy, where one of the dogs of Natalie the owner was dressed as Santas Little Helper!

Dash, aka Santas Little Helper

Little Dash desperately wanted to jump in the pool with Polly, but was allowed to watch

Dash watching (and wriggling) for Polly's swim

(but was wriggling too much so didn't last long on my lap, and was banned to behind the gate!).

Poor Dash - shut away again

That's all folks,

(just applies to the dogs - obviously!)

but from all of us (2 x 2-legged, 4 x 4-legged), have a woofingly Merry Christmas,  keep well and happy and drive safely.

Have a 'Pawsome' Xmas - from Polly!

Have a Doggingly great Xmas - from Jake and Jessie!

Have a Purrfect Xmas - from Peggy!