‘A Wight Carry On’ shall take the carrying teams over twelve legs of approximately equal duration with consideration given to the distance across ground and the elevations encountered. If all goes to schedule the following route plan applies;

The event kicks off from Ryde’s Western Gardens at 1000 on Friday 19^th August. Team 1 comprising Team Captain Sam Ade, deputy Kevin Beckett with carriers Ross Smallcombe, James Flavell, Darren Bacon, Kirsten Moore, Kelvin Wright, David Lines, Paul Stone (and later to be joined by Mark Grimes and Andrew Hookey, shall carry the Big Red Ladder along the Esplanade heading out of town up Easthill Road and making a brief visit to their home fire station at Ryde before continuing down Beaper Shute and on to Carpenters Road, through St Helens around the harbour to arrive at Bembridge Fire Station in time for lunch!

Team 2 comprising Team Captain Damon Corr, deputy Kevin Pont with carriers Dan Smith, Leon Marshall, Aden Thomson, Adrian Wellock, Steve Goodall, Andy Cave (later joined Mark Cooke and Dan Hayes) will pick up the ladder at Bembridge and leave the village past the airport, heading around Culver Down, along Yaverland to Sandown Fire Station. There shall be a brief stop at the station before Team 2 continue on to a team changeover point in the car park adjacent to the Shanklin YMCA around five o’clock in the afternoon.

From there Team 1 shall proceed through Shanklin, stopping at the fire station briefly and then slogging along the Cowlease undulations before descending down to Ventnor Fire Station for an evening meal around half past seven.

Team 2 shall take their second bite from Ventnor, along the undercliff to Niton where they shall hand back to Team 1 at the bottom corner of Barrack Shute. Team 1’s third leg takes them up and out of the village, passing Blackgang and Chale before resting at Whale Chine car park around eleven thirty at night.

The long haul along the Military Road shall be continued by Team 2 until they reach the junction with the Brook road where Team 1 shall complete the Military Road and arrive at Freshwater Fire Station around quarter past four in the morning.

Leg 8 begins with Team 2 heading for Yarmouth Fire Station, then making a brief breakfast stop at the Yarmouth institute before continuing to the lay-by just before entering Shalfleet village for approximately half seven in the morning. Team 1 pick up without delay and march on through to the Carisbrooke roundabout adjacent to Hartwells Garage.

Team 2 take up Leg 10 with a route through Newport High Street, diverting through the Police station to arrive at Newport Fire Station for a cuppa before continuing on to Cowes Fire Station for lunch. Team 1 shall leave Cowes, over the floating bridge to East Cowes for a brief visit to the station and then rejoin the main Ryde-Newport road until reaching the lay-by just beyond the Fishbourne traffic lights. At that point Team 2 will pick up the ladder and complete the ultimate leg all the way to Ryde Canoe Lake.

However it doesn’t end there with both teams combining to haul the ladder one final team at the head of the Ryde Carnival Main Procession before finally laying the Big Red Ladder to rest back at Ryde Esplanade..