13 July On the buses – Martha's Vineyard style

There is a great bus service on the island. It's good value and everything ran on time with the most helpful drivers you could possibly hope for.

W Tisbury Town Hall on market day

We picked up a couple of day passes for a bargain $8 each, a route map and downloaded the interactive app to the phone and set off for a day of exploration.

The first bus took us from VH to the town hall at West Tisbury where we there was a 2 minute interchange for the connecting bus to take us to the coloured cliffs and lighthouse at Aquinnah on the most westerly part of the island. We had an hour here and caught the next bus which linked with another bus to take us to Menemsha fishing port.

Aquinnah cliffs

Menemsha is a small village clustered around the harbour. It has a fine beach, a couple of fresh fish restaurants and lots of history. It owes existence to fish and fishing. There's a fine bronze sculpture of a hunter harpooning a bill fish set in the dunes alongside the path. We joined the holiday crowd buying lunch and sitting looking out over the water.

Menemsha

small tourist alert

artist at work in  Menemsha

a working harbour

Back on the bus this time we are going all the way east to bustling, touristy Edgartown, but we're not spending much time here. In a couple of days we'll be bringing Jackster around to anchor in the bay. Instead we take a short hop bus to see the south facing dunes and beach on Atlantic Drive. It's high water when we arrive and the encroaching waves have forced the sunbathers into a narrow swathe backed by the dunes. I go mad and paddle. It's a bit chilly. David keeps his feet dry.

By now it is late afternoon; time to beat feet home. A short hop back to Edgartown and a longer ride passing through holiday town Oaks Bluff and we're back in Vineyard Haven; mission to see each corner of the island accomplished!

Edgartown anchorage

There are beautiful grey and white houses, woods of American oaks and forests of evergreens. Everyone we met today was a delight; happy to chat, interesting to talk to and all very welcoming.