Today (Wednesday) marked the easing of some coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

We are now allowed out to exercise as much as we like, we can drive to go for a walk and we can meet family members in open spaces as long as we stay 2m apart.

Kite surfers blow away the cobwebs on Sheppey

Garden nurseries can also open for business but holiday parks are still supposed to be shut. So how did Sheppey greet the new measures?

The biggest change was at the shingle bank at Minster which almost immediately filled up with cars and became a sea of kite surfers.

Among them was Wayne Sheppard. The 34-year-old HGV driver had driven down from his home in Dartford on his day off. He said: "It's great to be out again.

"I've been waiting seven weeks for this. Being out on the water helps me free my mind and stops me thinking about all the worries and troubles of coronavirus."

Sheppey Coastguards have repeated their warning about the dangers of the sea. In a Facebook post they said: "In England, now more than ever, people need to respect our coastline.

"Whether you are local or not, experienced around the water or a novice, the sea can still catch you out. Beaches may not be lifeguarded and social distancing must be observed.

"If you get into trouble call 999 and ask for the Coastguard and we will come to your aid. But coronavirus hasn’t gone away and we all need to follow the rules.

"Remember your choices might put people, including yourself and frontline responders, at risk. Take extra care in these extraordinary times."

Across the road at Barton's Point Coastal Park, Sheerness, Mick Greenland, 71, and Teresa Bignell, 63, both of Minster Road were on their bikes.

Mick was peddling while Teresa was trying out a brand new electric bike for the first time. It had arrived the day before after being held up in Germany.

Mick said: "The new rules won't make much difference. I still can't go sailing and I don't understand how the kite-surfers can.

"They may be allowed to technically, but if anything goes wrong then the coastguards, ambulance and lifeboat crews will have to go to rescue them."

He said the pair had been going for bike rides every day since lockdown started so the easing of restrictions had little impact on them.

Teresa was still trying to get to grips with her new machine. She joked: "The biggest difference today has made is that Mick usually has to wait for me to catch up.

"Now he's telling me to slow down!"

At the boathouse, which is still shut, Oasis Academy pupil Scarlett Page was celebrating after catching a giant crab in the boating lake.

The 12-year-old from Minster was with her sister Millie and dad Nick.

He said: "This is the first time we've all been out except for walking the dogs. The girls had been getting a little restless at home.

"Everything should work well, providing everyone obeys the 2m rule."

At The Glen public open space at Minster, Moira Sharpe, 83, was walking her Cocker Spaniel puppy Woody.

She moved to Sheppey in 1964 and said: "The new rules shouldn't make much difference to me. I should have stayed at home since lockdown but I've never considered my age and try to keep fit.

"I have been walking Woody and shopping at Tesco all the time and have never been stopped although I wear a scarf around my face, just in case.

"What I really miss is playing badminton. I used to go three nights a week before lockdown."

Stones Garden Centre in Sheerness remained closed on Wednesday but to open on Monday.

A spokesman said: "We are working hard to ensure social distancing measures are in place. We have taken a fence panel out to make a new entrance so we can have a separate entrance and exit."

The centre in Halfway Road is also playing host to a new visitor.

The spokesman added: "We had seen a robin flying in and out of the greenhouse for a couple of weeks and had been wondering where her nest was so we didn't damage it when we’re watering. We have now discovered she has made her home in our Fairy Kingdom tree house."

Gallery1

Read more: Latest news from the Isle of Sheppey here.