Welcome

Welcome to my walking blog!

I am Lin and I live in Ventnor on the beautiful Isle of Wight. For those who haven't visited, the Isle is a small island, in fact getting smaller every year, just off the south coast of England, just 25 miles by 13. Over half the island is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and includes over 500 miles of marked footpaths.

Ventnor is a small town which grew up in the Victorian era because its mild sub-tropical micro-climate was thought to be beneficial for those with respiratory complaints. In the grounds of today's Ventnor Botanic Garden was once the Royal National Hospital for Chest Diseases.

The town is built on steep hills and cliffs with winding streets that zig-zag down to a crescent of shingle beach.

I have always loved walking, which is one of the reasons I moved to the Island some 20 years ago, and I decided to give a purpose to my rambles by combining my love of walking and my interest in photography by blogging my wanderings.

March seemed to be the perfect time to start; we have had some wonderful warm, sunny days and the island is in full flower at this time of year. After a miserable, wet winter I am a bit out of practice and need to build up my stamina with some easy routes to start with and hopefully work up to some decent distances over the summer. The fields are still pretty waterlogged so I'll be keeping to made up paths for a while.

So what is my idea of a good walk? To start with, let me make it clear I am not one of those serious walkers in big boots and red socks who takes to the hills come rain or shine. There is no way I will walk in the rain and only do cold when it's sunny. I also do not do mud. If at all possible I walk in fit-flops and these days I would rather walk on the flat than uphill, but on the south of the island that is a bit of a problem! If there is a country pub for a spot of lunch, better still. I don't drive if I can avoid it, so most of my walks start and finish on a bus route. My Kindle usually accompanies me so I can pick out a scenic spot and bury myself in a book for a while.

One of the joys of living in Ventnor is being able to set off on some beautiful walks right from my door. A footpath opposite my house leads straight up to St Boniface Down or I can head down to the coast for a stunning local stroll west to Steephill Cove or east to Bonchurch and along the Landslip to Shanklin.

I intend to blog some local strolls as well as proper walks and hope you will enjoy discovering some of the island's wonderful landscapes.