This is a flat, paved walk along Undercliff Drive to St Lawrence and back again, suitable for all weathers. Since a landslip closed a section of the road there is now little traffic on it.
The route starts in town by The Rex, passes along Belgrave Rd, currently being rebuilt after a landslide.Continue straight ahead to Ventnor Park, which is lovely in summer, but was not at its best today.In summer there are refreshments in the tent on the putting
green.Passing the cricket ground we come to Ventnor Botanic Gardens. The cafe, plant sales and shop are open to all without paying the entrance fee. From the cafe terrace you can look out over the palm garden.
Just past the gardens is Lisle Combe, once the home of the poet Alfred Noyes, now a bed and breakfast.
St Lawrence has 2 churches; the one on the main road dates from 1867and is famous for its collection of stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones, William Morris and Ford Madox Brown.
A little further on, a footpath leads uphill to the right to the 12th century Old Church.
ITookSomePhotos, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
I ended the walk at the junction with Spindlers Road and Old Park Road and retraced my steps back to town, but Old Park Road leads down to the coastal path for anyone wishing to return beside the sea.
Walk Details Start: Ventnor Town Centre, Belgrave Rd Finish: Ventnor Town Centre Distance: 4.4 miles, there and back Time: 2 hours Bus: No 3 and 6 from Ryde or Newport Refreshments/WC: In Ventnor and Botanic Gardens, Public WC in Ventnor Park
Somehow, though it is on my doorstep, I had never done exactly this walk, until I discovered it with a walking group. I started in Ventnor town centre and headed west to follow Undercliff Drive through Ventnor Park. This award-winning park is best visited in June or July, when its immaculate flower borders are a mass of colour.
Ventnor Park was once the property of the Hambrough family, who lived just across the road in Steephill Castle (demolished). It was given to the town in Victorian times, and many rare plants and trees date from this time.
Here you can find an aviary, putting green, cafe and bandstand, where live music can often be heard on summer Sundays. In midsummer, the park comes to life when the Ventnor Fringe festival sets up its tents and the park plays host to music, theatre, comedy and, of course, a beer tent.From here, continue westwards, passing Ventnor Cricket Club and the Botanic Gardens. Just beyond here you will come to a sign for St Lawrence at the entrance to Inglewood Park, a crescent that leads uphill before descending to meet the main road again.
This was the entrance to St Lawrence Hall, originally called 'Inglewood'. It was built in the French chateau style in1886 but after World War II, it was adapted to a hotel, which burnt down in 1951.
It was the home of Admiral John Jellicoe, who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 during the First World War. He was later designated First Sea Lord, then Governor General of New Zealand. If you have 35 seconds to spare on YouTube, you can see him inspecting the guard in Dublin in 1930. He was a very tall man!
Follow Inglewood Park up and bear left until you reach the north-west corner, where a small path leads up amongst trees, passing through the remains of a railway bridge.
Just through the bridge, look right and you will see a footpath sign leading up a staircase, which leads to a flat, straight wooded path that was once part of the railway track.
After a few minutes, the path joins a tarmac road, on which you go straight ahead.
This track will lead into Pelham Road. A little further down, you will join Castle Close to come to the former railway station of Ventnor West, now a private home.
When the station opened in 1900, it was part of an extensive rail network, but of course today only the Ryde to Shanklin line is still running. Ventnor West was on the extension line of the Isle of Wight Central Line from Merstone, but was not as popular as the main station above the town. The photo below dates from 1958 but the station had closed in 1952 along with the rest of the line.
Pictures of the station when operating in the 1950s can be seen here.
Beyond the station the road winds down to join Castle Road just above Ventnor Park. From here, either return past the park to the town centre and buses, or head up Castle Rd and zigzag up to the top of the town. Here you will find yourself in the shadow of St Boniface Down, where a tunnel came out at the site of the main Ventnor station, now buried under the industrial estate.
Walk Details Start: Ventnor Park Finish: Ventnor Park Distance: 3.75 miles Time: 1.5 hours Bus: No 3 from Newport or Ryde Refreshments/WC: In town or Ventnor Park (summer).
This is my first springtime walk this year, so just a local circuit. For my second year of walks it will be hard to find new routes, so I decided to revisit some of my usual haunts on the basis that there is always something new to be seen throughout the seasons. Today's walk heads from Ventnor to St Lawrence, a sprawling village nestling in the Undercliff. There has been a settlement here since the 12th century, but it was the Victorians who were inspired to build the many attractive villas along the rugged slopes of the Undercliff. Not far from my home, the Italianate belvedere tower villa Ravenscourt perches on the slopes of the downs, dating from 1840-50.
From Ocean View Rd, descend Gills Cliff Rd to Whitwell Rd, passing elevated villas with steeply banked gardens in spring bloom.
Here begins the Paradise Walk which runs parallel to the road before winding down to St Lawrence.
Head downhill by this wooden sign to reach Pelham Wood.
The Undercliff is an ancient, yet active, landslip zone and the path runs below the Upper Greensand cliffs of the road above.
This intriguing staircase leads to other paths through the wood but I ignored it, following the main path to come out on Undercliff Drive.
At the road you have two options to reach the coast and return to Ventnor. Turn left for the shorter route and pick up the footpath by Bank End Farm to meet the coastal path where it runs behind the Botanical Gardens, as seen here from the coastal end here.
For the longer route via the parish church, cross the road and take the detour behind the wall to come to St Lawrence Well.
It is said the the roadside spring was used by early Christian pilgrims, but during the 19th century it was enclosed in a Gothic grotto within the grounds of Sir Richard Worlsley's Marine Villa. An annual well-dressing here is a more recent tradition.
Heading up the lane beside the village church will lead past this bank to the 12th century old church, one of the smallest in the country.
Continue along Undercliff Drive to the west to come to another Victorian gem, the parish church, which dates from 1867 and is remarkable for its fine collection of stained glass windows by Morris and Co.
The windows by the Pre-Raphaelite artists Edward Burne-Jones and Ford Maddox Ford originally adorned the chapel of the nearby Royal National Hospital for Diseases of the Chest until it closed in 1969.
Along the south wall are three apostles, St John, by Burne-Jones, (above),
St Luke, by Maddox Brown
and St Peter, also by Burne Jones. The parable of the sower is by Walter Tower.
The stunning Hospital Chapel West window is the work of Sir William Reynolds-Stephens, a follower of the later Pre-Raphaelite School depicting ministering angels.
In a lightbox on the north wall are windows designed and produced by William Morris. To get to the coastal path continue a little way and turn left along Woolverton Rd to meet the coast by some white cottages. It is possible to go a little further and take a footpath to the same place. Another fine late Victorian villa appears through trees on the left, St Rhadagund's, now a Christian retreat and holiday centre.
Another fine villa is passed, Tower Lodge, once part of Woolverton Manor estate.
The path emerges by chalk cliffs at Woody Bay viewed through white blossom.
This is one of those spots where it is definitely a bad idea to keep to the path!
The coastal path offers good views of the Undercliff properties.
The coastal path was lined with blackthorn bushes in full blossom.
The Lighthouse B and B at Steephill Cove appears hazily through trees.
We pass Ventnor cricket club, one of the few flat spaces in the town.
After about 45 mins, we reach the outskirts of Ventnor at Flowersbrook.
and emerge at the beginning of the bay above the Spyglass Inn.
Walk Details: Distance: 5 miles Time: 3 hours Refreshments and WC: Ventnor seafront, Steephill Cove
Continue straight ahead to Ventnor Park, which is lovely in summer, but was not at its best today.
In summer there are refreshments in the tent on the putting
green.
Passing the cricket ground we come to Ventnor Botanic Gardens. The cafe, plant sales and shop are open to all without paying the entrance fee. From the cafe terrace you can look out over the palm garden.
.jpg "St Lawrence Old Church")
.png "Walk 54 Ventnor to StLawrence")
