Walk 46 Luccombe to Sandown - 4 miles

A regular winter walk, so I was surprised I hadn't written it up before. It's an ideal starter for the new year, not too long and fairly flat.

Leaving the bus route at the green known as Big Mead, Priory Rd leads to the steps to Luccombe beach. This end of the beach stays quiet even in high season, free from deckchairs and other enticements.

From here, one can walk along either the beach or Esplanade as far as Yaverland at the foot of Culver Down beyond Sandown to the east. However, the reverse is not true and only at very low tide it possible to head west towards Ventnor, scambling over rocks; really not advisable.

Nothing is more typical of the Isle of Wight than thatched cottages, and there are a fair few thatched pubs, but as far as I know, the Fisherman's Cottage is the only thatched pub on the beach, tucked away at the foot of the natural gorge of Shanklin Chine. According to Historic England, the cottage was built in 1871 by William Colenutt, who created the path through the Chine and set up the first bathing machines on the beach.

Later the pub provided hot seawater baths for Victorian tourists seeking health cures, and the Chine now contains the only surviving example of a Hot Brine Bath, a marble basin dating from c.1845, with wooden handrails, now a Grade II listed building.Generally the pub is only open April to November.

Passing the foot of the Chine, the route follows the Esplanade with its familiar array of beach shops, cafes and pub-restaurants. 

 Note along the way the three ornate Victorian shelters.

 

At the far end of the Esplanade is the South East Beach Cafe with its decking projecting on to the beach, 

Here we come to Shanklin Sailing Club and the beginning of the sea wall walk through Lake to Sandown.

 Plenty of dog walkers were in evidence today.

 Sandown's Esplanade hotels may have seen better days, but a new Premier Inn is being built. The beach, however is a fabulous stretch of soft sand.

At the end of the sea wall we come to the remains of Sandown Pier. A 360 foot pier first opened for the 1879 season, to be extended to 875 feet in 1895. The ballroom at the pavillion end of the pier was at the heart of the resort and paddle steamers called at the new landing stage. In the 1990s, the theatre was replaced with a bowling alley and golf course, and the beach end is still a popular attraction with a cafeteria, shops, kiosks and amusements.

My walk ended with lunch at one of a number of popular seafront eateries, looking out at the view up to the coastguard cottages and monument on Culver Down

Retracing my steps to the beyond the pier, steps lead up to the clifftop path and the WW" defences at Battery Gardens by which I made my way back to Shanklin.

Walk Details
Start: Big Mead, Shanklin
Finish:Lake
Distance: 4.18 miles
Time: 2 hours
Bus: No 3 from Ventnor, Ryde or Newport
Refreshments/WC: South Beach Cafe, various along seafronts

Walk 45 Newport to Island Harbour - 3 miles

A fine day in January and a very early start to my walking year. Last year, I did very few new walks, so this year I have resolved to do more, or at least revisit some old ones.

Today I started out from Newport Bus Station, heading through the town and across the river to start the Medina Greenway Cycle Path N120 from the Riverside Centre, opposite the Bargeman's Rest. It is a gravelled path, so fine for wet winter walking.

 

At this end of the Medina is Newport Harbour, from which the island's main town takes its name, first recorded in the 12^th century. Despite outbreaks of Black Death and incursions by French forces, the town's trade grew over the years. By the 18th century, there was a lot of trade in corn, coal, timber and beer and Newport was a thriving working port until the late 19th century, situated at the centre of the island's rail network. Today it is purely a leisure harbour.

At the beginning of the path is the imposing red brick building, Jubilee Stores, which now houses artists studios. It was originally the grain store for a Newport miller company James Thomas and Co. Ltd, then used as general storage, before being taken over by Quay Arts.

The path leads along the Medina Estuary on the left and past recreation fields on the right.

The Estuary mudflats and Dodnor Creek are important nature conservation areas for wild flowers and butterflies as well as providing feeding ground for a variety of birds, including little egret, oystercatchers,curlew, black tailed godwits, grey herons, redshank, mallard, coots and swans, which can be seen across the river in the Medina Riverside Park.

Just as the Island Harbour comes into view, we pass the rusting hulk of the paddle steamer, Ryde Queen. She was in use as a passenger ferry between the mainland and the island from 1937 to 1969, serving as minesweeper and anti aircraft ship in WW2. In 1944, defending the Omaha beaches, she was hit in her engine room by a shell, but it did not explode and she was able to return safely to Portsmouth. After a stint offering cruises on the Thames, she was fitted out with luxury cabins, a restaurant, bar and dance-floor, and was renamed the Ryde Queen Boatel in 1972, but caught fire in 1977. The damage was repaired and she reopened as a nightclub until she closed in 1989 and has lain derelict ever since.

Just round the corner is the picturesque Island Harbour Marina, with its moored yachts and pleasure craft.

The Island Harbour houses a restaurant called The Breeze, where I stopped for a very good seafood linguini. It is also now home to the original Spice Girls Tour Bus, now operating as an Air BandB rental. 

Across the bridge, the footpath continues for on to Whippingham and St Mildred's Church, but from here on the path is unmade and can be very muddy. I do not do mud.

After .75 miles, you reach the Folly Inn, with its many outside tables and moorings for boats sailing down the Marina for the day. It is also possible to pick up a water taxi here to go back to East Cowes.

A 15 minute walk along Mill Rd took me back up to the main road, turning right at the end to pick up the No 5 or 9 bus back to Newport. 

Walk Details

Walk Details
Start: Newport Bus Station
Finish: Island Harbour
Distance: 3 miles
Time:  50 minutes
Bus: No 5 or 9 from Newport to Whiteposts stop on Fairlee Rd
Refreshments/WC: The Breeze restaurant, Island Harbour

Walk 44 Bluebells in Beech Copse, Godshill - 1 mile or 2 miles

Starting off 2019, {March 23rd, I recently heard of another bluebell wood, so decided to check it out before having lunch in Godshill. Not really a proper walk, just a mile, but it made a lovely stroll in a patch of ancient woodland just behind Godshill village. As is often the way on the island, a five minute walk away from the thronging coach parties led into a haven of peace and open views across the south of the Wight. Watch out for red squirrels among the trees, but I had no luck today.

The walk starts out along Hollow Lane which runs to the right of the Griffin Inn on the High Street, a large family oriented eatery currently offering a carvery three times a week, with plenty of garden tables, a maze and a bouncy castle. A few steps down the lane, a sign marks the start of the path, which runs along the back of the pub garden.

After about 10 minutes, you reach a gate with the following signs leading into Tottle Bottom Farm.

Here you can take either of the main paths, left or right, as they both lead into a triangular loop marked out with the above brown signs.

This is the area where you will find the best of the bluebells. No more commentary needed, so bluebells....voilà.

From the top of the path, before doubling back along the loop, a path leads away to meet up with the trail leading to the right through the Freemantle Gate and on to Appuldurcombe and Wroxall or left back to Godshill for anyone wanting a longer walk.

Here I found a pastoral idyll spread out before me...

However, lunch was calling, so I made retraced my steps back to the Griffin for a totally unearned lasagne.

Update and Extension March 2022.

No bluebells yet but did this walk again today but extended it past the triangle up through trees to turn left at the top of the slope and take a path down across a field to join the Stenbury trail and then Godshill Park Road to meet the main road opposite Moor Farm. (1.8 miles total). A fairly gentle slope.

Another extension is to add a loop up around Church Hill and Hollow Lane, taking in the church and pretty cottages seen in postcards of the village, taking the total distance to just over 2 miles.

Walk Details
Start: The Griffin Pub, Godshiill
Finish: The Griffin
Distance: 1 or 2 miles
Time:  up to an hour
Bus: No 2 or 3 from Ryde or Newport
Refreshments/WC: Godshill cafes, pubs, public WC in car park opposite Griffin.