Quarr Abbey and Ryde

I decided to go for a stroll, alone, and sort my head out a bit. I parked at Quarr Abbey, walked past the piggery (gorgeous pigs!), and into the Art Exhibition. This was a show of pottery and paintings from local artists. All rather pleasant but nothing that made me go 'Wow!'. I continued on, past the tea gardens, and followed the path to the ruins of the mediaeval abbey. I paused for a few minutes then continued along the path towards Binstead; the lane passed through a wooded area with lovely houses on one side and every so often there were tiles embedded in the road surface with poems engraved on them. Unusual, but lovely.

 

I followed the coastal path, and after a little while there was a side path leading down to the shore. I followed it, getting quite muddy in the process, and eventually came down some wooden steps to the shingled Binstead Hard. The tide was high so there wasn't much beach, but I was able to sit on a patch by a fallen, but still living, birch tree and eat my sausage sandwiches. Bliss. There was nobody else about. I returned to the main coastal path, followed it a bit further, along Ladies Walk, and turned left at a bridge. This semi-paved footpath came out at another beach, sandy this time, with a boatyard and the remains of a pier or jetty.

 

Back to Ladies Walk and I  followed the path past Ryde Golf Course until it came out near the main road. The coastal path turned left here and went down into Ryde along the back streets. I wandered along and was amazed at some of the architecture; there was a large stone archway with a stag on top and lions to either side, clearly the remains of an entrance to a large house, but now surrounded by bungalows. I walked on until I reached the esplanade then turned round and walked back to Quarr.

 

A lovely walk, and one to do again!

 

Distance: c. 5.5 miles

Footpaths: R45, R46, R48, R94

 

Quarr Abbey pig

View of the Abbey ruins

Derelict jetty near Binstead.