Mooches with a Pooch

This week a friend and I are house and dog sitting in Brighstone so have been exploring. Walks have included:

Coombe Lane Loop 1

Start at Coombe Lane (off Lynch Lane), follow past the farm buildings then turn right through a makeshift gate and walk uphill. At the top of the hill turn left and walk towards the Ramblers gate in the corner. Go through the gate and follow the path to a junction and turn left, following the path gradually downhill to a turning on the left. This looks like a tree lined tunnel, with a ditch on the left and leads back to the top of Coombe Lane.

Route: https://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4784608.html 

Distance: approx. 2 miles

Coombe Lane Loop 2
Start in Coombe Lane, head past the farm buildings and take the path straight ahead (furthest left) and follow the path along, and around until you get to the upper end of the tree lined tunnel. Turn right here and follow the path uphill. Stay on the path, pausing to admire the view of the coast at the farm gate at the top, then continue downhill along the sunken path. The path ends on the main Shorwell - Brighstone road, where you should turn right and head back to the village, getting back to Lynch Lane and Coombe Lane via Upper Road.

Route: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/660659
Distance: approx. 2.3 miles

Totland Bay and Colwell Bay

We tried to park in Totland but all the side roads were being resurfaced it seemed, so we headed for Hurst Point View and parked there instead. We followed the road until it met footpath T1 and turned left towards Totland, cutting through One Horse Field on the way. This is a pleasant little nature reserve. We came out on a grass area and found a path that led to the coastal walk between the two bays, at the Pier Cafe. We turned right at the bottom and headed to Colwell Bay, marching along in the wind, turned round at the end and came back, pausing for a cup of tea and a doggie treat at the Pier Cafe. Lovely! Afterwards we continued along the seafront to the old Lifeboat station at Widdick Chine and followed the steps up to the road, back along Turf Walk and eventually to the car, via a run around the park.

Route: https://gb.mapometer.com/edit/route_4784619.html 

Distance: approx. 3 miles

Brighstone Down

Start in Lynch Lane and walk uphill towards Strawberry Lane, and then on to the National Trust car park on the left. Pass through the gate opposite the entrance and follow the path uphill. We continued until we were roughly opposite the Long Stone at Mottistone, then turned back and went home!

Route: https://gb.mapometer.com/edit/route_4786520.html 
Distance: approx. 2.5 miles

Brighstone

Well, we have had weeks of unending sunshine so today my friend and I decided to go for a walk. It thundered and rained. Of course. However, the thunder was exciting and the rain refreshing so all was good. 

We started off in Lynch Lane and headed for the footpath to Moortown (I think that's right; on the right as you head downhill past Coombe Lane), and followed it towards and round Gaggerhill Farm, where we observed some noisy dogs and beautiful horses. The rain started just as we turned into the lane next to the house and we dodged right to a footpath that took us uphill under the trees towards Grammar's Common. This turned out to be a private ("This is not common land") woodland and red squirrel sanctuary, but the footpath went through and we enjoyed the peace and stillness within. At one point we heard a woodpecker and managed to track the noise to three possible trees but could not see the bird itself. Fun looking for it though!

The path led on, out of the woods and down to Strawberry Lane. Here we turned right and picked up a footpath that led to the Long Stone, alongside Castle Hill. We paused in the rain to admire the Long Stone, then detoured to the left and up to the top of Castle Hill to admire the view. One of my favourites, showing the coast from Blackgang Chine to Tennyson Down, even on a cloudy, hazy day like today. We then doubled back and followed the path down through the woods to come out by Mottistone Manor. The manor was not open to the public today, so we crossed the road and prowled around the churchyard, which is a thriving haven for wildlife, and had a look inside the church itself. This is a rather lovely example of a small, country church, and had an interesting display about 'Warrior', the horse that inspired the novel "Warhorse", as he belonged to local landowners. 

We had run out of footpath so we followed the road back to Brighstone in search of a cup of tea, only to find that the once famous cream tea shops had disappeared, so we had a cuppa in the Three Bishops pub instead, and bought an ice cream from the village shop. And a Belgian bun. Oops. We did have a slight detour on the way, having seen a signpost that said village centre half a mile; we followed it over a stream (played Pooh sticks on the bridge), and came out on a housing estate with no indication of where to go, so we retraced our footsteps to the main road. After tea, we decided to head back to Lynch Lane, and found another footpath that led over the downs and through a sheep field to Coombe Lane, which we followed passing several stone cottages until we were back in Lynch Lane. Lovely walk!

Route: https://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4782839.html 

Distance: 6 miles

Pot Bellied Pig

Unusual clouds before thunder storm

Long Stone

Ordnance Survey Bench Mark on Mottistone Church wall

Brighstone stream

Ventnor to Shanklin

More travels with teenagers today. We were dropped off at Ventnor Botanic Gardens, left the car park, turned right and followed the road to the cricket pitch where we turned right again to go down to Love Lane. The path from here led us to Steephill Cove, where we walked above the beach for a while then along the shore path and up, steeply,  to Flowers Brook where we skipped down the hill towards the green and the pond, and continued along the path, up steep steps and on to Ventnor.

 

The road led along the seafront and we paused for a comfort break at the far end below the Winter Gardens. We continued along the seafront revetment  until we got to Bonchurch Pottery, and shortly afterwards took the path that led up through the woods to the church and East Dene House. The path skirted the edge of the grounds and led on to the Landslip, a local landmark which is heavily wooded. It was somewhat humid in the woods, and I suffered a bit. However, this gave me an excuse to stay at the back and mop up straggling students! We eventually emerged from the Landslip and followed the path past Dunnose Magna and on to Luccombe, from where we followed the road down to Shanklin, and then down on to the beach where we stopped for lunch and a well earned cuppa!   

 

I was absolutely exhausted by the end. This was a relatively short walk, but the heat and humidity combined with the ups and downs of the path made it hard going. However, we made it in one piece, and I finished the day judging a sand sculpture competition for another group of students from our school. Lovely.

Distance: 5.5 miles
Route: https://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4579407.html

Nettlestone to Sandown

Well, it's that time of the year where I help take 16 teenagers rambling around the Island. We were dropped off in Nettlestone, and wended our way towards Priory Hotel, round the side, and down to a footpath by the side of a caravan park. This led across fields to St Helens and the Duver, bone dry in the heat, and across the causeway to Bembridge. We then pootled along the Embankment and stopped for an early lunch and loo break at the café.  

 

After lunch we headed up through the village and along the road to the windmill, passing it on our right before plunging downhill into the woods and a break from the sun. We missed our turning here, but followed the road back round until we found our footpath, crossed another road and walked through another holiday park until we found the coastal path again. From here we turned right and headed along the cliffs and up Culver Down to the monument, had a brief pause and then leapt downhill across the downs until we reached Yaverland and Dinosaur Isle where we met the bus home.

Lovely walk on a beautiful day. The views across Sandown Bay were magnificent, and the water was so blue and sparkling. Gorgeous place to live!

Route: https://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4776930.html

Distance: c 7.75 miles



Sandown Bay



Culver Monument

Summer Festival Fun

Isle of Wight Festival 2018

I went to the Isle of Wight Festival again this year; it was the 50th anniversary of the original IOW festival, and this one was sold out completely. Everyone baked in the extremely hot weather, and any spot of shade was immediately filled! The noise was immense - no quiet to be found anywhere; between the stages was the noise of funfair rides and 90,000 punters having a great time. There was food aplenty, as well as drink and the occasional whiff of weed wafting past. I note a few acts that I particularly enjoyed; Depeche Mode were great as far as I was concerned (lots of others not so keen), Feeder were fabulous, as were Nile Rogers and Chic. I watched, as is traditional, the Medina College Ukulele band in the Kashmir Café who were on top form. Mostly I pottered around, catching up with chums, and letting the atmosphere and music waft over me. Good times, despite the mild sunstroke.

 

Rhythmtree Festival 2018

Ah, I love Rhythmtree Festival! It is so laid back with an electric range of music on three stages, and filled with lovely laid back people too. I spent two days in the woods with the scouts throwing axes and making dreamcatchers and pipecleaner teddies, and listening to the music from the woodland stage. Lovely. The sun beat down on the main arena, where the grass had dried to straw, so we were in the coolest place. There was a good range of food (I highly recommend Tansy's Pantry vegetarian food bus), and we had several forays to the tea and cake shop next to the Frolic Inn, where we sat either on the squidgy sofa or hay bales. Nice!

Rhythmtree reminds me of a large, English summer fête really, with slightly random stalls selling all manner of strange things, music you wouldn't necessarily listen to on a normal day, homemade cake and tea, Morris dancers and carnivals (not sure you'd get that at a fête, but the articulated tigers were great, as was the mechanical horse). Great fun, and I highly recommend going.