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

Colwell Bay

Just a short walk today, as I had a couple of spare hours to fill. I parked in Colwell Chine Road by the car park (but not in it as the lane was free and the car park wasn't!). I strolled down the lane to the sea wall and turned left to walk to Warden Point, past a restaurant closed for the winter and a row of brightly painted beach huts. Just past a WW2 gun emplacement, or the remains of Warden Point Battery, the path was closed off due to a bad landslip. Here there was a lovely view to the distant Needles which I stopped and admired before turning back and walking along the wall until I came to a footpath on my right; this was in reasonable repair, and had steps and a makeshift bridge of sleepers and led up the cliff. At the top I turned right and strolled past some more huts until the path ran out. I'd gone wrong again, taking the wrong path from the beach. I retraced my steps, following the seawall until I had to duck under a railing and scramble along the rocks that made up the cliff protection.

Warden Point

Beach huts at Colwell Bay

The rocks led to the beach, which was sandy and backed by cliffs of blue slipper clay, and interspersed with groynes. There was a flock of oystercatchers sunning themselves on the sand, who flew off as I approached. The view across the Solent was glorious in the February sunlight, with blue skies and fluffy clouds above and Hurst Castle on one side and Fort Albert on the other. Another scramble over rocks brought me to a slipway that led up to Brambles Chine and the Coastal Path.

At the top of the Chine I turned left on the Coastal Path, along a wet path between hedges that came out in a holiday camp, and led through it. This brought me out after a while on Monks Lane, so I turned left and walked as far as the stile that I used last week. I turned round and retraced my steps through the holiday camp then followed the coastal path past Brambles Chine and up to the main road, passing Brambles Farm and barking dogs on the way. Turning right at the road I walked along until I got to Madeira Road, turned right here and followed the road back to Colwell Bay and round to the car.

This was a lovely walk with good views and plenty of fresh air to blow away the cobwebs. I must learn to map read though!

Distance: 2.7 miles
Footpaths: Coastal Path, F10, F13, F67,
Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4023410.html