Newport and St George's Down

Lockdown 3 and lots of local exploration has been going on. Today I had a socially distanced ramble with a chum, in the freezing February sunshine. We meandered around the town for a little while, then headed up St John's Road to Watergate Road and down the footpath at the side of St George's School to Shide. From here we joined the footpath along the river and headed towards Blackwater. After a while, and a brief stop for a cuppa from a thermos, we came to a bridge and turned left along a muddy, permissive path back to the main road, passing the cricket club on our way. 

We took our lives in our hands and crossed the road and joined a footpath leading up to St George's Down. This led past Standen House, a rather lovely country pile with a nice front lawn and a haha. The path continued up the hill into woodland, calm and quiet and lovely. After a while, and several stops for two unfit females to catch their breath, and also being passed four times by an enthusiastic runner trying to work off his dinner, we reached the top, coming out on the Bembridge Trail. 

Turning left we continued along the path, dodging large frozen puddles and passing Newport Golf Club. The path met with St George's Lane which we descended slowly, pausing often to admire the views across the valley to the hills beyond. Along the way we found several bushes with icicles hanging from them, something I have not seen for some time. The lane joined with Pan Lane, and we walked along to a footpath that led past some houses and back to the main road. A little further along we crossed over and joined the river path back to the town centre; we saw a heron standing on a little island of reeds mid-river and stopped for a while to watch it. Magnificent.

Monk and Merchant walk

It's April for heaven's sake, and this is the first proper stomp I have had. I have been a bit busy...  I met up with a friend and we headed to the White Mouse Inn at Chale for a sandwich and a cuppa, then drove up the hill to the Blackgang Viewpoint car park. From there, we crossed the road and headed up hill towards St Catherine's Oratory (Pepperpot), and paused  for a while to take photographs, before heading along the crest of the down to the Hoy Monument. This is a huge stone column erected by a local merchant with Russian connections, to celebrate the visit of Tsar Alexander I to Britain. As you do. 

From there we turned left onto a footpath heading down the hill, going through several gates and passing to the side of a property called the Hermitage. The path led through a field to a quiet lane, rejoined a footpath and led towards Moorhills Farm, which housed a timber merchant and sawmill. Now, we were busy chatting and missed our turning and continued down the lane past ponds and streams until we arrived at the main road through the village of Bierley. Once we had realised our error we doubled back, found the footpath, waved at the chaps in the sawmill, and carried on across fields heading towards the oratory which we could see on a distant hill.

We passed Downcourt Manor Farm and turned uphill, having rather lost the path, and clambered onwards coming to a barbed wire fence with no obvious route through. We managed to climb through and headed upwards, spotting what we thought was our route. We also stopped to admire a hare bounding along the hill in front of us. We were again thwarted by a barbed wire fence, more robust this time, which stood between us and  a herd of cows. We turned right and followed the fence along until we saw the footpath and were able to get to it. From here we headed back towards the oratory hill, skirting along the base of it and then back down the hill to the car. This was a lovely walk, which would have lovely views on a clearer day!

Intended route: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/st-catherines-down-and-knowles-farm/trails/the-monk-and-the-merchant-walk

Approximate Route: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/809584

Distance: c. 5.5. miles

St Catherine's Oratory

Benches at Moorhills Farm

Beautiful Brighstone

Well, I'm back in Brighstone again for an overnight stay and more dog-sitting. I have to say that I have completely fallen for this village; it is so peaceful in the cottage I stay in on the village outskirts, with more nature than you can shake a stick at just while you are having a cuppa in the garden. Gorgeous! Today I have seen a wren almost within touching distance, blue tits, pigeons, buzzards, wasps, at least three species of bumblebee and I'm hoping I'll see baby toads this evening (we were invaded last time!). Everyone that I have met in the village has been extremely friendly, welcoming and helpful too. 

After lunch I took the pooch for a walk, starting in Coombe Lane and wandering along the paths until we got back to the village centre, joining a large group of ramblers as we got there. We walked up towards the downs, then cut across a field following a path that gradually descended between walls of sandstone and earth, bordered with bracken and blackberries which came out on Upper Lane opposite the lane by the library. Very nice. Pooch found lots of things to sniff and had a thoroughly lovely time running about the lanes jumping at pigeons in the hedgerows.

In the evening I drove up to the car park at the top of Strawberry Lane and strolled up the down path while pooch ran after her tennis ball and explored. Glorious view from the top of the hill that I will forever adore.

Brighstone Down

After spending yesterday on the sofa under a fluffy blanket, listening to the rain, watching 'Call the Midwife', and eating biscuits and Welsh cakes, I thought that I ought to get some fresh air and exercise today. I set off for Brighstone and parked at the car park at the top of Lynch Lane, next to Strawberry Lane.

Coming out of the car park, I turned right and then picked up a footpath on the opposite side of the road and bimbled along it to see where it went. I hadn't brought a map. More on that later! I stopped periodically to gaze through my binoculars at hovering kestrels and soaring buzzards, riding the wind in the sky above me. Glorious. Wish I could do that! The path led on, passing Brighstone Forest on the left and showing glorious views along the west coast on the right. I never tire of that view. 

I paused for a while to sit on a stile and gaze across the countryside and seascape below, before continuing on towards a viewpoint showing the distance to lots of different places on the Island and around the world, and then past cattle sheds belonging to Cheverton Farm and a beautiful herd of cattle (all different colours), where I paused to lean on the gate and admire them for a while.  I was later overtaken by a family of mountain bikers and later I found a sign for the 'Devil's Spine', part of a mountain bike trail run by the farm. 

I turned back shortly after the cattle, and met a lady and her puppy; we had an interesting conversation about our mutual lack of skill at photography while her puppy bounced up and down next to me. Next, I turned along a footpath that led into the forest, assuming it would head for Lynch Lane. It did, in a roundabout way! I had no map, as mentioned earlier, and managed to get myself turned around. Having found a broader, stonier path than the rather damp one I was following, I began walking along it, not entirely sure in which direction I was going. That was fine; I was ambling up a hill and spotted a hare feeding on the grass and got quietly excited as I had never seen one before. Wow! I was glad I had the binoculars as I got a really good look at it without getting to close and scaring it off. Shortly after that I met another lady who informed me that I'd end up in Carisbrooke if I continued in that direction, so i turned round and found myself back at the car park fairly soon afterwards.

This was a lovely, gentle walk with magnificent landscapes, cloudscapes and seascapes, and lots of wildlife to spot. I saw several birds that I cannot identify, lots of insects, and there was an abundance of wild flora. I'll have to wander back soon and gather hazelnuts and sweet chestnuts. It was also good to see evidence of the forest being managed, with coppicing of sweet chestnuts evident.

Route: https://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4798056.html

Distance: approx. 5 miles

Ventnor and the Downs

Well, we had a plan. We were going to follow the National Trust route from Luccombe Down, via the Devil's Chimney, down to the beach and then back up the BIG hill. Hmmm. Sounded good. However, we got a bit lost trying to find the car park and had a grand tour of Upper Bonchurch, the local countryside and Shanklin duck pond before we figured out where it was. By this time it was nearly 3pm on a slightly gloomy autumn afternoon and we were not as keen as we had been.

Onwards and downwards though, but ditching the original route. We parked at the end of a chalk track on top of Luccombe Down and admired the magnificent views across Sandown Bay, and also the English Channel. We marched off down the Down, heading down Nansen Hill and emerging on the road opposite Smugglers Haven tea rooms by Devil's Chimney. We continued along the road for a bit, before finding the footpath on the right. Once through the gate we were confronted with a hill full of feral goats. Now, I'm reasonably sure that they posed no threat, but they had ENORMOUS horns - at least half as big as each goat -  and, quite frankly, we feared for the safety of our kneecaps if we irritated them. Also, they could run faster than us. It's not that we're a pair of big ol' scaredy cats, honest.

Back to the road in search of another footpath heading upwards, which we eventually found just past a bend in the road. On the way we were able to admire the variety of architecture in the area - the locals seem to have a thing for random turrets on their houses, - and the breathtaking, vertigo inducing, views of the town below. We found our path in the woods, but quickly realised it was treacherous so turned back; the path was narrow and steep with a precipitous drop down to the road below. Not only that, it was covered with a slippery layer of evergreen oak leaves, so turning back was really the sensible option.

We followed the path in the other direction, still through the woods but much more level, past tennis courts and grand Victorian Villas and came out on the road near the Bowling Club. We continued on the road until we got to the industrial estate and took the steep footpath there back up the down. Oh. My. Goodness. It was steep. We stopped regularly for a breather - the wind was strong and took our breath away - and eventually got to the top. Phew! The view of the town below and the surrounding hills was incredible.

The final slog took us past WW2 pill boxes and Ventnor Radar Station, which was bombed heavily in the war. I had heard rumours of an underground town under this hill years ago, and found an information board saying that there was in fact a Cold War era nuclear bunker there. I need to see this! Very exciting, but unlikely to be open to the public sadly.

An excellent, invigorating walk, and we'll do the original route another day. When we're fitter. And have warmer clothing.

Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4428457.html

Distance: approx. 3.5 - 4 miles.

View to Sandown Bay

Bonchurch

Random turret



Pill box