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

Totland Beach

Totland is fast becoming one of my favourite Island beaches. It is mostly shingly, with parts that are predominantly made up of rounded flint. There is a seawall, and an old lifeboat station, both slowly becoming dilapidated, wooden groynes holding the beach in place, and the shattered remains of a Victorian pier. By the road entrance is a toilet block, two blocks of flats that have seen better days but are being renovated, and slightly further on is a restaurant. At the start of the pier is a recently built wooden building, presumably to be a cafe but it looks unoccupied. Beyond this, the seawall continues towards Colwell Bay but comes to a sudden stop where a recent landslip rendered it unsafe. 

Every time I have been here there have been few people around, and those that were there were either locals or more plucky tourists. The atmosphere is relaxed. On our visit yesterday we discovered a large barrel jellyfish in the surf, which was gradually washed up onto the shore. It was beautiful, with a blue dome with violet edging, and violet tentacles. We got utterly over-excited about it as we'd never seen a jellyfish like it.

Headon Warren and Totland Bay

What a glorious day for a walk! We headed across the Island to Totland, getting diverted on the way as the Yarmouth road was closed for repairs. We parked next to the Broadway Inn on Madeira Road, asked for directions from a passing elderly lady, and headed off up the hill towards Alum Bay.

On the right hand side, after about half a mile, was a footpath heading onto the Warren. We followed this bumpy, sandy path between high scrubby hedges until we came out into bright sunshine on top of the Warren.  Headon Warren is sandy, flinty soil and covered in heather and gorse, with the odd stunted tree. The gorse was flowering today, but the heather looked as though it was dead; I expect that it will be covered in purple  flowers if we go back in a month. Part of the route was closed as there had been a landslip earlier in the month. We had a peek, and there was a sheer drop where the land had fallen away by about ten feet. Further along our path the land had slipped by about two feet. We didn't go much further! From this point there was a magnificent view across Alum Bay to The Needles. I don't think I've ever seen such a good view of them.

The Needles from Headon Warren

We headed back towards Totland, staying on footpaths rather than the main road. We were planning on going straight back to the car but detoured along a couple of footpaths we found and ended up on Totland Beach. the tide was right out so the kids went and played on the sandy beach for a bit, then we walked along to the pier (disintegrating), found another footpath and discovered we were back on Madeira Road. We admired the lovely houses then hopped in the car and went home.  Lovely afternoon.

Totland Bay 

Route:  http://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_3807832.html

Distance: 3.7miles

Footpaths:  T20, T17, T14, T2, T33