Godshill and Wroxall

I met up with a chum today and we headed to Godshill, parking in the  big car park there.  We had decided to follow a route found on 'Visit Isle of Wight', but swiftly went wrong. We made it as far as All Saints Church, on the hill (hence the name of the village I guess), then got a little confused. We walked along the lane, but couldn't see a footpath leading off it, so turned round and went the other way ending up back in the village. It was a pleasant detour, with lots of thatched cottages and few tourists. If we had carried on along the original path we would have got to our footpath. Ah well!

We decided to head through the village to The Griffin Inn as I knew there was a path there that led to Appuldurcombe House, where we wanted to go. This led behind the pub, across a meadow and into woodland, full of fallen leaves and sweet chestnuts. Lovely! We took the path to the right which came out by a deer park and led gradually uphill, coming out at a crossroads of paths. The one straight ahead led up the infamous Gat Cliff and the one on the right skirted round the base of it. I didn't want to go up the cliff as I was feeling particularly unfit today (what a wimp!), so we took the right hand path which eventually led to Freemantle Gate. We went through here and paused for a while to admire it, then continued on to Appuldurcombe House, where we paused to discuss its scandalous history and whether or not it was haunted, as is commonly believed. Onwards from here to the junction with Rew Lane and a brief jaunt into Wroxall.

Wroxall is not a village I know well, but it seemed pleasant and had an unusual church. After a while we found Appuldurcombe Lane and headed back across the fields to Freemantle Gate, pausing to admire a raptor in flight (still undecided on which one it was) and getting excited about a passing spitfire. From the gate we strolled down the lane to Godshill, passing a paddock of Shetland ponies on the way. We ended up in The Griffin for a bite to eat (nice baguettes), then headed to the Willow Tree Tea Garden for a coffee before heading home. Lovely day!

Intended route: https://www.visitisleofwight.co.uk/dbimgs/Walk_Appuldurcombe.pdf 

Actual route: https://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4826342.html 

Distance: 6 miles.

All Saints Church, Godshill

St John's Church, Wroxall

Godshill

A friend and I fancied an afternoon out, rather than watch the royal wedding or the cup final, so we headed to Godshill and the Old Smithy car park. We then wandered across the road and into the first tea shop we saw, Old World Tea Rooms, and had a delicious cream tea. For lunch. Who cares, it was delicious and the sun was out.

 

Afterwards we walked to the side of the Griffin Inn and walked up the footpath and along the field, bordered by red Campion and horse chestnuts in full bloom. Gorgeous! The path led into the woods and uphill past the faded remnants of swathes of bluebells, through a field of sheep and lambs and down towards another, more gravelled, footpath. We had a choice of routes from here, and chose the one that led towards Appuldurcombe and Wroxall as we hadn't come out where I expected to. I had forgotten that I normally head up Gat Cliff and then down to Appuldurcombe, and had missed the turning in any case.

 

The walk to Appuldurcombe is lovely, passing through the magnificent Freemantle Gate, and into fields with sweeping views of the surrounding countryside; today we could see the seamark on the downs above Ryde, and Culver Cliff near Sandown.  Appuldurcombe was closed for a wedding, and we could see the party gathered about the ornamental fountain, and that they had two alpacas present. Unusual!

 

We walked as far as the road and the lovely Span Cottage, then retraced our steps to the junction and then down the path to Godshill, coming out just beyond the village on the main road. We headed back to the car park, browsed the Old Smithy shop then had another cuppa and a cake. Don't tell Slimming World...! This is a lovely afternoon's amble, particularly at this time of year.

 

Route: https://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4742040.html
Distance: 4.5 miles




Freemantle Gate, from Godshill



Freemantle Gate, from Wroxall



Appuldurcombe House