West Wight

The sun came out today for the first time in ages so a friend and I headed to Freshwater Bay and sauntered up Tennyson Down. I had forgotten that the Down goes up and up and up, but luckily the views were worth it every time I had to stop to catch my breath (quite often!). We could see a long way down the west coast of the Island, as well as along the north coast with glorious views of the River Yar sparkling in the sun, Hurst Castle and Fort Albert. The Solent was flat as a pancake and very blue.

We continued to the Tennyson Monument and then down to the replica of Nodes Beacon and carried on for a while until the Old battery was in sight. We decided to head back then as we weren't sure there was still a cafe there and were getting peckish. We went back the way we came, admiring wildlife on the way; we saw a very tame robin, a kestrel, lots of small brown birds, gulls, and a very hairy brown caterpillar. There were also lots of solitary bees around, the occasional red-bottomed bumblebee and a few flies.

Back in Freshwater we had a cup of tea at a cafe but didn't fancy their sandwiches so headed down the coast to Isle of Wight Pearl, and were extremely satisfied by the food, and sorely tempted to try their cakes. We resisted, and instead strolled round the corner and walked down to Chilton Beach and along to Brook where we picked up the coastal trail and walked along the cliffs to the car park. On a couple of occasions as we walked along the beach parts of the cliff started crumbling; these were only mini falls of pebbles and soil, and we were glad nothing worse happened! The beach was, as ever, lovely and mostly deserted apart from the occasional dog walker. We didn't get back in time for cake unfortunately, but will definitely try again in the future!

View across Tennyson Down towards the Needles

Distance: approx 9.5 miles in total

Route: https://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4717301.html 

Route: https://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4717305.html 

Cowes Cycle Track

We went for a brisk Sunday morning walk in the drizzle along the cycle track towards Newport today. This is a popular route with walkers, runners, dogs and, of course, cyclists. I do wish that the latter group would all get bells and use them as you can't always hear them coming up behind you. Mind you, when one did employ his bell I nearly jumped out of my skin and into the river! Didn't get run over though...

There were early signs of the approaching spring around, with many trees laden with catkins and birds tweeting furiously and swooping through the air between bushes. There were lots of swans and cygnets on the river and inlets too, with the occasional mallard or coot to be seen.

As we approached our furthest point, between Vestas and the big metal bridge over Dodnor Creek, we found that someone had made a discovery among the undergrowth and what had been scrub land was now an archaeological dig. This was the site of 'Mummies Caves', a local cement works from the last 200 years. Plenty of infrastructure is still standing and was fascinating to look at through the fence. We paused again halfway along the bridge then turned round and made our way back to Cowes and lunch.

Distance: approx. 5 miles

View towards Whippingham



Mummies Caves, Dodnor



Dodnor Creek



Disused boatbuilding dock



Dilapidated workshop, Arctic Road