Chale Green and the Hoy Monument

Proper walking today, on an overcast afternoon. I joined my friend and her two sons for a circular walk from Chale Green, following a route in one of Isle of Wight Rambler's Association's books. We parked in a layby on the main road, crossed over the road onto a patch of grass then over a footbridge and up a muddy track. The mud came and went, but the hill continued, rising almost 400ft in the first mile. We passed through a lovely little wood full of hazel bushes and carpeted with bluebell foliage where the boys had fun looking for sticks. We found a couple of concrete seats modelled on ripe fungus which we all tried out, and found to be surprisingly comfortable!

The track continued steeply up, coming out into fields before plunging back into woodland again. We came to a junction and followed the left hand path up an extremely muddy path which led to the crest of St Catherine's Down and the Hoy Monument. The monument was huge, which was to be expected as it could be seen for miles around. It was erected by a merchant to commemorate a visit to the UK by Tsar Alexander, and later had a tablet added commemorating soldiers who died at the Battle of Sevastapol. More information can be found on the National Trust page.

After we had had a brief rest and refreshments we continued, heading back to the main path and taking the other fork. This was also muddy, and led through fields and woodland bordering the down, bringing us eventually to the road. We crossed over and followed a footpath through a field, along a ditch boundary with a stream, before coming to a small sheep farm. As we approached, the farmer came out with a big smile, and asked the children if they would like to see some new born lambs. They did, as did both adults, so we followed her to the barn and were introduced to a ewe and two 12-hour old lambs. We then got to cuddle a baby baa lamb! Eldest boy declined, and youngest boy was a bit small, but both adults were straight in there after assuring the farmer that neither of us were pregnant! What fun!

The walk continued; after we left the farm driveway, the path turned steeply right and then even more steeply uphill, coming out on a broad green pathway high above the surrounding farmland. We found an unusual memorial that looked rather like a prone barrel, and which was covered in inscriptions of dates and names. Curious. Once home I did a little searching and am reasonably sure it was a commemoration of shipwrecks off the west coast of the Island. The path soon descended again, and led across the lawn of Pyle Manor then into Windmill Copse, another pleasant patch of woodland. This led past a deer park, where we watched a herd of deer watching us. They were well camouflaged against the hill.

Further on, the path led through a swampy section of woodland, with a rickety boardwalk to walk on. This was fine until the very end where the boardwalk suddenly ran out, so we hopped across the last few feet on semi-sunken branches and logs.  The path led back uphill (not steep) and across a few fields until we returned to Chale Green, muddy, tired and happy.

Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4284746.html
Distance: 4.5 miles
Footpaths: C1, C37, GL60, C3, C5, C4, C21, C22, C23, C33

Mushroom Chairs

Hoy Monument

View to the West Coast

Baa Lamb

Shipwreck Memorial

Primroses

Swamp path

West Wight Alpacas

As the sun was still out we had a family outing (three generations) to West Wight Alpacas in Wellow. I had heard lots of good things about this place from a variety of people, so when Mum suggested we went I leapt at the idea.

We drove through the back lanes of the Island to get there (not necessary really, but a pleasant drive), and arrived at the site on the main Wellow road. We paid our small entrance fee in the café and headed off to admire the chickens, ducks and guinea fowl in the nearby paddock. The chickens were plentiful and came in a huge range of colourings, and were accompanied by the most splendiferous cockerel I have ever had the pleasure to lay eyes on. He had magnificent green, red and bronze colouring and strutted his stuff amongst his harem. We purchased a pot of bird food and all had fun throwing it for the birds to eat, with the teenager piling some on her shoe and allowing chickens to peck the seed off, much to all our amusement.

After this we wandered around the outside of the paddocks admiring the alpacas, donkeys, rheas and llamas. The alpacas and llamas were unshorn and very fleecy, and came in a variety of shades of cream and brown. There was a choice of a short walk and a long walk around the paddocks, and we chose the short walk as there was a chilly breeze today.

Once we had seen all the animals we stopped in the café  for refreshments. I had a very generous pot of tea and shared a tasty rock cake with my Mum, while the teenager scoffed a bowl of freshly made chunky chips. There was also a shop selling alpaca and llama wool, and a range of handmade knitwear. We admired all and I wished I was a better knitter! To finish off I bought some fresh eggs, blue in colour. Beautiful! This was a lovely afternoon out, and I shall definitely visit again.

Bembridge Down

We tried a new route today, much to the teenager's disgruntlement. I realised that I had never walked up Bembridge Down to Culver Cliff so as today was sunny and reasonably warm we gave it a go. I parked at Yaverland, then we crossed the road and joined the coastal path behind the sailing club climbing uphill over turf towards a shrubby area. Here the path became more formal and led through flowering hawthorn and gorse, past a derelict gun battery and then up and past a holiday village. beyond the chalets the path opened out onto Bembridge Down proper, denoted by a National Trust sign and information board. We detoured around a muddy patch then began our ascent.

The down spread out around and above us, with the beacon of the Culver Cliff monument beckoning us from the hill top. To our right was the cliff edge, and as we ascended, the extent of Sandown Bay became apparent. I knew it was a large bay but had not seen it from this impressive perspective before. We stopped for a picnic lunch on a patch of springy turf overlooking the bay, and watched the sun glinting on the sea, and container ships lining up in the channel; these appeared empty so we assumed they were waiting to be called into port in Southampton. We also watched a hawk, possibly a kestrel, glide overhead on the breeze then turn and hover effortlessly above the cliff looking for prey. Glorious.

We continued upwards and made it to the top fairly quickly. To the teenager's delight there was a café serving ice cream and fizzy drinks so we paused here for refreshment. I went and explored to the end of the promontory and discovered Culver Battery, with the remains of two large gun emplacements. There was also the site of Culver Signal Station as well as a Beacon Basket. I had had no idea any of that was there. Apparently it was used by the military until the 1960s, and not much is known about what went on there. It is now managed by the National Trust. The views across the east end of the Island from here were fantastic; I could see Brading Haven, Bembridge and St Helen's, and across to Ryde and Portsmouth.

Once I had rejoined the teenager we inspected the monument which was dedicated to the Earl of Yarborough and was quite an impressive piece of masonry. We then walked down the lane towards Bembridge Fort, which is also managed by, and being restored by, the NT, but is only open occasionally. Bembridge Fort is another Palmerstone defence against possible invasion by the French in the 1800s. After this we returned to the downland and stomped down the hill to the coastal path, retracing our steps to the car. An invigorating walk, and one that could be taken considerably further.

Distance: 3.8 miles

Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4283423.html

View across Sandown Bay

Landslip

Yarborough Memorial

Gun Emplacement

Bembridge Fort

Gorse

Chilton Chine

Another glorious spring day on the Isle of Wight, and I was off out to lunch with a friend in Brighstone.  The drive to Brighstone was delightful; turning left at The Sun Inn at Calbourne meant I drove along a country road passing Winkle Street,  between arches made of tree branches meeting the hedge opposite, leaving dappled patterns of sunlight on the road.  We had lunch then we loaded my friends' dogs into her car and headed for the military road in search of a beach. We parked at Chilton Chine, near Isle of Wight Pearl and headed along a short footpath to a dilapidated, but stable, stairway to the beach below, bordering the chine. Turning right at the bottom we headed along the beach, throwing balls for the dogs and putting the world to rights. The sky was a glorious blue, with fluffy white clouds, and there was a stiff breeze blowing. We were well wrapped up though, so that didn't matter. The beach was strewn with boulders cut into myriad shapes by the action of the sea and the wind, all different and many fascinating to look at. The cliffs above were made of unstable clay in various shades of orange and yellow, with patches of blue slipper clay on the beach below.  There were signs too of recent cliff falls following winter storms. Other detritus included lobster pots, a bright pink buoy, various lengths of rope and large pieces of driftwood. The tide was coming in and the surf running up the beach was pure white and frothy. We turned back after about three-quarters of an hour as the tide was coming in and we didn't want to get cut off; there are few points of access to the beach along this coast, which is ncurrently worse than normal following coastal erosion over the winter. After a steep climb back up the steps to the top of the cliff, we were back at the car, having paused to admire the superb views along the coast from the Needles to Blackgang Chine. I shall definitely come back here!

The Poo Museum

This afternoon we went on an expedition to the 'Poo Museum' located within the Isle of Wight Zoo at Yaverland. Once we had seen it advertised, it would have been rude not to go.

The zoo is located in an old fort on Yaverland seafront, a bit further along from the Dinosaur Museum.  If you go, and are expecting an experience similar to London Zoo or Marwell Zoo, then you will be disappointed, as this is a small zoo in a slightly dilapidated seaside town. However, it does have quite a lot of animals, all well cared for, and staff who know what they are talking about and who give tours.  Back to the poo....

The Poo Museum was located inside the walls of the fort, and was put together by Ecclestone George, a collective of local artists I think; there were various lavatories located around the walls containing information leaflets, and quite a few poo samples which had been prepared and contained within spheres of clear plastic (I think!). Samples included rat poo, skunk poo, cat poo in a shoe, dinosaur poo and human baby poo. Each sphere rested atop a drainpipe, and was connected to other pipes. At the far end was a 'Poo Tree' with small black plastic bags among its branches, as this seems to be a common sight in the countryside these days.  Certainly an interesting idea and display all round, and the children and adults in there seemed to be enjoying it. I did, certainly.

We toured the zoo as we had paid to get in (discount for Island residents with proof of address), and admired the many lemurs, spider monkeys, giant rabbits, and goats before getting to the stars of the show; these were the big cats. The zoo is noted for rescuing tigers from circuses and we saw four or five beautiful creatures today, including a pure white one. There was also a GORGEOUS jaguar (my favourite big cat), with stunning markings. We couldn't get close to the lions as their enclosure was roped off - I think they were being given space to get to know each other. However, we could see a large male lion in the distance.

After the zoo we went for a drive, via Shanklin and Ventnor, and ended up having a blat up the military road before heading home along the back roads to avoid all the road works, and singing along to Snow Patrol and Beyoncé at the top of our lungs. Along the way, in fact all day, we had played 'Yellow Car No Returns' which I won, much to the teenager's disgust ("I'm not playing any more anyway Mum"), with a final score of 23 - 17. Always a good game.

Simi the new Tiger

Busy Weekend

So, Friday night became quiz night. I was invited to join a team of friends for a fundraising event in aid of Layla's Trust, a local children's charity, at the Traveller's Joy in Northwood. The night began with an all you can eat curry, consisting of four types of curry, rice, onion bahjis, poppadoms, and chutneys. Very nice indeed! The quiz started at about 8pm, and got rather competitive fairly quickly. We knew the majority of the neighbouring team so quite a bit of heckling ensued. Great fun. We didn't win, but we did have a good evening. The pub was packed so I expect that a lot of money was raised for the trust. 

Saturday was very busy. We had a family outing to Lymington and met up with my sister and her family. We all pottered round the market (well worth a visit) as well as the lovely shops, before going to lunch at The Ship Inn, a pub on the quay. Here we had a delicious meal, although the service was unusually bad, and caught up with all the family news. I recommend the burger and chips!

In the evening, once back on the Island, I joined a couple of friends and we drove to Newport to join in the 'Wight on Pink Breast Cancer Now Torches and Tassels' walk from Sandown to Newport. We registered, then caught the free bus to Sandown Bay Academy, the mustering point.  Everyone had to stand around for a while in the cold ready for the 8pm start. We were entertained by a jolly samba band though, who got everyone in the right mood. At 8pm we lined up, listened to a speech by a town crier, and set off accompanied by more samba music.

The route was well planned, with marshalls at road crossings, and pink arrows sprayed on the path to direct us. We followed the Sandown to Newport cycle track, the old railway line for the most part, which was bordered at the start by the River Yar, and later on by the River Medina. About halfway along the route there were ladies handing out water, and a portaloo was provided. Everyone was in a jolly mood, many people were in fancy dress (not me) and fun seemed to be had by all. As we walked along, and walkers were spreading out, we could see a line of pink fairy lights and light up head-dresses moving along the route. It must have looked quite peculiar to anyone seeing it from afar who didn't know what was happening.

At the end of the route, we passed under a bridge and through an archway of pink balloons and were cheered and given a medal and goodie bag. An excellent, well organised event which I hope will be repeated next year.

Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4273406.html

Distance: 8.5miles 

Lymington Quay

Samba band

Sculpture near Blackwater

Balloon archway

Medal and goodies

Symphony Orchestra March 2016

Off to Medina Leisure Centre I went this evening, for a concert by Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra, arriving with about a minute to spare due to my poor timing. However, I had already bought a ticket and found my seat easily.  On my arrival the ticket checker asked 'Are you on your own?' to which I replied 'Yes', and received the reply 'Never mind dear, there's plenty of company inside'. I wasn't quite sure what to say! Surely plenty of people go to concerts on their own - I can't be that unusual! Most of the tickets had sold, but I had most of a small row to myself and was able to spread out. Bliss! I don't enjoy being cramped up with people I don't know.

The first half had two pieces of music; the first was 'Scherzo Fantastico' by Suk which I thoroughly enjoyed. Suk is not a well known composer apparently, but this was an interesting piece and kept me entertained throughout.  The second piece was 'Four Last Songs' by Strauss with the soloist Jane Streeton. This was performed well by the orchestra, and Ms Streeton had a beautiful voice, but it wasn't really my cup of tea.

After the interval, during which I ate a delicious Minghella ice cream, the orchestra played 'Symphony No. 3' by Rachmaninov. This was performed exceptionally well and I enjoyed every minute of it. I will endeavour to attend their next concert as I have enjoyed both concerts I have attended recently, and they are good value for money.