Guildford Ramblings: Walking Holiday On The Isle Of Wight

Published on: 4 Jun, 2015
Updated on: 4 Jun, 2015

By Kay Hiatt

One lovely Sunday in May we sailed over to the Isle of Wight, arriving at the Albion hotel for the next four nights.

View from hotel over Freshwater Bay.

Wasting no time we started our first walk at 3pm led by Phillip, following the Tennyson Trail out on the downs – a mere 4.5 miles. And we were raring to go, as the photo shows!

A happy group of ramblers assemble for the morning’s walk.

We passed some dramatic trees bent by the wind, breathed in the heady perfume of yellow gorse at its peak, glimpsed cliffs in the distance and accepted the steep path up to the Tennyson Monument. Several ramblers extended their walk on to Alum Bay to view ‘The Needles’!

Trees bent by the wind.

Yellow gorse.

Tennyson and his wife had rowed to the island in 1850 after missing the ferry, fell in love with Farringford House in Freshwater and lived there for 40 years. The island’s landscape inspired him to write some of his most famous poems, including Maud and Crossing the bar.

Headstones among cow parsley.

Our walk of seven miles on Monday, led by Lynne, was an easy, fairly level walk along both sides of the River Yar, passing All Saints Church, which has stained glass windows based on paintings by George Watts (Watts Gallery, Compton). The churchyard with its pale grey headstones lay peaceful among the new season’s crop of cow parsley.

On the way back I heard a very strange hooting coming from the reeds but couldn’t spot any bird. I had a brainwave and looked up the hoopoe on my phone and its sound was what I had heard. This bird is widespread in Europe, Asia and Africa and a rare visitor – helpful staff at the hotel confirmed these birds were in Sandown and a local man said he had them in his garden! Hip, hip, hoopoe!

Tuesday’s circular walk started from Shorwell via Kingston and Billingham Manor, ably led by Phillip. This is an area of outstanding beauty with the Worsley and Shepherd’s trails wending their way throughout.

View of the sea.

View of the cliffs.

There were lovely views of ploughed brown fields edged by the sea and cliffs.

Red Campion, dog violets, cow parsley.

Red campion, dog violets and cow parsley were colourful confections, contrasting with with the wool-edged wire fence – then, as on other days, back to the pub for a lunch – and today it was fresh crab sandwiches!

Wednesday’s walk took place without me, as I decided to be a tourist for the day, visiting the famous chine at Shanklin, revered by Jane Austen and Keats as a place of great beauty. However, as I has forgotten my purse and had no money, occupied myself by walking, just as a change, from Shanklin to Sandown and back again via the cliff path!

Hamstead Point.

And then our final walk on Thursday before getting the ferry and driving back to Guildford. After breakfast we drove to Ningwood to walk parts of the Hamstead Trail and the Coastal Path. Colin, one of our group, took this stunning photo of a mass of sea pinks crowding the land at Hamstead Point.