Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Isle of Wight

  • Isle of Wight Trip – Day 4 (Old St. Helen’s Church on the Duver)

    This was an interesting sight, the old St. Helen’s Church of which now only the tower remains. There has been a church here since the early eighth century, although the original wooden building was destroyed during a Danish raid in 998.

    The new stone church was built in the early twelfth century and the tower was added in the thirteenth century. The church was used by the Benedictines, but it started to fall out of use in the early fifteenth century and well before the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

    The church came into the ownership of Eton College in 1440 and they owned it until 1799, but they didn’t bother to maintain it. This meant that chunks of it fell down and the locals pinched the stone. Other pieces of the stone, namely the sandstone, were taken by sailors who used the holy stones to scour and whiten the decks.

    After a while of the stones being pinched the decision was made to demolish what was left, other than the tower. The tower was instead painted white, which it remains today, by the British Navy in 1719 and used as a navigational aid. A new church was built inland in the eighteenth century and was also given the dedication of St. Helen’s.

    Today the church remains bricked up and the entrances are sealed with iron grilles to prevent any access. It’s easily noticeable along the coastline and at least the tower has remained for future generations.

     

  • Isle of Wight Trip – Day 6 (Tram Line on Ryde Pier)

    There are three parallel structures which run to the end of Ryde Pier, one takes the railway, another takes the road and pedestrian walkway and the final one is the remains of the old tram line. Some of the tram line structure was demolished when the service fell out of use, although it has been used as a temporary walkway when the main walkway needed to be restored.

    The tramway, as indicated above, ran along the pier from 29 August 1864 until 26 January 1969. Initially the tram was powered by horses, then steam and then finally it was transferred to an electric system. The tram was designed to maximise capacity and there was a driver’s carriage at only one end, meaning it had to be reversed back along the line.

    Although one of the tram carriages was kept after the service ended, the storage conditions were poor and it’s in quite a state. The island’s steam railway has a project to bring the carriage back into use, but as they note, the carriage was designed to maximise capacity and not comfort, making it a problem for today’s health and safety requirements.

    Although the tram carriage itself is likely to be brought back into use once it’s restored, there are no plans to reinstate the former track along the pier. The condition of this is poor and I can only begin to imagine how much it would cost to bring it back into use. However, at least there is a train service in operation, so there remains a public transport option on what must be one of the few trains to operate along a pier in Europe.

  • Isle of Wight Trip – Day 4 (More Photos)

    More photos from day 4 of the Isle of Wight adventure.

  • Isle of Wight Trip – Day 5 (More Photos)

    And photos from day five of our walking expedition around the Isle of Wight.

  • Isle of Wight Trip – Day 6 (More Photos)

    And some more photos from day six of our walking around the Isle of Wight adventure.

  • Isle of Wight Trip – Day 6 (Statistics)

    This was the third Hike Norfolk long distance walking challenge, the first was in Hadrian’s Wall in 2017 and the second was the Ridgeway in 2018. The Isle of Wight Coastal path was shorter at 65 miles and the terrain was flatter, but we did do extra distances due to walking to hotels, restaurants and the occasional historical walking tour…..

    Due to the slight ridiculously habit some of us have of not using any baggage transfer services, I’ve always recorded whether they were supported or unsupported completions of the path. Not that it matters, the main thing is getting round the path or just enjoying the taking part   🙂   There are never any last places in long distance walking (well there are, but not on these trips).

    UNSUPPORTED COMPLETIONS

    Gordon, Bev, Susanna, Julian and Liam

    SUPPORTED COMPLETIONS OR PART DISTANCES

    Susan, Clive, Ross, Richard, Katherine

  • Isle of Wight Trip – Day 6 (Final Awards)

    Although for the first time in ages we didn’t get round to actually having a formal announcement of these during the walk itself, these were the awards that were made. Congratulations to the award winners from this trip   🙂

     

    BRAVEST MALE OF THE WEEK OTHER THAN JULIAN

    Clive

    BRAVEST FEMALE OF THE WEEK

    Susanna

    BRAVEST PERSON OF THE WEEK OTHER THAN JULIAN

    Clive

    BEST IMPRESSION OF THE WEEK

    Gordon

    BEST LOCAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT

    Katherine

    MOST EXPENSIVE FERRY CROSSING OF THE WEEK

    Richard

    PERSON WHO HAS LEFT THE MOST STUFF IN HOTEL ROOMS

    Ross

    BEST TROUSERS OF THE WEEK

    Gordon

    BEST SUPPORT TEAM OF THE WEEK

    Katherine’s Parents

  • Isle of Wight Trip – Day 6 (Ryde to East Cowes)

    And the journey is now over, we completed the last section of the walk from Ryde to East Cowes which was a distance of just eight miles.

    The breakfast at the Royal Esplanade Hotel was better than I expected, although overall I’d be unlikely to stay at the hotel again. There are though plenty of hotel options in Ryde and it’s one of the cheaper places to stay on the island.

    The first side expedition of the day was to Ryde Pier Head, which is the first train line that I’ve seen which runs for the entire length of a pier. There are three separate structures which go down to the end of the pier, the structure carrying the train line, the structure carrying the pedestrians and cars and the abandoned structure which once carried trams.

    There’s a small display at the end of the pier about the history of the railway network on the Isle of Wight, now sadly much depleted from its former state. Someone shouted a few things at Richard about his shirt, which caused much hilarity, and then it was back to the hotel to start the walk properly.

    The first substantial stop was at Quarr Abbey which is an early twentieth century monastery of some considerable architectural interest. There is also an old abbey, of which we saw the remains, but this was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and much of the stone sent to Cowes and Yarmouth to use in their fortifications.

    There wasn’t a great deal of coast walking today as most of it was inland. There was a bit more road walking than was ideal, a total contrast to the open spaces on the southern parts of the island. We walked into East Cowes and had a late lunch at the Prince of Wales pub, a former hostelry used by the coachmen of Queen Victoria.

    From there it was the excitement of using the chain ferry to get from East Cowes into West Cowes, a strangely enjoyable final section of the coastal journey. From there it was a short walk back into the centre of West Cowes and we had completed the entire coast path.

    The evening meal was at the appropriately named Coast Bar, where the pizza was marvellous and the service engaging. With everyone tired from their exertions that is now the end of the trip. Well done to every single person who took part and thanks for their forbearance.

  • Isle of Wight Trip – Day 5 (Sandown to Ryde)

    Day four of walking was our most exciting as we knew that Richard May, our county’s most senior Rambler, was walking with us. Richard was arriving by train from Ryde whilst the rest of us were located within Sandown in a collection of hotels near to each other.

    Breakfast for Susan, Clive, Liam and myself was in a bigger breakfast room than we had anticipated, and all ran to plan. There was a particularly wide selection of teas available, not that that’s much relevance to anyone. Although for anyone who does like lots of tea for breakfast, then Chad Hill is recommended.

    The excitement of the walk started with a walk through Sandown along the front, where we were fortunately able to replace from shops all the items which Ross had lost in his hotel room. Katherine’s lovely parents collected some bags up ready for onward service and the first hill of the day came into the horizon soon after. It was actually the only real hill of the day, which was unfortunate as we wanted to see just how fit and healthy Richard was.

    On another note, we walked past the Isle of Wight Zoo, and under normal circumstances I’d have rather liked to have gone in there. It wasn’t really the best option for our walk though, but that reminded me that I think I’d like to come back to the Isle of Wight in the near future to see a few more of the attractions.

    Before we arrived into Bembridge we came across Sandhills Holiday Park which had some giant deckchairs. Liam looked even smaller than normal, and Richard looked rather graceful and elegant in his. The rain also started at this point, but fortunately it didn’t last for too long. The Isle of Wight seems to have its own micro-climate going on, even when part of the island has a tornado other parts can be sunny.

    Our lunch stop was the Crab & Lobster pub where the real ale selection wasn’t dreadful, so I also had some lovely Mini Cheddars to go with my drink. This pub holds some special memories for Susanna, but it wouldn’t be for me to post about exactly what they are. Some things are best not written down.

    Richard ordered a delightful cheese and pickle baguette, but was bemused to find that the majority of his snack consisted of pickle. Everyone laughed (well nearly everyone) and much amusement was caused by this. On a side note, and I’ll post about it separately later on, it was a decent pub and it had a long and interesting history.

    Then disaster struck. In a bid to get Ross a long sit-down we decided to stop at a seafront cafe, near to the remains of St. Helen’s Church. The church nave has entirely disappeared, although the tower remains, and there was an interesting board which noted that sailors used the holy stones to scrub down the decks of their ships. That wasn’t the disaster though, I got distracted writing about churches…

    Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, Ross and Bev didn’t make it to that stop as they marched off down the route to look at a horse. Ross did get his stop though after we located them thirty minutes later and he seemed delighted at his Crunchie Bar. The cafe was Baywatch on the Beach and it would have been disappointing not to experience such an interestingly named location.

    I haven’t mentioned Gordon much yet in today’s post, but he was majestic as ever and was brightly dressed in the most yellow waterproof trousers that I’ve ever seen. He looked like a very grand fisherman, so very elegant and brave. He remains on course for winning the person of the week for his sense of humour, presence and intellect.

    Everyone was very brave as we’re reaching the end of the walk now and some people are fraying in a few places. Fortunately my health is superb, that’s what happens with my healthy Greggs and dark beer diet. I have had some sort of allergic reaction in my eye, but I’ve hardly mentioned that and it’s nearly entirely cleared up. Ross has some hurty ankles and battled on very bravely indeed, and Clive and Richard also excelled themselves against the odds. Absolutely everyone has been marvellous this week in their walking and keeping up.

    We arrived into Ryde and checked into the Royal Esplanade Hotel, and after I had a minor argument with the receptionist we were ready to check in. The hotel is located by the seafront and is a grand affair which seems to have had some money spent on it. It’s one of those places which seems well managed but has a few irritating glitches, but more on that another time.

    Then something lovely happened, we went to Wetherspoons in Ryde and they had a decent beer (they actually had a few decent beers in fairness). This is the first really interesting beer that I’ve managed to get on the Isle of Wight, and given all the independent pubs I’ve visited, it’s partly disappointing that it’s Wetherspoons that has offered the best choice. The beer was a black IPA, with a decent depth of taste without being over-powering. Anyway, more on the Wetherspoons visit another time, but they didn’t disappoint me.

    The evening meal was at the Monsoon Indian restaurant and although they had some habits which were irritating, yet again more on which another time, the food and drink was excellent. We were surprised and delighted that Gordon was able to do his impressions of Bev once again, his swimming and drinking impression combination is a delight to behold.

    Bev disappeared under the table at one point and discovered some pants of some description, but the least written about that the better. Goodness knows how she does it, it’s quite magical. I will say that Gordon looked particularly pleased and delighted when he discovered where Bev appeared from though. A holiday without Bev just isn’t the same……

    I was tempted to return to JD Wetherspoon after the meal, but I don’t think there were enough takers after our long walk, and it was likely a visit most of us would have regretted in the morning. But I remain delighted at finding a beer in there which showed some thought and application from the pub.

    All in all it was a rather lovely day, and there are only around eight miles left tomorrow before the entire walk is finished. We’ve been fortunate with the rain so far, so perhaps we’ll remain fortunate enough to finish the walk without getting wet.

    The main event will take place tonight, it’s the post mortem meal (not literally) where the route and leadership is discussed. I can’t wait to hear what Bev has to say about the walk leadership team…..

    And, I can announce now, that the awards will be the following (there might be a few more added):

    WALK LEADER OF THE WEEK

    BRAVEST MALE OF THE WEEK OTHER THAN JULIAN

    BRAVEST FEMALE OF THE WEEK

    BRAVEST PERSON OF THE WEEK OTHER THAN JULIAN

    BEST COMMENT OF THE WEEK

    MOST RAUCOUS PERSON OF THE WALK

    BEST IMPRESSION OF THE WEEK

    BEST LOCAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT

    MOST EXPENSIVE FERRY CROSSING OF THE WEEK

    PERSON WHO HAS LEFT THE MOST STUFF IN HOTEL ROOMS

    BEST TROUSERS OF THE WEEK

    BEST SUPPORT TEAM OF THE WEEK

  • Isle of Wight Trip – Day 4 (Chale to Sandown)

    With the exception of Clive we were all in the Wight Mouse Inn at Chale and breakfast was certainly an experience. The staff member was perhaps a little over excited, although I think he caught the mood of our group perfectly, so I have no complaints. Nor does Boris Becker.

    The breakfasts that came out were nearly entirely wrong, but that almost seemed part of the fun. It transpired that when Bev’s breakfast was corrected (as there was missing black pudding) the staff member forgot to bring out the black pudding which was missing from the original meal, so there were mistakes on top of mistakes. However, it didn’t matter, the food was decent and the service was engaging and fun. Very lovely.

    Then Gordon did something strange. He forgot his water and rather than walk the 75 metres back to the hotel, he walked 50 metres to a private residence. He asked them for his water and they obliged. Then Katherine, thinking Gordon might have actually been staying where he was getting water, then tried to use their toilet. Goodness only knows what that poor householder thought was happening.

    After forgetting that Ross didn’t know the way to the church, we sent Bev off to investigate matters and she found him loitering. We had an enjoyable look around Chale Church, which was full of architectural challenges and conundrums. There were some signs to help us understand it, but in essence it’s a chapel which grew in size over the centuries as more money became available. After Ross had finished his excessive look at the church, it was time to move on.

    The walk went past the amusement park of Blackgang Chine and the beautiful views over the coast continued. We walked to St. Lawrence and could see the massive landslips which have taken place over the decades, which includes the cutting off of one of the island’s coast roads. My camera also went some interesting places, which Gordon kept recounting throughout the day.

    Some of the group stopped at Katherine’s parents where they kindly offered those there tea and coffee. Me being me and wanting to stick to my arbitrary deadline, went with Ross to Ventnor and we stopped at the Spyglass Inn. Susanna got a bit lost and had an ice cream and the others turned up soon afterwards.

    Gordon was in one his funny moods and seemed to be a bit awkward, but we’re used to dealing with that. I’ve been specially trained in communication skills, so I was able to ensure that he was more than happy again. The food at the pub was good and the real ale selection was, well, acceptable without being extensive. I say the food was good, I had a pack of Bacon Fries, but the others looked good.

    From lunch it was then onto the hillier regions of the island, although not before we stopped at Old St Boniface Church. This simply magnificent little church dates to the eleventh century and is packed with character and has what might have been the original door. I had scheduled this little trip into my timings and managed to get an excellent amount of exploration done and a local church member gave me a little tour. Very lovely.

    Gordon, who is verging between delighting and horrifying me, came to collect me as he didn’t want to walk off as Bev did. Fortunately Gordon is a gentleman, so we proceeded with our little walking adventure.

    The walk into Shanklin was uneventful, although Bev sat on me but fortunately nothing got broken. Gordon, back to top form, bought Liam and me a lovely ice cream at some tea rooms and Bev sat there giggling whilst she ate and drank her afternoon tea and scones. I’d add that Liam was particularly pleased with his two scoops of ice cream, but I’m not greedy, so I just had one. The service at the cafe was friendly and helpful, but it was slower than the implementation of Brexit, so we were there for a little while.

    We got back to the hotel before it started raining, with Gordon and Ross being at the most expensive accommodation. Gordon spoke very highly of it, saying that it was like student accommodation, although he was clearly a student at some very exclusive locations.

    The restaurant that I picked was the Old Corner Bank and this was a quirky former, well, bank, which has been turned into a pub and restaurant. The service was excellent and although we had quite a wait for the meals, they surpassed our expectations and were good value for money. My fish and chips was a decent size portion, the fish flaked away nicely and the batter was fine, so all in all a perfectly acceptable meal.

    But, I at this point need to mention that Richard May is here, the highlight of the trip for Ross. Ross was so excited that he just stopped and stared at Richard for a few seconds, partly delighted and partly just relieved that he had made it.

    After the restaurant we went off to The Castle Inn, which is mentioned in the Good Beer Guide. There were four real ales available and they weren’t really what I was looking for, but the half pint that I had was at the appropriate temperature, was well kept and had a reasonable flavour. Ross battled through his drink without falling asleep and Gordon and Ross compared blisters, each saying that the other one had it worse. Katherine and her parents were there, as well as Liam and Richard, all enjoying various drinks before the trip home.

    A few of us then had a little walk around Sandown whilst waiting for Richard’s last train. Richard is in Ryde in a grand hotel and he’s coming back in the morning by train ready to join us for his first day of walking. I hope that he doesn’t go slowly, as it’s always sad to leave someone behind.

    Gordon also asked what the constitution of this group is, but he should know that the first rule of this group is that you don’t ask for the rules of the group. Really the whole thing is just a dictatorship, but covered over with the facade of democracy, but Gordon will soon learn.

    And on that note, that’s it for today. I will go back and write far more drivel about certain churches, pubs and restaurants that we’ve visited today, as I have much more to say. As usual.