Up & Over which starts from the Apple Farm, Freshwater & as the name suggests we climb Up & Over Afton Down via Freshwater golf course & down to the coastal path with great views looking along Back of the Wight.
Then along to Freshwater Bay.
And back via Afton Marsh, the source of the Western Yar & The Causeway.
Our second walk was Solent Views
From Colwell Bay with views across the Solent to Hurst Castle built by Henry VIII.
Up onto Headon Warren & Hatherwood Battery, one of Palmerstone's Follies built in the 19th century.
Weather must have been warm as we even saw a slow worm basking in the sunshine!
Our last walk was Up High on the Downs
With more fantastic views.
The Needles lighthouse was the last in the UK to be automated. It was continually manned for 135 years. The last lighthouse men left the lighthouse in 1994.
Tennyson would often walk up on the Downs. Here he would be inspired & wrote 'Charge of the Light Brigade'. One of his most famous sayings was: 'Tis better to have loved & lost than never to have loved at all.'
We did all three walks with Michele - and boy, were we lucky with the weather! That really was the "icing on the cake" as we hadn't expected it, but what really made the walks SO special was Michele's amazing knowledge of the island which really brought it to life.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, given her vast experience of travelling worldwide, she's a really fascinating walking companion, and one we will be using again on our next visit to the island!
Ronni & André Usborne
October 2011