Tennyson Trail Follows an Traverse of the Island, Completing Our East-West Farringford in Freshwater
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ISLE OF WIGHT ISLE OF WIGHT 05 BEMBRIDGE TRAIL 06 TENNYSON TRAIL A A SOUTH EAST SOUTH EAST uDistance: 12½ miles/20.1km uTime: 6 hours uGrade: Challenging B uDistance: 15¼ miles/24.5km uTime: 7 hours uGrade: Challenging B Bembridge windmill, PLAN YOUR WALK Tennyson Down, heading PLAN YOUR WALK early in the walk. towards The Needles. PHOTO: AVAILABLE LIGHTPHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY* AVAILABLE PHOTO: PHILIPTHOMAS ROUTE ROUTE Start/parking Pilot Boat Start/parking Newport Inn, Bembridge, PO35 Bus Station, grid ref 5NN, grid ref SY642886. SZ499889. Parking nearby Roadside parking in at Coppins Bridge, PO30 CHOSEN BY… corner of next field. Follow Bembridge, but it’s best to CHOSEN BY… Bronze Age barrows to gun 2BX. Or park at end catch a bus from the end (Alum Bay, PO39 0JD) PHILIP THOMAS causeway along edge of PHILIP THOMAS batteries, and a rocket test site. at Newport Bus Station and catch bus to start The first stage of our marshes and cross airfield, next Is it for me? Local trail Alfred Tennyson Is it for me? Long, gently journey across the crossing several fields into (missing markers in famously remarked Start undulating linear route on Isle of Wight, the Bembridge Centurion’s Copse. At sign, R places) over gentle downs that the air here is “worth 1From bus station, turn L onto well-signposted trail over Trail navigates the marshes, for ‘Brading’ (BB23), R again and along field paths, sixpence a pint.” And even South St (B3323), then R into coastal downs, bridleways, copses and gentle downs that (BB20) and R at third junction, bridleways and byway today, a walk across the breezy St James’ St, L onto Pyle Street farm & forest tracks tracks. Briefly on roads Stiles None characterise the east of the on causeway over footbridge. Stiles 7 hilltop named in his honour and finally L onto Carisbrooke island, ending at its heart in On reaching house, go along still leaves you feeling quids in. Road. Follow for 1 mile through PLANNING the county town of Newport. Quay Lane to Brading Church. PLANNING Tennyson Down is not alone Carisbrooke (where it becomes Nearest towns Nearest towns on the Isle of Wight in being High Street, B3401) and fork L Newport/Freshwater Start 3¼ miles/5.2 km Ryde/Newport named for the Victorian poet into Nodgham Lane at end Refreshments Newport/ 1Follow Bembridge Trail (BT) 2L down High Street, and Refreshments Newport, laureate, who lived at (SZ482 881), signposted Carisbrooke, pubs/cafés at Brading and Arreton Freshwater Bay, NT kiosk along Station Road, picking up after 50 yds, cross R up Cross Farringford in Freshwater. ‘Tennyson Trail’. Public toilets Start/finish at Needles New Battery. footpath into Brading Marshes. Street. R up Doctor’s Lane to Public transport Bus No.8 Completing our east-west Public toilets Carisbrooke L to emerge from woodland West Lane. L on road past Newport-Bembridge traverse of the island, the 1¼ miles/2 km High St, Freshwater Bay and R onto High Street, and as Nunwell House gatehouse, Maps OS Explorer OL29; Tennyson Trail follows an 2After 100 yds, fork R up Public transport Return road bends L, go R onto lane turning L over stile into field. Landranger 196 undulating crest of chalk byway (Down Lane). This on Southern Vectis bus for ‘Bembridge Windmill.’ R Cross field along tree line to downland from the centre to sunken lane emerges atop No.7 Alum Bay-Newport www.islandbuses.info before NT booth and L through stile and continue to fingerpost to lane, go L passing Nunwell the iconic Needles at its Bowcombe Down where the Maps OS Explorer OL29; gate and cross stile. Bear L of New Farm, next aiming R Farm, then R up track, towards westernmost tip. It’s a walk Tennyson Trail continues Landranger 196 downhill to kissing gate and of Nunwell Farm to stile/ downs. Ahead to gate at end, awash in sumptuous scenery roughly on SW course for follow trail to stile in opp bridge. Continue over next stile then R on path, following ➥ and intriguing landmarks, from about 4 miles on farm ➥ GRADIENT PROFILE GRADIENT PROFILE 600 600 400 400 200 200 metres metres 0 0 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 ✁ SOUTH EAST SOUTH EAST ISLE OF WIGHT ISLE OF WIGHT 06 TENNYSON TRAIL 05 BEMBRIDGE TRAIL uOS Explorer map OL29 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop uOS Explorer map OL29 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop 1 START START 1 2 2 4 ©CROWN COPYRIGHT 2017 ORDNANCE SURVEY. MEDIA001/17 ORDNANCESURVEY. 2017 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN 3 ©CROWN COPYRIGHT 2017 ORDNANCE SURVEY. MEDIA001/17 ORDNANCESURVEY. 2017 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN 3 FINISH 6 FINISH 4 4 5 tracks/woodland bridleways, Tennyson Trail through NT gate turns R through gate for the until Brighstone Down. It’s and around an old pit, forking final climb onto Tennyson signposted all the way and R uphill. After passing the Down. Reaching the Tennyson breaks in the hedgerows give Bronze Age Barrows of Brook Monument, bear R to Nodes hedgerow around L to road. track, following L to house on quarry track, then down glimpses Carisbrooke Castle Down, a long and level stretch Beacon, forking L through gate Mersley Lane. L then R onto St George’s Lane to Shide. to your L. Continue straight across Compton Down gives over West High Down towards 5 miles/8km bridleway NC6 for ‘Arreton’. on at junctions and through fine views over the broad arc the Needles. Arriving at the 3R on verge for 700 yds, Keep straight until Shepherd’s 11¾ miles/17.5km Brighstone Forest. of the bay, before the trail New Battery, make time to cross L at sign down byway Lane (Track), turning R then L 6L and cross Blackwater descends steadily through the explore the fortifications and to Kern. Go L around farm. on original bearing to Arreton. Road into Shide Road. R along 5¾ miles/9.25km golf course on Afton Down rocket test site before road/ R on lane to farm gate, then Medina Avenue, then L and R 3Emerging from the trees, and into Freshwater Bay. path around to bus stop at L on byway B35 to ‘Knighton’. 9¼ miles/14.9km around M&S, and along Church you’re greeted by a view of the Needles Park/Alum Bay. Straight at next cross path, 5Emerging on lane by Litten to bus station. sea. Follow the Tennyson Trail 11 miles/17.7km cross sand pits access track, school, R onto pavement R and as the trail dips onto 4As you meet the A3055 GET THIS WALK next fork R up bridleway and along A3056, R into car park GET THIS WALK Lynch Lane, turn R then L to (Military Road), turn R on go L on lane, through farm for Arreton Barns, then L at ON YOUR PHONE: 2017 May Walking © Country ON YOUR PHONE: 2017 May Walking © Country pick up the path again over verge/pavement, following lfto.com/cwroutes buildings to Knighton Chute. sign for St George’s Down lfto.com/cwroutes Mottistone Down and straight the road beside the short (A27A). Go over Downend onto Pay Down, descending to promenade and past the IN ASSOCIATION WITH 7 miles/11.3km Road to byway up onto the IN ASSOCIATION WITH the B3399. Carefully cross to Albion Hotel. Turn L onto lane 4L onto verge, and cross to down. Go straight at junction the farm track opposite and by public toilets/bus shelter, path R after 300 yds. Follow to (byway A28 for ‘Shide’). Keep follow the chalk ruts of the after which the trail shortly OS MAPS stile and through paddocks to on trail to golf course, crossing OS MAPS ✁.