Freshwater Bay to the Needles
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Freshwater Bay to the Needles BLUE ROUTE BLUE Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Walk #15 FOR THE MORE ADVENTUROUS WHO DON’T MIND A BIT OF A CHALLENGE START/FINISH: Freshwater Bay TIME: 4 Hours DISTANCE: 6 miles J F 47 43 E 17 I B A G 16 22 D 50 24 Portsmouth To Southampton 25 Southsea 23 on - Cowes on - East Cowes assenger Ferry 26 H P / assenger Ferry P Southampt Vehicle Southampt THE EGYPT POINT OLD CASTLE POINT SOLENT GURNARD BAY Cowes Gurnard East Cowes Lymington B 3 3 2 5 OSBORNE BAY Portsmouth - Ryde Passenger Hovercraft Portsmouth - Fishbourne Vehicle/Passenger Ferry Portsmouth - Ryde Rew Street Passenger Ferry THORNESS BAY RIVER MEDINA RYDE Map: © Mapbox, © OpenStreetMap © Mapbox, © Map: PIER HEAD Whippingham HERITAGE COAST RYDE Vehicle/PassengerLymington Ferry - Yarmouth Northwood ESPLANADE NEWTOWN A 3 0 2 1 PUCKPOOL BAY POINT Marks WOOTTON CREEKFishbourne A 3 0 2 0 Corner DODNOR A 3 0 5 4 CREEK & Ryde DICKSONS Quarr Hill Binstead RYDE COPSE Wootton ST JOHN’S ROAD Spring Vale Bridge C L A M E R K I N HERSEY RESERVE, Seaview LAKE WOOTTON SEAVIEW DUVER HERITAGE COAST Porcheld FIRESTONE SEAGROVE BAY Wootton COPSE 24a Hamstead PARKHURST Common FOREST NEWTOWN RIVER Newtown Parkhurst Nettlestone P SMALLBROOK 0 4 3 3 B P R I O R Y B AY NINGWOOD JUNCTION SCONCE BRIDDLESFORD Havenstreet COMMON P COPSES POINT SWANPOND NODE’S POINT BOULDNOR Cranmore Newtown deserted HAVENSTREET COPSE P COPSE Medieval village P P A 3 0 5 4 Norton Bouldnor Ashey P A 3 0 5 5 St Helens C Cli End Yarmouth Shaleet BEMBRIDGE Ningwood Newport POINT ASHEY B 3 3 3 0 A 3 0 5 4Norton MILL COPSE Thorley Thorley Street Carisbrooke SHIDE Green CHALK PIT NUNWELL TRAIL B 3 3 9 0 COLWELL BAY WAY FRESHWATER Bembridge B 3 4 0 1 R I V E R YA R EAGLEHEAD AND BRADING GOLDEN P P A S H E Y BLOODSTONE COPSE HILL Wellow Shide 126 MARSHES B 3 4 0 1 131 P COUNTRY Downend D O W N R I V E R YA R PARK Five Houses P M E R S L E Y D O W N Brading Newbridge BRADING FORELAND S T G E O R G E ’ S Michael Morey’s The Devil’s Hump DOWN B 3 3 9 5 A 3 0 5 5 138 KNIGHTON Punchbowl D O W N ARRETON BRADING 24 TOTLAND BAY 105 DOWN Freshwater DOWN P Brading Down HAMSTEAD TRAIL 109 BEMBRIDGE TRAIL Bowcombe Field System Calbourne 39 Totland AFTON TENNYSON TRAIL Arreton MARSHES Blackwater Morton Bembridge HATHERWOOD P P Fort 105 B 3 3 9 9 B E M B R I D G E Culver WHITECLIFF BAY Middleton B 3 4 0 1 Adgestone POINT Battery D O W N 100 Headon Afton 79 East Afton N E W B A R N 160 Langbridge Warren Down Barrows 151 Neolithic D O W N Alverstone B 3 3 2 2 Mortuary Freshwater Bay 164 Yaverland P Tennyson P E A S T A F T O N B R O O K 3 2 3 3 B Harborough Enclosure Newchurch Monument Memorial 147 D O W N Chessell Horringford MARTIN’S P D O W N 165 BRIGHSTONE P A L U M B AY FOREST WOOD THE P W E S T H I G H D O W N C O M P T O N CULVER ‘Five Barrows’ Gatcombe Merstone ALVERSTONE MEAD, NEEDLES TENNYSON TRAIL D O W N 213 CLIFF FRESHWATER BAY Brook Down Harboro’ Barrow YOUNGWOODS COPSE B 3 3 9 5 P Mottistone Down AND SANDOWN MEADOWS P B R I G H S T O N E 65 152 SANDOWN D O W N W E S T O V E R D O W N COMPTON BAY A 3 0 5 6 Winford 175 Rookley SCRATCHELL’S The Longstone 165 R O W B O R O U G H Chillerton BAY 167 Hulverstone D O W N Hill Fort Sandown P 106 HERITAGE COAST Brook LAKE HANOVER POINT P Mottistone C H I L L E R T O N Chillerton R I V E R YA R Lake D O W N Apse Heath P WORSLEY TRAIL B R O O K B AY Moortown P A 3 0 2 0 Shorwell AMERICA SANDOWN WOOD BAY Brighstone P P P Limerstone B 3 3 9 9 Sandford P SHANKLIN Whiteley Bank Yaord RIVER MEDINA Godshill STENBURY TRAIL 94 Thorncross Shanklin 85 Upper Hyde SHEPHERDS TRAIL SIBDEN HILL & H E R IT A G E C O A S T Worsley Monument BATTS COPSE A 3 0 5 5 70 S T M A R T I N ’ S Roud D O W N 209 235 154 S T E N B U R Y Luccombe BRIGHSTONE S H A N K L I N P D O W N Wroxall BAY Chale Green D O W N P P 145 Ather eld Green 210 P LUCCOMBE BAY Hoy’s 7 2 3 3 B Luccombe Down 39B B L E A K 199 Monument Southford 233 Barrow ATHERFIELD POINT D O W N 240 NANSEN S T B O N I FA C E HILL Bonchurch W E E K D O W N S T C AT H E R I N E ’ S D O W N P D O W N P Whitwell REW DOWN St. Catherine’s Kingates Chale Oratory Ventnor P M O N K S B AY C H A L E B AY ST LAWRENCE 237 UNDERCLIFF Niton Blackgang P PELHAM WOODS VENTNOR BAY St Lawrence P A 3 0 5 5 P R O C K E N E N D BINNEL ENGLISH BAY REETH BAY ST CATHERINE’S POINT DIRECTIONS: CHANNEL HERITAGE COAST A START: Start at the walk from the car park in Freshwater Bay. Cross F Pass by a burial mound fenced off from the rest of the field and head to over the road and make your way to the seafront. the Alum Bay Road along Foot Path 16. B Walk west along Gate Lane past the hotel. Turn left by the public G Turn left at the road and take care as you walk along the verge at the toilets and then right through the kissing gate to access Easton Field on road junction cross over and take the foot path near the cottages, which to Foot Path 50, which will join Foot Path 25 and 24 along the cliff top. will take you back towards the base of the chalk downs. C Follow the foot path to the end of the headland. Here you will find a H Turn left at the end of this path. Go through the gate and on your left series of military sites from the Needles Old Battery, New Battery and the there will be paths going in all directions. Look for Foot Path 24, which runs rocket testing sites for Black Knight and Black Arrow. This site was used east along the base of the downs between the woodland and the farmland. for top secret rocket testing until 1971! The headland is a great place I At the next junction turn left onto Foot Path 43 and go inland to view the Needles, a series of chalk stacks sticking up out of the sea. towards Farringford. Once you have finished oggling the Needles make your way towards the J Carry on straight ahead and at the next t junction of paths turn right pleasure park along the road. towards Farringford Farm on Foot Path 47. Continue along this path D As you reach the Needles Pleasure Park there is a viewing platform under the bridge. It will join Gate Lane. Turn right along the pavement close to the cliff top, just incase you need another look at the Needles. past Dimbola. Dimbola Lodge was once the home of the pioneering From here follow Foot Path 23 into Alum Bay Chine, and then Foot Path female photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. Gate Lane will bring you 22 out again. This will bring you to Headon Warren. back to Freshwater Bay and the car park. FINISH E Join Foot Path 17 to the top of Headon Warren. Headon Warren is a sandstone hill; here you will find coastal lowland heathland covered in heather and Gorse, which provides habitat for insects, birds and animals. Headon Warren is a great place to view the chalk downs and the Solent. Where possible, public footpath and bridleway reference numbers have been included in the directions..