The UK’s biggest walking festival! 25 TO 28 OCTOBER 2013 www.isleofwightwalkingfestival.co.uk Exodus Travels are the proud sponsors of this year’s festival. They specialise in small group and family walking holidays with over 150 treks across the globe. Key to symbols Dogs on leads Walk pace welcome Leisurely Gentle Suitable for pushchairs Moderate Brisk Packed lunch Walk difficulty advised Easy: Mainly flat walking, on paths with good Refreshments surfaces. No stiles, no (or few) steps. available Fairly easy: Gentle rolling landscape, walking Bring binoculars on paths with average to good surfaces. Some walking on gentle inclines, some stiles or steps to be expected en route. Wear sturdy Moderate: Varying landscape with more shoes challenging slopes. Stiles and steps to be expected Family en route. Suitable for keen walkers and anyone who is reasonably active. friendly Fairly strenuous: A challenging walk for fit Coastal scenery walkers with some experience. Steep gradients, stiles and steps and uneven surfaces to be expected. Local woodlands Strenuous: Long walk with terrain suitable for fit, experienced walkers. Beach/rockpool For walkers with disabilities Mobility 1 Suitable for a person with Toilets available sufficient mobility to climb a flight of steps but would benefit from fixtures and fittings to aid balance. Mobility 2 Suitable for a person with Stiles (number 3 restricted walking ability and for those that may on walk) need to use a wheelchair some of the time. Circular walk Mobility 3 Suitable for a person who depends on the use of a wheelchair. Mobility 4 Suitable for a person who depends Linear walk on the use of a medium-sized scooter. Steps (number 3 on walk) Booking requirements Stops along Advised route Essential Organised by The Ramblers Not essential Dinosaur walk M1 Map reference. Front cover: Island ambassador Refer to pages 22 Daisy Morris with a dinosaur and 23 footprint at Brooke Beach. See page 30 for more information. 2 Important notes for participating walkers 1 Walks - all those indicated with BE require booking. 2 Walkers - please ensure that if you have any medical problems that you alert the walk leader of your condition and advise leader of any medication you are carrying (information required in case of an incident). 3 Risk - all walkers walk at their own risk and neither the Isle of Wight Council nor their appointed agents and guides can take responsibility for personal injury. 4 Walk Leaders - leaders reserve the right to refuse participation to any walker if they are not suitably attired or in the guide’s opinion feel they would be unsuitable to undertake the walk. Please wear walking boots or stout shoes with good grips. 5 Timings - of walks are approximate and will depend on group abilities and size. 6 Dogs - please note that dogs on extendable leads are not accepted on walks. 7 Car Parks - please ensure that your car park ticket is sufficient should the walk run over time. 8 Bus Timetable - please log onto www.islandbuses.info for the latest updated bus timetable. Bus times are correct at time of print (but are subject to change). 9 Photography - On occasion a photographer will be sent out to document walks for use in future promotion of the walking festival. If you do not wish to be included in these photographs, please indicate this to the photographer, who will ensure that you are not in any of the pictures used. THANK YOU – to all our supporters A big thank you to all our sponsors, partners and supporters for contributing to, and helping in the great success of the Walking Festival and the Autumn Walking Weekend. The Isle of Wight Walking Festival is organised by the Isle of Wight Council events team. Programme designed by Isle of Wight Council publications department. Images supplied by Isle of Wight Council publications department. 3 ISLE OF WIGHT WALKING FESTIVAL AN AWARD-WINNING EVENT “We’re proud to be the title sponsors of this year’s walking festival. As the UK’s leading adventure travel company we’re passionate about family holidays that often include exploring new areas on foot . We enjoyed the May weekends immensely and are looking forward to meeting more like-minded families from the island and beyond.” Jim Eite, Product Director, Exodus Travels 4 Welcome The Isle of Wight is a walker’s dream, being located just a few miles from the mainland and two hours from London, and offering over 500 miles of well-maintained footpaths through spectacular scenery and terrain, making it the perfect place for a walking holiday or break. With footpaths that wind through fields and forests, and around 64 miles of coast paths adjacent to some of the Isle of Wight’s most dramatic coastline and beaches. The Autumn Walking Weekend gives you the opportunity to breathe in the beautiful scenery and autumnal colours the Island has to offer. There are walks for all ages and abilities, all led by our friendly and knowledgeable leaders, who will take you on a journey of mystery, intrigue and exploration as you traverse our countryside, woodland, pastures, meadows and footpaths of the Island. This years programme tops an incredible 100 walks to choose from, with a quarter being dinosaur related! The Isle of Wight was crowned the ‘Dinosaur capital of Great Britain’ in January this year, and to support the raft of activities celebrating the Island’s incredible prehistoric history during the summer, the Autumn Walking Weekend is set to join in the celebrations, offering an incredible range of dinosaur walks, including one with Daisy Morris (the youngest Island ambassador) and her family, for a fossil hunt along the beach where she found her new species of pterosaur. Hunt for fossils with experts from Dinosaur Isle, walk with dinosaur plants at Ventnor Botanic Garden, or simply relax after a dino walk at the Enchanted Manor, for an enchanted Champagne high tea, coupled with a dinosaur quiz! For those a little younger, there is a ‘dinosaur noisy stomp’ at Appley Park, where toddlers have the chance to dress up as a dinosaurs! These are just a small sample of the dino walks we offer you this Autumn. We have our good old favourite walks in the programme, along with a range of some exciting new ones. Step back in time and follow in the footsteps of the Poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson, Robert Hooke, John Milne or Jimi Hendrix. Or step out on our walks from rails, Ramblers walks, exploration walks, history walks, nature walks, speed dating, foodie walks, Nordic walking, adventures and even dawn chorus walks – if you can get up early enough! 5 The Isle of Wight prepares to go Walking with Dinosaurs Walking with Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie is a major new blockbuster from BBC Earth Films and Evergreen Films, presented by Twentieth Century Fox and Reliance Entertainment in association with IM Global, the film is set for global release in December 2013. The Isle of Wight, crowned the ‘Dinosaur capital of Great Britain’ in January, has supported the summer film campaign with a raft of activities celebrating the Island’s incredible prehistoric history. From Summer 2013, Isle of Wight visitors are invited to experience a once in a lifetime journey using digital innovation to bring the Island’s history to life. Walking with Dinosaur Trail The new Walking with Dinosaur Trail, based on the ancestral links between the characters in the film and the dinosaurs on the Isle of Wight, has given visitors to the Island the chance to be seen standing alongside dinosaurs in the very place they were discovered. Visitors will encounter technology allowing them to use their smart phones and tablets to take a picture of their family and friends walking alongside the dinosaurs that roamed the Isle of Wight 130 million years ago, while at the same time learn more about their relatives – the dinosaur characters in the movie. The augmented reality app will be available to download from anywhere in the world, but will only be triggered into life at six coastal locations on the Isle of Wight. Visitors will also be able to hop on board an Island Coaster bus service that will operate along the trail during the summer holiday period. The new bus service, operated by Southern Vectis, will be adapted to carry bikes in a specially converted compartment on the lower deck. Don’t forget to view the Dinosaurs you will need the Dinosaur Island app, which can be downloaded for supported Apple and Android devices from www.visitisleofwight.co.uk/dinosaur-island/dinosaur-island-trail 6 Meteorite ONE Meet Iguanodon at Yaverland The Yaverland meteorite is close to the beach slipway at the eastern-most point of the car park. Here you’ll meet a great plant eating dinosaur called Iguanodon – a close relative of Edmontosaurus, a gentle giant who stars in Walking With Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie. Nearby, it’s just a short walk along the seafront to Dinosaur Isle, the UK’s first purpose built Dinosaur museum. Meteorite TWO Meet Polacanthus at Bonchurch Landslip Head through the Smugglers Haven car park to a grassy dell where you’ll discover the meteorite. Meet Polacanthus Fox – a plant eating species that was discovered here in 1869. It’s similar to the heavily armoured Ankylosaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus, who both star in Walking With Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie. Nearby, after viewing the dinosaur, enjoy refreshments at the Smugglers Haven tea room or check out the amazing geology of the Bonchurch Landslip. Meteorite THREE Meet Valdosaurus in Ventnor High above the Spyglass Inn on Ventnor Esplanade is La Falaise car park.