Isle of Wight Coast Path: Bouldnor to Compton Bay

15 October 2013

The second day of my walk on the Isle of Wight Coast Path began at Bouldnor, just to the east of Yarmouth.


After a brief road-walk, it was down the bank to the sea front


Then a walk through Yarmouth


The harbour hosts a lifeboat and the Lymington ferry


...plus fishing boats and yachts


On the south side of the road are more boats on a very calm morning.


Leaving the road after its bridge has taken us across the River Yar, we return to the sea proper, held back from the marshes by Norton Spit


A short walk then brings us to Fort Victoria, built to guard the Solent and now housing a variety of tourist attractions including an aquarium, planetarium and a model railway.


Climbing up the hill from Fort Victoria, we pass notices which form the outer planets of a scale model of the solar system starting in the planetarium, plus this interesting bench


From Fort Victoria Country Park, a view across to the mainland and Hurst Castle with its lighthouse


After walking round Colwell Bay, a look back to Hurst Castle on the left and Fort Albert on the right


Returning to the sea and the rather sad-looking pier at Totland.


Passing the café to which we will return later


Continuing the walk after a good lunch, we pass the old lifeboat station


A climb out of Totland takes us up the 120-metre Headon Hill


From Headon Hall there is a glorious view across Alum Bay including The Needles. Just short of the Alum Bay amusement park, Lucy picked us up; we dropped off the dogs at the cottage and returned to the café on the front at Totland where we had a good lunch.


Lucy then took me and the other two dogs back to Alum Bay from where we climbed gradually towards the Old Battery, with views back of the famous coloured sands of the cliffs of Alum Bay.


Across Scratchell's Bay, the chalk stacks of The Needles and lighthouse, with the Old Battery perched on the end of the mainland.


The Needles take their name from a fourth needle-shaped pillar called Lot's Wife that collapsed in a storm in 1764 - despite what remains not being particularly needle-like (though the "ridge" is sharp), the name has persisted. The Needles Lighthouse was built in 1859 and has been automated since 1994.


The site of testing of Britain's the Black Knight rocket in the 1950s. Without local access at the time, the site was considered secure and wasn't overlooked from anywhere else on the island.


The corner has been turned and we are heading east. St Catherine's Point, the southernmost part of the island, is visible in the distance.


Heading for the monument on Tennyson Down


An inquisitive nose reads the plaque on the memorial.


From Tennyson Down, looking across the channel to Hurst Castle and the New Forest


Across the island and then the Solent, the Spinnaker Tower at Portsmouth is visible 34 km away.


As we head for Freshwater Bay, there is evidence of the chalk cliffs here getting ready for a major landslip


The village and bay of Freshwater Bay. Only the tiniest of rises (the OS map gives an elevation of 2 metres) separates the sea here from the River Yar flowing to the north.


Fort Redoubt was built in 1855-6 as part of a series of fortifications against the French. It is now a private residence.


The Blenheims on the front at Freshwater Bay. The open steps up to the cliff top caused some anxiety but were eventually negotiated.


A reminder to be careful on cliff tops


In places along the southwestern part of the route, the path is squeezed between the road and the cliffs


Heading away from the road for a while, what looks like a fairly minor depression runs across the picture, but with the line to the seaward side of the fence showing the route presumably to be taken.


Not any more. The bridge across the gully has gone, and the path on the seaward side of the fence disappeared and I had to climb over the fence. A detour most of the way to the road was needed, though in fact I was meeting Lucy at the car park there, so it didn't add any distance for me.


A look back across Compton Bay to the cliffs of High Down and The Needles at the end of a lovely day's walk.

Total walk on the Isle of Wight Coast Path was 20.5 km in 6 hours 2 minutes

Previous Isle of Wight Coast Path walk - Egypt Point to BouldnorIsle of Wight Coast Path Next Isle of Wight Coast Path walk - onwards to St Catherine's Point
 

 

Back Up Next

Unless otherwise stated, all images copyright (c) Stephen and Lucy Dawson