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Isle of Wight 7th June 2019 Rest day

All week the forecast had been poor for Friday 7th June so we decided it should be a Rest Day. Some went to Osborne House whilst others went to the nearby Quarr Abbey. For lunch we headed for Arreton Barns but sadly the Dairyman's Daughter pub on the site felt that buying a drink did not qualify us to eat our food on their empty outside tables. However, we did find seats elsewhere. There are a lot of retail opportunities on site but the more interesting part was an industrial unit a short stroll away where The Isle of Wight Sudio Glass have an extraordinary museum and workshop. Several of us were fascinated by the slow transformation of a red hot blob of glass into a beautiful vase. Well worth another visit. Also nearby was the 12 century Church of St George with a remarkable Burma Star window. We returned to Harrington House for the last time and this night was the big raffle night, a painting produced in front of us on a previous evening being one of the prizes.

Isle of Wight 6th June 2019 Godshill walk

The walk started from the very picturesque village of Godshill. Although only about 5.1/2 miles there was some slightly more difficult uphill stuff involved. Nevertheless a determined party set out to reach the Worsley monument, near to the top of the island's third highest hill. The route took us through some very pleasant farmland, with the views improving as we climbed up. The final stile was really a challenge, we have never seen one quite as high. However by the time we had surmounted this obstacle some of the less young walkers had rushed ahead and made very good progress. We eventually reached the monument, not the most beautiful pillar but with amazing views. The next destination was Appledurcombe House, supposedly the most haunted place on the island. Work started in 1702 and carried on being developed by the Worsley family for the rest of the century, including a garden designed by Capability Brown in 1779. With family scandals and debt, it gradually declined and was a ruin by 1950 but is now being looked after by English Heritage.  It is also one of the finest lunch stops on the Isle of Wight.   The walk back was through farmland and eventually along Godshill Park Road back to Godshill.

Isle of Wight 5th June 2019 Ventnor walk

The base for the walk was Ventnor Botanical Gardens and from there we walked along the coast path towards Niton. At the Undercliff we turned north and found a sign advertising free refreshments in a church. This obviously needed checking out and we eventually reached the 12th century St Lawrence Old Church. Happily the sign was correct and the neatly kept churchyard was also a good place for a mid-morning snack. We decided against climbing up a large hill and decided to walk back along the A3055. This road is little used as it became a no through road as a result of a landslip in February 2014. Once we reached the Botanic gardens, they kindly allowed us to use their eating area so we could tuck into our packed lunches. They also sold delicious coffee. A leisurely walk around the gardens followed before we headed back to Harrington House. Two of us went by car to somewhere near Cowes and were rewarded with a distant view of the Red Arrows display over Portsmouth in commemoration of D day 75 years ago

Isle of Wight 4th June 2019 Compton Bay walk

The walk started from the Hotel and heading through the middle of the golf course. We had to wait a few times as the ladies in their big  competition played their shots and this may well have made us miss our path. By the time we had re-grouped we decided we needed to carry on  rather than risk upsetting the golfers. To get back on the intended path we had to take a route on  Compton Down not normally walked on, but we survived the diversion. Crossing the Military Road brought us back onto the Coastal Path and we then headed for Shippards Chine. Along this part of the island there has been much erosion and the footpath had a few diversions where the cliff had eroded. Lunch was at Shippards Chine but the rain was trying to spoil our day. Some  elected to catch the bus back to Freshwater Bay, whilst the rest used umbrellas and coats to stay reasonably dry for the walk back along the coastal path. 

Isle of Wight 3rd June 2019 Needles walk

The weather forecast was good, some wind was forecast, but a clear day, so we decided to find the Needles. We walked up the hill past Dimbola, the home of the celebrated Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. Sadly there wasn't time to visit as we still had a few miles still to go. Turning off the road we walked west to the north of the monument until we reached the Tennyson Trail, which then took us to the Needles at the far end of the island. Packed lunches were opened up to provide fuel for the return leg. We walked along the road as far as Alum Bay before heading straight for the Tennyson Monument. It looked very much uphill but in fact was fairly gradual, so we had a brief stop at the top before descending back the Freshwater Bay. It had been a very scenic walk in the sunshine, terrific views and with skylarks escorting us nearly all of the time. We got back before 3.00pm so there was still time to cool tired feet in the pool.

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