IoW: Blackgang to Freshwater Bay

The walk: Starting from the Blackgang viewpoint car park, the route climbs to St Catherine's Oratory, then descends to Chale, from where it follows the coastal path to Freshwater Bay (with the option to walk along the beach at low tide in the latter half.).

Map

NB The map shows my GPS track, with various diversions and excursions which you may not wish to follow precisely.

Why do it: Great views from St Catherine's Oratory (the ruined tower of which is known as 'the Pepperpot'). Crumbling cliffs and chines along the coast make for quite dramatic scenery (despite the proximity to the main coast road, the traffic does not intrude). As it was low tide, I walked along the beach from Grange Chine near Brighstone all the way to Compton Bay, a popular big sandy beach. At Hanover Point you might be lucky enough to spot some fossils, including some fossilised dinosaur footprints (though I couldn't find them - I think you need to know exactly where to look). The final mile or so climbs along the chalk cliffs beside the busy road, but soon branches off to descend into Freshwater Bay, with views of some picturesque sea stacks. Ride the Island Rail underground trains and the open topped Coaster bus.

Distance: 13.5 miles

Logistics: I parked next to the Hovercraft terminal at Southsea (charge), and took the Hovercraft from Southsea (0830) to Ryde (0844), then got the train from Ryde Esplanade station (0847) to Shanklin (0910) . (It's a tight connection at Ryde: hurry over the footbridge to the Esplanade station, and get straight on the train - they sell tickets on board.) From Shanklin station, you can catch the Island Coaster Bus to the start at the Blackgang viewpoint car park (though I treated myself to a taxi to save time, arriving at the start at around 0930). From Freshwater Bay, I got the late afternoon Island Coaster (around 1650) back to Shanklin station (1810), for train (1814) back to Ryde (1839), then Hovercraft (1915) back to Southsea (1930). (The Island Coaster bus runs in the summer only.)

Challenges:

Timing is quite tight if you want to do this walk as a day trip from the mainland. Timings given under 'Logistics' are indicative only, and should be checked online for the latest info. However, if you run out of time, it should be possible to cut up to the main coast road and get the Island Coaster bus.

Normally, there should be no problem getting on the Hovercraft, except during big events like the Isle of Wight festival, or a busy summer weekend, when advance booking might be wise. The alternative is the Catamaran from Portsmouth Harbour Station pier to Ryde Pierhead, from which trains run hourly. The Hovercraft might be cancelled if the weather is very stormy.

The path down from the Oratory to Chale was difficult to follow at first.

You can walk all the way following the official path along the clifftop, but you may wish to vary it by walking along the beach by descending one of the'chines' (valleys cut through the clay cliff down to the beach). However, between Blackgang and Shepherd's Chine they have suffered landslips and are no longer safe to use. At Shepherds Chine I did check out the beach, but it was comprised of fine shingle, very tiring to walk on. However I was able to descend Grange Chine near Brighstone, and, it being low tide, was able to walk along the sandy beach all the way to Compton Beach, at the far end of which I ascended the steep staircase to rejoin the coastal path. Check tide times carefully to be sure you don't get cut off by the rising tide.

Refreshments: I stopped at the Wight Mouse Inn in Chale for a late breakfast. Otherwise, there are pubs etc in the villages along the coast, but these would require a significant diversion, so I took a packed lunch. There is a cafe on the front at Freshwater Bay, but it was just closing when I arrived.

Nearby Walks

Here is a link to all my IOW Coastal Path walks.

To the West: Freshwater Bay to Yarmouth

To the East: Shanklin to Blackgang

For a map showing all of my coastal walks, see here.

Photos