Day 5

Chale to Sandown

12.1 miles

The breeze had gone and today was just wall to wall sunshine and much warmer.  Another first rate breakfast, what will these fry-ups be doing to my waistline?  We said goodbye to the Wight Mouse and very quickly lost our way for the one and only time on the Coastal Walk, by turning into Blackgang Chine instead of passing the entrance.  We walked down to the amusements and spent a fruitless half hour trying to find a path that wasn't there.  We persisted because we met another walker doing the same, who was equally sure he was right.  Eventually we made our way out of Blackgang Chine and quickly came across the friendly Coastal Path signs that make this walk stress free. (normally anyway!)

The church at Chale

15 minutes walking and fleeces are off!

We are about to discover we are lost among the pirates

We were soon striding along the Coastal Path above what is called the Undercliff.  I would describe this as a largely flat area of vegetation, well beneath the high cliff we walked on, with occasional but rare groups of houses or cows grazing.  Looking from above they at first appear to be at the edge of the sea but this is an illusion as in fact there is another cliff before the sea.  This feature was very different to the dramatic drops down to rocks and beaches that we experienced yesterday.  Continuing along the cliff top we looked down on St Catherine's Point and its lighthouse.

St Catherine's Point

... sitting on the undercliff

Houses in the 'undercliff'

We are very high at this point

Sometimes there were no views to our right because of hedgerows and sometimes we were grateful because these guarded the edge of the cliff!  We now made our way through field paths and the village of Niton before once more rejoining the cliff top path and reaching the village of St Lawrence.

Just follow the blue signs!

Hedges skirt the cliff top

A sign tells us about the original St Catherine's lighthouse (The Oratory, still standing)

Houses in Niton

The cows are very used to walkers

We followed some steps descending towards St Lawrence and called at the Post Office and General Store to collect a newspaper and toothpaste at 12 noon.  Just in time, as a sign on the shop door said 'Closed at 1pm for new flooring'.  This section of the walk was particularly attractive, first of all St Lawrence itself is a lovely village set on the slopes down to the undercliff and the warmth of the day, the colour of the sky and the sea gave it a Mediterranean feel.

A king size thistle!

I start to wilt in the heat

The lovely village of St Lawrence

The track leads down to the aptly named Steephill Cove.  Now we were right by the sea in a most attractive setting but this was a busy spot with groups of ramblers passing through as well as visitors to the beach.  We sat in the sun in a little cafe called the Beach Shack, enjoying the view and combining coffee with a lunch stop we shared a mature cheddar cheese and red onion pickle sandwich and scone, clotted cream and jam.  We were in no hurry and I ordered another coffee, this was the life!

Between St Lawrence and Steephill Cove

Steephill Cove appears in the distance

We pass an old incinerator

Victorian Incinerator

Steephill Cove, a leisurely break

An outlet selling locally caught crabs was doing a good trade too.  A lot of work had been done at this spot to improve sea defences and a sign explained that the area is privately owned; we felt that much thought and planning has resulted in a special place.

Steephill Cove from the Beach Shack

Looking back towards the Beach Shack

Carole in Steephill Cove

Coastal Path sign at Steephill Cove

Leaving Steephill Cove

For some time we walked on a concrete path built as sea defences and in no time we reached Ventnor which has a lively promenade and was busy today.  We stopped to buy ice creams, mint chocolate for Carole and cappuccino for me - delicious.   Between Ventnor and Bonchurch the sea wall is very lengthy and impressive with a series of broad steps going down to the beach.  We passed through an area called the Landslip and down to Luccombe Chine, continuing to Appley Beach where there are lines of beach huts.  Shanklin soon followed and we walked along the front until reaching a road by the slipway where we climbed up away from the sea.  We were soon promenading along the cliff top walk and passed through Lake Cliff Gardens before descending to Sandown. 

Ventnor

Shanklin

Between Ventnor and Bonchurch

The most noticeable feature as we approached Sandown was its pier, still in use and bearing the rather cryptic legend 'A whole day's fun in one!'  Sandown has a good beach and we dropped down to walk along the Esplanade to find our accommodation for the night, The Belmore Guest House.  We were greeted warmly and were delighted to find our room had a balcony.  Our host advised us to eat at a local restaurant, The Bistro, where Carole said she had the best lamb chops she has ever tasted.

Carole removes a small obstruction from the path

"Yoo Hoo!"

Sandown

To Day 6