A Frolic by the Seaside from Lake to Ryde (Isle of Wight) T=swc.71
Length: 13 miles or 21 km for those more metrically minded (various
options exist to shorten the walk by catching a bus or train for parts of the
route – see walk instructions for details)
Difficulty: 5 out of
10
Train: Take the 9:00 AM South Western Portsmouth
Harbour train from London Waterloo
arriving in Portsmouth Harbour at 10:34 to connect with the ferry to Ryde at
10:40 to further connect with the Island Line train at 11:07 to arrive in Lake
at 11:27. Return ferries from Ryde Pier
are at 18:10 (connecting with 18:45 train); 18:47 (connecting with 19:15 train);
19:47 (connecting with 20:15 train); 20:47 (connecting with 21:15 train). Buy a day return to Lake which includes the
ferry crossing.
This is a varied coastal walk along the north eastern
portion of the Isle of Wight Coastal Path. It includes everything you
would expect for a day by the seaside: cliff tops, a quiet harbor and little
seaside villages with good opportunities to swim along the way (including
Sandown Bay at the start). More information and the walk instructions can be
found here.
For the swimmers of the group, the suggested lunch stop is
the Culver Haven Inn (01983 406 107) (about 3.5 miles/5.25 km into the
walk) perched atop Culver Down with panoramic views. Non-swimmers may wish to
carry on to the Crab & Lobster Inn (01983 872 244) a further 2
miles/3 km along the coast at a fine coastal location overlooking Bembridge Ledge.
Toward the end of the walk there are loads of pubs and cafes on the approach to
Ryde…..See walk instructions for more details….
Enjoy the walk and the swims!
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5 comments:
Hello. I really would like to know if anyone can meet me at waterloo station to get the train? What ticket do i buy?
Also if anyone is interested in group travel?
Buy a day return to Lake. That is available on the ticket machines, or if you find them too daunting, try the ticket office.
Thank you. I will see if i get to meet two more people in waterloo to buy a group save ticket. If no one comes, i will prob abandon it because the fare is a bit much.
Hi, Perfectly. I think you might be more at ease with a Ramblers group like the Capital Walkers, rather than the SWC mavericks. Even then, though, you have to get a Network Card to get a cheaper fare, and to be independent (rather than trying to get people to meet you at the station to buy a group ticket) but you will have the reassurance of a led walk once you reach the point at which the route begins. All the best.
Three had a great idea to take the 8:30 train and maximize their day swimming and basking in the sun; but were scuppered by a ferry delay resulting in a missed Island Line train and ultimately were met by the nine from the designated train (who also experienced a ferry delay and missed train) on the Island Line platform...making for a total of n=12 in w=pleasantly-hot-and-sunny-seaside-conditions-with-cooling-sea-breeze-and-dips. It was actually apparently only 25 degrees on the Isle...so much more civilized than inland...
Given the ferry delay/missed Island train, we finally set off from Lake about 45 minutes late and went almost immediately for a swim on the outskirts of Sandown (11 of 12 stopped and 9 of those swam). After the swim two opted to forgo the pub and maximize their shore time with more swims...and two others explored the island transport system...while the rest pushed on....As the Culver Haven Inn does not do food on Mondays(even Bank Holidays), we pressed on to the Crab and Lobster where we met with our intrepid transport explorers...lunch was leisurely....eventually two went back to a lovely secluded cove for a swim and the rest carried along the coast and enjoyed a second swim further along before the long final stretch back to Ryde...Along the way, we came across the two beach bunnies waiting for a bus!!??!!! They ultimately decided it was such a fine evening that they would walk with us into Ryde (still 2 hours away)….Exercising some significant self-restraint, we managed to make our way past the very pleasant sea wall pubs in Seaview to continue into Ryde, arriving about 8:00pm with time to gather supplies and fish & chips for the journey back on the 8:47pm ferry...with all connections working fine....a fully maximized bank holiday!
I had never walked on this side of the IOW before and found it varied and interesting -- from cliffs, to down, to rock ledges, to tropical trees and finally beach seafront promenade...some busy seaside resorts -- but also some secluded bays...A fun end of summer day out...with perfect weather to match....
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