Shide to Sandown

OMG, Andrew & I are cream crackered!! We dropped Elena off at drama this morning just before 10am and drove to Newport. We parked the car just outside the Barley Mow Pub in Shide and started our Saturday walk. As Elena didn't need picking up until 2:30pm we thought we would tackle one of the longer routes today, Newport to Sandown! The Isle of Wight is not only full of wonderful public footpaths & bridleways it also has some cracking cycle routes too. I'm so glad we walked all 8 miles of it as I'm sure we would have missed loads if we had gone by bike. It is in fact a disused railway track so it's pretty easy going and extremely well sign posted! This is looking back to where we started our walk, the Barley Mow is the white building in the centre of the photo. The same spot looking forward ~ only another 8 miles to go :O) First thing we saw was a cockerel and some chickens. We followed a little stream most of the way, flanked both sides with beautiful ferns. The sound of water is so peaceful when you're walking through the countryside. It wasn't long till we reached Blackwater. There are lots of white gates & picket fences along the cycle track to protect you from the road. As we crossed the road and looked back we could see the old Station House that belonged to the railway. There were a couple of donkeys in a field and no matter how I tried they wouldn't pose for a photograph. Talk about being as stuborn as a mule!! The views were pretty amazing. I adore the countryside :O) Good job the route is well sign posted otherwise which way would we have gone? This is the only place on the cycle route where we could see the main road to Newport. Blackwater Quarry is in the background. I love it when the farmers start ploughing the fields, every field ends up being a different colour or texture so it looks like a big patchwork quilt :O) The wind was quite strong in places making it difficult to photograph the wild flowers :O) It has dried up the mud really quickly though, considering it has never stopped raining for a week! Oh well, only another 5 1/2 miles to go :O) Woops, make way for the tractor :O) Just along the track Andrew found 1 single poppy. Lots of people were out horse riding. Came across a little cross road where the wooden bridge either side led into the field :O)The farmers had planted the potatoes under polythene. As we got nearer to Merstone we found a settee made out of grass, of course I beat Andrew to it *lol* The platform at Merstone is the only evidence of the former railway line apart from the bridges! We are always amazed how many wild flowers there are :O) And the variety of wildlife. One of the bridges. A view of St Boniface Down. Redway Farm, a typical Isle of Wight building, grey stone walls with a red roof. A decked walkway has been installed over the marsh land :O) This is Horringford, don't you just adore the names of villages :O) We reached Arreton where you have to cross the main road. Luckily we have a pelican crossing to use :O) Got to the other side and continued walking. We spied a beautiful garden through the trees. Andrew's phone went off just as we reached Haseley Manor. It was Claire his sister wanting to know if we wanted any Tittertons Sausages & pork pies bringing next week. These are a northern delicacy and a rare treat for us southerners *lol* 3 weeks ago we had walked to Haseley Manor from Alverstone with Gemma & Elena so now we were on familiar ground. Spotted Newchurch's church at the top of the hill. A swan was gliding along the river where we had played 'Pooh Sticks' with Elena last time :O) The rain has made the water look really dirty. According to the Wildlife Trust notice boards there are sticklebacks & water voles living there. Wasn't long before we were walking through the gates at Allverstone, crossing the road and carrying on along the final stretch :O)Andrew spotted another swan with her baby cygnets disappearing up the otherside of the river bank. And I spotted a little Moorhen hiding in the river bank foliage. We stood on the bridge for ages watching the wildlife. A pair of ducks. The trust have even put decoys on the electric pylons to stop the swans etc flying into the wires. The route from Allverstone to Sandown is classed as an area of outstanding natural beauty and has been enhanced with allsorts of weird & wonderful wood carvings, like this ball of fungus attached to a tree??? And this carved archway. I love this apple & pear :O) There's even a new gatepost at the end of the trail. There, according to the sign we had walked 7 3/4 miles. Just the 3/4 mile home and we could have a cup of tea :O) We walked past the water works and the the golf club. Past the entrance to the where I work :O) Past Sandham Middle School where Elena goes to school and Sandown High School where Lisa goes to school. Up the road. To the junction at the end where the road joins with the main road and Denness Road where we live.Past the monument, horse trough and bus stop. And home ~ what a sight for sore eyes and sore legs and sore feet and aching muscles *lol*It was 1:45pm when we got home. We must have looked shattered as Gemma volunteered to pick Elena up from the Roman Villa at 2:30pm for us. She even volunteered to give us a lift back to Newport to pick up the car ~ what a star!!