April 2024 - The Isle of Wight Coastal Path

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert apparently gave some thought to where to build a coastal holiday palace fit for a growing family. As a young girl, Victoria had holidayed on the south coast of England, near Portsmouth. As the Queen, the monarch was looking for somewhere more private and remote.

The Isle of Wight, just over the Solent from Portsmouth, ticked all the boxes. A property with extensive grounds was purchased and over a six year period from 1845 to 1851 Osborne House was constructed. Upon Queen Victoria’s death, Osborne House was gifted to the State and today it’s the most visited tourist site on the Isle of Wight.

The Isle of Wight still feels more remote and leisurely than the mainland. The 40 minute ferry-ride to get there is sufficient to escape the bustle of Southampton and Portsmouth. Its population is concentrated in a few towns in the north. Outside those areas, the landscape is very rural with extensive tracts of woodland and heath.

For walkers, the Isle of Wight is best known for the Isle of Wight Coastal Path. The path undertakes a lap of the island, more or less following the coastline. In distance, it’s about 71 miles (114 km), so a typical walker wanting to walk the full route might allocate five days.

We spent three days on the southern half of the path. Between 27 and 29 April, we walked between Yarmouth in the west and Bembridge in the east. This portion of the path features the remote and isolated southern coast. There are a number of appealing villages to stay in or visit, including Yarmouth, Freshwater Bay, Chale, Ventnor and Bembridge.

Here are some random reflections on our experience of the Isle of Wight Coastal Path:

We walked in late April 2024 and it was unusually cool for that time of year - maximum daily temperatures of 10- 13C . A little on the cool side, but not unpleasantly so. Given the Isle of Wight has a climate which is more temperate than the rest of England, the walking season is longer than elsewhere.
The stretch of the path across Tennyson Down is a highlight. The poet, Lord Tennyson, lived nearby and paced the grassy ridge above the chalk cliffs almost daily. Whatever the season, the down is likely to provide a bracing outing. Embrace the elements and listen for “the league-long roller thundering on the reef”.
The coastal path was designed to stay as close to the coast as possible. This means that in many places it is highly susceptible to storm damage and erosion. So, at any point in time, you will find numerous track diversions in place. These are not always marked as well as they might be. Do your research ahead of time or use a walk operator who’s across track updates.
Ventnor was our favourite overnight stop. Its narrow, winding streets cling to a steep slope and much of the accommodation offers views south over the English Channel. A must-visit pub is the Spy Glass, right on the water’s edge. Its nooks and crannies are jam-packed with nautical memorabilia and bric-a-brac. Ventnor also has an attractive beach but during our late April stay it was too cool to be tempting.
Allow some time for some side-trips. As mentioned above, Osborne House is a popular destination, providing a fascinating insight into the life and times of Queen Victoria. Carisbrooke Castle, where Charles I was imprisoned ahead of being tried for treason, is well-preserved and interesting. Finally, the home of pioneering photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron, is virtually on the path at Freshwater Bay and is definitely worth visiting.