Malcolm Smith's
Walks Pages

 

...  ISLE OF WIGHT   ...

 
ROUND THE ISLAND - Anti-clockwise on the Coastal Path

 
Section 4 : Chale to Ventnor

 
          Section 4 is sub-divided as follows :

          Chale to Blackgang
          Blackgang to Niton
          Niton to St Lawrence
          St Lawrence to Ventnor

• Chale to Blackgang - From the St Andrew's church, take the first turning righ into The Terrace.  A short way up the hill, bear left onto the bridleway which has an earth surface and has a boarded fence on the right.  Continue climbing up to the main road again.  Bear right to follow the main road uphill, passing the entrances to Merlin's Bistro and Blackgang Chine.  Just beyond the roundabout, leave the main road to the right, crossing a style into a field.  Cross the field on the level then cross a style and enter a thicket with woodland on the right.  Continue uphill once more to cross a style and reach the viewpoint car park.
• Blackgang to Niton - Leave at the back of the car park up a flight of steps then turn left along the cliff.  The path now undulates along the top of Gore Cliff which is a little way inland, with a landslip below.  This area of land is owned by the national Trust.  Pass a triganometrical point before reaching a radio station after which there is a flight of steps cut into the hillside on the right leading in the general direction of the lighthouse at St Catherine's Point.  On the descent the path becomes enclosed by scrub and thorn.  Leave the woodland over a style and into a field, following the right hand boundary.  Leave the field over a further style onto a track which decsende between banks.  Cross a style leading to a field on the left then descend into a residential area with driveways on each side of the track before reaching Old Blackgang Road
• Niton to St Lawrence - Turn right along the road for a few yards before turning left up a lane.  The lane has a tarmac surface then becomes gravel after which turn right through a pair of stone gate pillars.  At the crest of the drive, bear left up a fairly steep dirt track which rises through scrub and passes under overhead electric wires on the way.  There is still a sheer drop down to the right.  The path breaks out into a field and continues along the right-hand boundary where the ground gently undulates.  A footpath joins from the left at which point the coastal path ducks out of the field to the right but continues to follow its boundary through scrub.  Pass under another line of overhead electric cables.  The path comes back to the inside edge of the field then soon starts to climb up to a high point.  At the far side of the field, pass radio masts on the left as the path returns into the wood which is quickly left over a style into a field to be followed along the right hand edge.  At the signpost, bear right and start to descend down a sunken path which becomes steps, passing through a kissing gate on the way and continuing down the face of the cliff.  The path exits onto Barrack Shute.  Cross the road into Seven Sisters Close then turn left at the first house onto a tarmac path which continues to descend between the houses.  Finish down a flight of steps onto a road.
• St Lawrence to Ventnor -  Turn left and follow Undercliff Drive downhill, turning right down Old Park Road then left into Woolverton Road and finally turning right through a kissing gate.  Descend steeply on a dirt path veering left at the end of the stone wall then cross a stile.  As the ground levels, cross a stile and turn left along a track between fields.  At the gate, turn right, crossing a stile and pass some white painted cottages on the right then enter a path through a thicket which finishes up a short flight of concrete steps at the cliff top.  Bear left and start steeply uphill, then levelling off to undulate.  The path drops down at one point then climbs up steep steps on the other side.  Pass a path to the shore after which come out onto a concrete track by Orchard Bay House then continue until the track takes a rightangle left turn.  Cross straight over onto a broad green graasses area, keeping to the left up to a point where a path bears left up through the trees.  Go to the right and follow the grass track to the end then leave to the left up a flight of concrete steps.  At the top, bear right down a track.  The path runs level through scrub then ascends another flight of concrete steps.  Soon after this point the path becomes paved with tarmac and passes an entrance to Ventnor Botanic Gardens.  The path then shortly goes to the right down concrete steps to pick up another concrete path at which bear left then sharp right on meeting a tarmac path down to SteepHill Cove.  Turn left along the shore then walk on the concrete promenade behind the breakwaters, at the end winding steeply upward to the crest.  The original route directly ahead is closed due to a cliff fall therefore continue on the track to the left which skirts round an area of grass.  At the point where the track meets the road, double back to the right on a tarmac footpath leading steeply upward.  Where it splits three ways, take the right hand path down a set of concrete steps to regain the original path.  Continue on the tarmac footpath, ascending a short flight of steps then continue ahead to descend to a green on the cliff edge with a tarmac path passing through it.  Continue down, passing in front of the car park.  Join the road then descend to the waterfront and walk along the esplanade.