Ilfracombe Area Holiday 2007


Photos and report	AREA HOLIDAY 2008: Isle of Wight	10th to 13th October 2008

We were based at the Broadway Park, a Shearings Hotel, in Sandown
The hotel was pleasantly situated not far from the railway station. Plentiful and readily available hot water and food are important to ramblers and the Broadway Park did not disappoint!

This four days of walking on the Isle of Wight brought together 58 rambler members from six of our groups: Taunton Deane, South Somerset, Woodspring, West Somerset, SWAG and Mendip.

Each day there were two guided walks to choose from. If you have the relevant tracklog disc you can look at the routes used by clicking in the box below.

Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
Firestone Copse 10A	Alum Bay 11A	Ventnor 12 A	Brading 13A
Firestone Copse 10B	Alum Bay 11B	Ventnor 12 B	Brading 13B
Firestone Copse 10C	Alum Bay 11C	Ventnor 12 C	Sandown 13C

After the ferry crossing to Fishbourne on Friday we assembled at the nearby Firestone Copse in lovely sunny weather. Both walks returned via Havenstreet but the longer one also included a loop north to the coastal path at Quarr Abbey.

The group rather worryingly managed to get themselves dispersed between three different ferries!

Amazingly though everyone got to the start in time for the walks

Ann and Mike lead the charge. And is that someone at the back requesting a toilet stop already!

Demonstration of good stile style?

Eileen is startled that Mike's been targeted.

Peggy concentrates on guiding Rod across a boardwalk

Mo in determined mode

Sue and Maxime seem happy enough but there's "Wayneing" interest from the bloke at the back?

Phil asks permission to tell his joke about an Italian waiter -- or is that a gun he's activating?

Absolutely fabulous sunny weather for Saturday's walks from Alum Bay, both of which started and ended along parts of the coastal path at Headon Hill and Tennyson Down

Ann strikes a typical pose

Is this what they mean by the "yellow peril" ?

Rose demonstrates how to grit your teeth and get on with it

Wow what a view -- of the Needles

Roger and Hilary were also taking photos. This is one of Rogers

And this is one of Hilary's

Has Aileen's had enough of the views now?

I think I recognise that fellow on the left

The flat middle section left plenty of energy available for chatting.

Jenny checks Eddie's food supply

Mary and Chris

Eric head in his paper at Freshwater Bay while we wait for the directionally challenged SWAG contingent

Other prefer less cerebral pleasures

After lunch a long climb up from the coast

Towards Tennyson Down

It's all French to me

Ashwick's wild hare?

Deanna looking less relaxed than husband Mike

Now a more gentle ascent across to the Needles

Thanks Roger for the photo of the detour the leader skipped!

Wish we could just sail away

Here are a few photos in the hotel courtesy of Roger

Is this the resident simpleton?

I'd rather you pointed that camera elsewhere

Dear Mario further to our conversation this morning ......

It was even sunnier and hotter for Sunday's walks which finished at the Botanical Gardens near Ventnor. Both walks went over St.Martin's Down and Luccombe Down and finished with a stretch of coastal path through Bonchuch and Ventnor. The longer walk also included Appuldurcombe Down and Wroxall.

We're getting fed up with you taking photos

Single file

Funnily enough I too was wondering what to do with that metal pipe

Mary and Bob try to ignore niggling injuries!

Avoid stiles at all costs

Lunch with panoramic views for our group

Steeply downhill heading for Wroxall

Mo swears she's barred from further progress

Geoff is thankful he attended agility training

Our hotel is somewhere down there

Doreen hares ahead (oh sorry I've used a version of that joke already!)

Jim takes everything in his stride

Jim and Mary vegetating

Although my view is the same as yours

This group has a different view

Wood you believe it

The long and short of it is that if you don't behave I'll push you into the sea

Rod appears stoned

Hilary's group arrived at the train station in plenty of time for Roger to take about fifty photos

In fact so early that there appeared to be no danger in taking a photo from the track

Most folk woke up again in time to board the train

There was just time to buy tickets

Before the train reached Shanklin about 4 mins later

Eventually therefore the walk got underway

On the horns of a dilema here

Ted can't digest the news that it's not lunchtime. Forsaking all other good viewpoints the group pushed on to Ventnor till 2pm

Roger was eating his lunch "on the hoof" and in no state to operate his camera again until near the end of the walk

It would have been too much to ask for a fourth day of sunshine but nonetheless Monday, though overcast and cooler, was dry. The longer walk went through Alveston to Brading Down and returned via Bembridge Down and the coast path to Sandown.