Malcolm Smith's Walking Pages

Malcolm Smith's
Walks Pages

... ISLE OF WIGHT ...

NEWPORT - BEMBRIDGE (via the Bembridge Trail)

Distance	-	About 10 miles
Start point	-	Newport Bus Station (OS Ref. SZ2894501)
Date walked	-	Monday 18 July 2005
Weather	-	Warm and overcast finishing in rain.
Conditions	-	Dry and hard underfoot.
Note	-	The Bembridge Trail is well described in the booklet The Coastal Path & Inland Trails
		on the Isle of Wight published by Isle of Wight Tourism.

Turn right out of Newport bus station along South Street then turn right again into Church Litten. At the end, turn right then left along Medina Avenue. Turn left into Shide Road passing the Barley Mow public house then cross St.Georges Way into St.Georges Lane, bearing right up the hill. St.Georges Lane is also Ancient Highway SA28.

At the top by the entrance to the quarry workings, bear right along the gravel track which crosses the quarry road at one point. The terrain is level on high ground before descending under tree cover to the main road at Arreton Cross. Cross the road and follow the A3056 past the entrance to Arreton Manor then the White Lion public house before turning left into School Lane. Immediately past the school, bear left then right into the field behind the school then follow the track along the hedgeline. This is bridleway SA9 and it continues reasonably level through a series of fields before reaching Shepherd's Lane. Turn right then left to continue along SA9, passing through a gate at one point. The track becomes NC6 and is enclosed before reaching Mersley Lane.

Turn left into the lane then right just past the cottages onto path NC1. The path branches after a short way at which point follow path NC7 which bears ahead then turns right along a wide grass track. On reaching a field, keep the hedge to the right, cross a stile and continue as before until reaching a lane.

Turn left along the lane and continue uphill to Knighton. Turn right into a tarmac lane which is footpath NC45. Pass between the waterworks cottages and bear left uphill along a gravel track. At a wooden garage building, turn right along a grassy path then turn right at the junction with a bridleway at the edge of a field. Cross the access road to a quarry and follow the path to the gate at the top of the hill. Go through the gat onto Byway B35 and keep to the hedge on the left before descending through trees and pessing through two gates.

At the bottom of the hill, pass through a gate and double back to the right to avoid the farm. Turn left off the track on B33 which comes round behind the farm and follow the chalky grass track uphill through tree gates to reach the road on top of Brading Down.

Turn right and walk along the verge beside the road to the top of the incline before turning left onto bridleway B26 towards Nunwell Farm. Follow the chalk track downhill through three gates to pass the farm and reach a lane.

Turn left along the lane then turn right to cross a stile onto footpath B23. Cross the field ahead, go over a plank bridge and stile into the next field and continue ahead to New Farm. Follow the path ahead to two morw plank bridges and stiles before reaching Coach Lane. Turn right along the lane then right again into Doctors Lane and left into Cross Street which reaches Brading High Street.

Cross High Street and take Quay Lane down between the church and the waxworks museum. At the end of the lane, continue ahead through a gate onto footpath B3. Walk on top of the causeway over the river Yar estuary, crossing a sluice, a stile and a bridge before reaching a woodland thicket. Bear left through the woodland on footpath BB20 then left again at the junction. On reaching a field, keep to the left for a short distance before the path turns right across the field past an oak tree. Go over a ditch and stile then cross three fields, the last of which crosses the end of the runway of Bembridge Airport.

Cross a stile onto footpath BB21 which runs on top of a grassy causeway. Cross two stiles before entering a field then continue uphill to the far side to cross another stile then bear half right through a small field. Cross a stile then follow the hedgeline on the left to a further stile near Brading windmill.

Follow the gravel track (footpth BB36) as it turns sharply left by the mill and exit through a gate onto a road then cross straight over and follow Mill Road. After about ½ mile, turn left onto footpath BB3 which descends through woodland then turns right at the bottom and runs level, crossing a boardwalk along the way. The path finishes up several steps onto a gravel track which becomes tarmac before reaching the road adjacent to the Pilot Boat Inn. Cross the road to footpath BB32 which runs to Bembridge Point.

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