The Northeast Isle of Wight - Holiday Heaven by Hovercraft

I've had loads of requests for a walk on the Isle of Wight by hovercraft (well, two), so here it is. The Portsmouth-Ryde link is the only commercial passenger hovercraft service in Europe, and, claims its operator, the world. If the thrilling, throbbing 10-minute ride to Ryde isn't enough to tempt you, how about the following? The gentrified gentility of the Victorian resort of Ryde; the exclusive Edwardian yachting enclave of Seaview; the sandy beaches and wooded, secluded coves of Seagrove and Priory Bays; the broad harbour and high-class suburbia of Bembridge; and rather than getting the train back like on previous occasions, we'll take the bus back and follow a very pretty, twisty route.

The sights:

Ryde: A 'period' town of Regency-Victorian overlap and formerly of great elegance as the fine civic buildings bear witness. Now recovering from neglect and the shabbiness of the 1960s and 1970s. We won't see much of the town apart from the hotels and amusement arcades of the seafront. The esplanade has formal gardens, the Espanade Hotel of 1866-7, an elegant pavilion of 1926-7 and the gothic Ryde Castle Hotel of 1833-4. Heading east parallel with the broad sandy beach, the building density dwindles and parkland increases. Appley Tower is a castellated seafront folly of 1875.  

Seaview: A Victorian and Edwardian seaside resort village for the yachting community. The main street heads down to a rocky beach with slipways and moorings. Numerous Victorian villas and small hotels in buff brick and stone dressings on an enchantingly intricate and cosy plan. 

Seagrove and Priory Bays: Sandy beaches backed by tall sandstone cliffs topped by woodland, seeming secluded and private and only really accessible to those on foot or afloat. We'll have a lunch and a swim at the beach at Priory Bay.

Bembridge Harbour: A formerly wide natural harbour partly closed off from the sea by a National Trust-owned spit called The Duver to the north and Bembridge Point to the south. The harbour owes its present shape and size to the construction of a causeway that carried a branch railway line and halved its size. We will cross the harbour on a smaller, earlier causeway that created a tidal millpond.

Bembridge: High-class surburbia that developed in the C19. Surrounding the village in the sea is a big reef of hard limestone which extends beneath the island and provides defence from the waves, despite being quarried for building stone until recently. Bembridge lifeboat station is at the end of a narrow but elevated pier you can walk along.

Bembridge Windmill: Originally called Knowle Mill, a Grade I listed tower windmill and the only surviving windmill on the island. Built c1700, painted by Turner in 1795, working until 1913, restored in 1935 and again in 1959, taken over by the National Trust and opened to the public in 1962, new sails fitted in 2021. There may be time for people who want to visit to do so at a cost of £6.

Hovertravel: The world's oldest hovercraft operating company. The Solent hovercraft link is unique in Europe and may be the only commercial passenger hovercraft service in the world. Wikipedia says: 'Hovertravel operates a pair of 12000TDs, produced in Britain by sister company Griffon Hoverwork [based in Southampton], called Solent Flyer and Island Flyer. Each craft is outfitted with 78 seats... Powered by a pair of diesel engines, the 12000TD can travel at speeds of up to 40 knots (74 kph; 46 mph) while hovering around 1.5 metres above the surface.'

The route (please click on the link to see the route at the Ordnance Survey website):

This is a linear walk starting at Ryde Esplanade and ending at Bembridge where we'll catch the no. 8 Southern Vectis bus back to Ryde.

After walking down Ryde Pier we'll follow the coast eastwards all the way from Ryde around Puckpool, Nettlestone, Seaview, Priory Bay, Seagrove Bay, Bembridge Harbour, the Foreland and Whitecliff Bay to Culver Down. Up until that point we'll be following the Coastal Path, only departing from it at Priory Bay to walk along the beach. We'll do a loop around Bembridge before turning inland, seeing the windmill and reaching the bus stop.

Dogs:

I love having dogs on my walks and this walk is suitable for them apart from during very hot weather. There is abundant sea for them to splash in and some shade, plus no livestock. A dog off the lead must be obedient.

IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement

You MUST complete a Participation Statement, here, in addition to booking your event space before attending an OutdoorLads event. You only need to complete this Participation Statement once, not for each event you attend. 

(Picture credits: Priory Bay, Isle of Wight Photo © Colin Babb (cc-by-sa/2.0); Hovercraft: Photo © Petr Kratochvil (from Public Domain Pictures.net); Priory Bay Photo © Peter Boggett (cc-by-sa/2.0); Ryde Seafront near Appley Park: Photo © Paul Gillett (cc-by-sa/2.0); Houses overlooking Seagrove Bay at Seaview: Photo © Robin Drayton (cc-by-sa/2.0); Baywatch Cafe at St. Helens: Photo © Colin Babb (cc-by-sa/2.0); Bembridge Harbour: Photo © Bob Jones (cc-by-sa/2.0); The walkway to Bembridge Lifeboat Station: Photo © Robin Drayton (cc-by-sa/2.0); Riding at Bembridge: Photo © Stephen McKay (cc-by-sa/2.0); Bembridge Windmill, IoW: Photo © Gareth James (cc-by-sa/2.0). All pictures are copyrighted but are licensed for reuse under Creative Commons CC-BY-SA 2.0 or another permission, and are here attributed to their copyright holders.)