Route with a view
Among the Isle of Wight’s many coastal walks, try this expedition from Brook Chine around the Tennyson Trail and enjoy the glorious landscapes
Details
Distance 6 miles
Start Brook View Point Car Park, Military Road, PO30 4HA.
Access For the more adventurous who don’t mind a bit of a challenge.
Refreshments & toilets Shippard’s Chine car park. Further information Download the full walk and map at iowramblers.com
The Route
The walk starts at the Brook Chine National Trust car park.
Beach route: if the tide is out, you may wish to follow the first part of this walk along the beach itself, in which case, you need to walk down the path through the Chine (footpath 103) to the beach and
turn right. Walk along the beach and around a small headland. Here, you might find interesting fossils and boulders that are the casts of dinosaur footprints.
Take the next set of steps leading off the beach at Shippard’s Chine (known locally as Compton) to re-join the Coastal Path (footpath 35). Follow the well-trodden path along the top of the cliff.
Coastal Path route: leave the
car park by the Coastal Path (footpath 98). Follow the well-trodden path along the top of the cliff. Continue along the coastal path towards the car park at Shippard’s Chine. There is a toilet block and you may also find an ice cream van selling refreshments. The footpath continues on the other side of the car park.
Continue on footpath 35 until it reaches the Military Road. Climb the stile and walk parallel to the Road for about 50 yards. Then cross over the Military Road where you can see chalk exposed and a finger post pointing up the hill.
Continue on footpath 34 until you meet a junction of paths. Turn right on to byway 33, the Tennyson Trail, and follow this for about two miles. This will take you to the top of Compton Down and then to the top of Brook Down.
As you come down Brook Down, having passed Five Barrows, look for byway 89 to your right. Take byway 89 and this will bring you back towards the coast. There is a left turn to Dunsbury Farm after three-quarters of a mile.
Dunsbury Farm is a cross roads of foot paths, so cross the farm to footpath 102, which will continue taking you back to towards the sea. This will then join footpath 51, which will come out at the Military Road almost opposite the Brook Chine car park.
For information on more walks, visit iowramblers.com
