It is surely a sign that I've matured into a proper grown up that I now like the idea of spending a Sunday afternoon sitting in a park listening to a brass band with a deckchair and an ice cream. Had my mother suggested such a thing during my teenage years I'd have declared her an embarrassment and moved in with the neighbours. Anyway, I recently found the time to explore two public parks which are tucked away somewhat, on the clifftops of Shanklin and Ventnor. Both feature in our guide to free days out on the Isle of Wight. Both Rylstone Gardens and Ventnor Park are council maintained and have a smattering of things to do with children. Not enough for a day really but enough for a passing visit. My trip to Rylstone Gardens in Shanklin was an hour too early for the Sunday afternoon concert which is given by groups with names like Vectis Brass Ensemble, or something like that. The whole thing looked pretty pleasant with deck chairs being laid out. As far as I could see it was free, with plenty of opportunities to buy drinks from under a gazebo. The park also has a cafe which looked suitably twee and a crazy golf course which was not exactly Disneyland-esque but would happily entertain children long enough for parents to have a coffee and a slab of lemon drizzle cake. Rylstone Gardens also links up nicely with the seafront down some steps so you could park for free and walk down, although I personally wouldn't attempt that with three children, two dogs, six bags and a windbreak. Ventnor park meanwhile has similarly well kept gardens but instead of crazy golf has a putting green, which to those who aren't sporting experts may look much like a lawn with several red flags and holes. The bandstand from Ventnor's old pier sits proudly in the park and also hosts performances by the local parpers and tooters. There's also a refreshments hut which reminded me of a summer job I had at an Island attraction where I set myself the target of selling more ice cream than I ate (it was a close run thing on some rainy days). Up towards the top of Ventnor Park there is an impressive outdoor gym. I'm not convinced that there is an army of beefy men and toned women in Ventnor who use it every morning but I may be wrong. We were half expecting a swing and slide in the park but thankfully we managed to convince our little one that a rowing machine would make a good see saw and the cross trainer could double up as a swing for a small bottom. The top of the park links up with a clifftop path which we didn't explore but which presumably leads to Steephill Cove eventually. There's also a bizarre bus stop type building at the cliff top with half of the seats looking in the wrong direction. Both parks are well kept with lots of pretty plants and flowery things. Give it another decade and I might just be able to identify a few of them.
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Eventually I'm going to produce a guide to five wheelchair friendly walks on the Isle of Wight (or pushchair if you have young children).
For those that have faced such challenges you'll know that even a single step can be an insurmountable obstacle (to the extent that my father used to refer to the staircase at home as 'Everest'). On our outings, family members would gather round The Step, offering suggestions of how it might be conquered with bits of wood and some back-breaking lifting. In fact, I might sell the idea to a company which offers corporate team-building exercises. Anyway, I'm keen to get these wheelchair friendly walks right and not just add five based on my vague memories of what the route was like. The Bonchurch to Ventnor walk is one that we managed several times in one of those electric wheelchairs that are utterly amazing for offering independence, but can't really cope with anything more than a half step. Park in Shore Road, Bonchurch where the car park has views of gorgeous nothingness, which stretch to the horizon. The car park is a council one, so you have to pay for it (about £2 - £4 for a standard stay). If you drive back into Bonchurch there is sometimes some free on-street parking, particularly in winter.
It's a nice walk in winter with the waves crashing along the sea wall. At low tide there's a bit of sand below.
After just over a mile you'll find yourself in Ventnor. We usually have the all-day breakfast at Besty and Spinky's (about £5, 2015, wheelchair accessible) but there are lots of places to eat along the Esplanade. There's also a paddling pool for younger visitors to splash about in.
The next bit requires you to head down the hill to the seafront. It is a very steep hill, so I don't think I'd attempt it with a manual wheelchair. It was fine going up and down with our electric wheelchair, but you'd have to hold on pretty tight with a manual one - and it might be a pretty hairy journey for the wheelchair user. It would also be really hard work in a manual chair on the way back.
When we visited you could drive down to the seafront (although you can't park) so you could drop people off and then drive back up if you needed to. Turn right and then you'll follow the seawall all the way along to Ventnor. There isn't a railing along a lot of it, so you'll need reins or a shouty voice for young children.
You can't quite get onto the beach with a wheelchair, but there is a ramp down which means you can get pretty close.
There are toilets at both ends of the walk. From what I remember, the ones in Bonchurch (left at the bottom of the hill) aren't accessible, but the Ventnor one is (see this disabled toilet guide from Isle of Wight Council - not sure on the date of this). There's a car park at both ends of the walk so you can attempt it either way round. More wheelchair friendly walks coming soon...(well, probably not soon, but eventually) Other Wheelchair Friendly Walks In The Trilogy
After a gap of a mere six years, I finally got round to writing up blogs about two other wheelchair friendly walks.
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April 2024
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