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  • Home
  • Discount Isle of Wight ferry travel
  • Isle of Wight ferry beginners guide
  • Planning your holiday
    • Why you should visit the Isle of Wight
    • Which Isle of Wight town should I stay in?
    • What time of year should I visit the Isle of Wight?
    • 10 ways to save money on Isle of Wight holidays
    • Walking the Isle of Wight Coastal Path
    • Surviving an Isle of Wight holiday with a toddler
    • The beach holiday checklist - 5 accessories
    • Les vacances sur L’île de Wight
    • 10 reasons to visit the Isle of Wight
  • Where is the cheapest place to stay?
  • Family holiday parks, caravans, lodges
    • 10 of the best Isle of Wight caravan holiday parks
    • Park Resorts and Parkdean Resorts Isle of Wight holiday parks
    • Which Isle of Wight holiday park should I stay in?
    • Last minute deals and discounts at holiday parks
    • 5 best Isle of Wight holiday lodges
    • Cheap Isle of Wight ferry travel for caravans
    • Is there a Haven holiday park on the Isle of Wight?
    • Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park reviews and facilities
    • Lower Hyde and Landguard Holiday Park review
  • Camping & glamping
    • 20 Isle of Wight camping and touring parks
    • Isle of Wight Glamping
  • Hotels & guest houses
    • Isle of Wight Hotels - a beginner's guide
    • 10 of the best Isle of Wight luxury hotels
    • 5 Ventnor hotels and guest houses
    • Warner's Bembridge Coast & Norton Grange hotels
    • 5 best Isle of Wight coach tour holidays and trips
    • 5 best Isle of Wight spa break hotels and spa days
  • Cottages & self catering
    • 20 quirky places to stay on the Isle of Wight
    • 10 of the best places to stay in Shanklin
    • 10 of the best places to stay in Cowes
    • 10 of the best places to stay in Newport
    • Dog friendly Isle of Wight accommodation
    • 10 of the best places to stay for large groups
    • 10 best Isle of Wight Airbnb holiday homes
    • 10 Isle of Wight wheelchair accessible & disabled friendly holidays
    • Brambles Chine and Linstone Chine self catering
  • Dog friendly Isle of Wight holidays
  • Free days out, attraction discounts
    • Free days out on the Isle of Wight
    • Discounts to Isle of Wight attractions
    • Itinerary for a budget Isle of Wight holiday
  • Attractions for children, teenagers, adults
    • Activities for toddlers on the Isle of Wight
    • Activities for children and families on the Isle of Wight
    • Activities for teenagers on the Isle of Wight
    • Activities for adults on the Isle of Wight
    • Activities for an Isle of Wight stag do
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    • Rainy day activities on the Isle of Wight
    • Itinerary for a rainy Isle of Wight holiday
    • Winter days out on the Isle of Wight
  • Zoos, historic attractions, gardens
    • Isle of Wight zoos and animal attractions
    • Historic attractions on the Isle of Wight
    • 10 Isle of Wight Gardens and Parks
  • Quirky days out
    • 10 quirky days out on the Isle of Wight
    • 10 things you can't do on the Isle of Wight
    • 10 things you can only visit on the Isle of Wight
    • Isle of Wight TV & Movie Tour
  • Days out in Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor
    • 15 things to do in Ryde
    • 15 things to do in Shanklin and Sandown
    • 15 things to do in Yarmouth and West Wight
    • 15 things to do in Ventnor and South Wight
    • 10 things to do in Cowes and East Cowes
    • 10 things to do in Newport and Carisbrooke
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    • Isle of Wight Beaches Interactive Map
    • Mobile version of Isle of Wight Best Beaches
    • Which is the best Isle of Wight beach for...
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    • Pubs and restaurants with a sea view
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    • Isle of Wight surf forecast
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    • 15 of the best Isle of Wight car park viewpoints
    • The Isle Spy car journey game
  • Should I move to the Isle of Wight?
  • Who is the Isle of Wight Guru?
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Isle of Wight Guru

Looking for Treasure at Freshwater Bay and Tennyson Down

28/5/2019

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St Agnes Church in Freshwater
Freshwater Bay's thatched church
One of the (many) things I like about the Isle of Wight is that it works well for a completist, like myself. It’s feasible to set yourself a challenge such as sailing around the entire 70 mile-ish coastline, walking all 500 miles of footpath or shopping in every Poundland. Such things are less practical on the mainland.

Our current challenge is to complete all nine of the Treasure Trails on the Isle of Wight. Last summer we completed Yarmouth, Ventnor, Cowes and Godshill, so we are nearly halfway there.

The issue is that we’ve now done most of the shorter and more accessible Treasure Trails. We are still at the pushchair and whinging stage so clambering over styles and along muddy tracks is a little tricky.

For trail number five (not to be confused with Mambo Number Five) we attempted a route around one of my favourite parts of the Isle of Wight – Freshwater Bay and Tennyson Down.

The trail started at the Freshwater Bay pay and display car park. I was raised to spend two or three hours looking for free parking to save 50p, so we parked on the road nearby to begin our hunt.

For newcomers, the idea is that you pay £6.99 for a list of clues and then spend two or three hours wandering along a route and learning some local history. If you find you’re spending too long staring at a brick wall in the search for an answer, you can text a number and they’ll reply with a clue.

On this occasion, there were three adults, a two year old and a five year old taking part. The two year old was in a pushchair and after the first three clues decided that she would very much like to begin her lunch. It was half past ten, which in my book is practically 11 o'clock, which is basically lunch time if you're waking up early. 

So, we picked up the pace and rattled through the first few clues whilst child two tucked into some overpriced, salt-free snacks contained in conversational packaging. 

The route took us along the seafront, then towards the Island's only thatched church and on to Dimbola Lodge. 

By this point we had completed half of the clues in about an hour. Child two had eaten her entire lunch and child one had just realised that she was on a walk and that, as such, her legs should feel tired right about now. 

We looked at each other, looked at the steep climb up to Tennyson Down, and pondered whether we could make it. The route ahead wasn't the familiar path, so there was a high risk of a scene where we ended up with a pushchair stuck in the mud and tears all round.

On the other hand, we had already done half the clues pretty quickly and it wasn't even noon.

We mutually concluded that this was the end of our Treasure Trail for today. 

We returned back to the beach and ate the remains of our lunch whilst listening to the stones being dragged up and down the beach. 

Still, we had made a good start to trail number five, and no-one had had a tantrum. Sometimes you just need to know your limits...
Freshwater Bay
Our picnic spot, at Freshwater Bay
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