The Military Road - Use It While You Can!

We have spent much time on this blog jabbering on about the Military Road. It features in our guide to the Isle of Wight's best driving route (The Wighty 90) and it also stars in a few films, as explained in our Isle of Wight TV and Film Tour.

The end of the road?

It seems inevitable that you soon won't be able to enjoy the Military Road in its current form. 

I've heard gossip about various options, including moving part of the road back a bit or just leaving it to be dragged into the sea like a sandcastle constructed over several hours by a proud dad. Whatever happens, it won't be the exact same drive or cycle that it is now.

We took Tony the Drone for an early morning flight last month to see some of the points where the road is particularly close to the edge.

Good times on Tarmac

​Forgive me for a little nostalgia, but if you aren't interested in waffle about Isle of Wight life then you shouldn't really be on this website. Feel free to watch a video of a cat on a skateboard instead.

When I was growing up, Compton Bay became our go-to beach - and generally the Compton end rather than the Hanover end. I'm not sure what year this started, but I would think it was when we were old enough to climb down the steep steps without falling over.

My parents were not keen to pay to park, so my father would drop us off by Compton Farm on the Military Road and we would start walking down the steep steps whilst carrying a cool box and a windbreak. He would then park for free at the car park at the top of the Military Road and cross the field to join us. I also suspect he enjoyed five minutes to himself so he could smoke his pipe and admire the view whilst we walked ahead.

As we grew up, trips along the Military Road continued with friends, often at night after an evening on the beach. On one occasion, shortly after I had passed my test, we were met with a herd of cows which had wandered onto the road. My friend Stuart climbed out of the car and started running at the cows...before they started running at him. He swiftly retreated, but not quite as swiftly as my car, which was reversing at pace. He caught up eventually and we decided the best bet was to call my mother. In the end, we found a number for Newport police station, who seemed happy enough to help.

A few years later, I proposed to Mrs Guru about 20m from the Military Road on the Compton cliffs. A couple of cars drove past and honked. I had written a message in the sand for her to view from the cliffs, but the tide had come in and left a message saying 'MARR ME'.

More recently, the Military Road served as a highlight of long drives spent trying to get children to either fall asleep or stay asleep. As the children have grown up, I often take a detour over Compton Down when travelling from Freshwater Bay to Carisbrooke - just to admire the view. They don't show as much interest in the view as I would like, but I suspect I was the same.

Anyway, if your favourite road is also the Military Road, please share your love stories in the comments below. If you've got another favourite road, such as a M6 or the A1...please keep it to yourself, I'm really not interested.