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Isle of Wight themed walks and trails
The Isle of Wight Coastal Path is my go-to suggestion for keen walkers who want to see the best of the Isle of Wight. Our guide to the coastal path is here. If I can't see the sea on an Isle of Wight walk then I feel short-changed.
However, there are plenty of other options which are themed around local history or a particular town. They are sometimes circular and can be completed in a few hours, whereas the coastal path requires several days. Also, some of the coastal path isn't child-friendly because of dangerous drops from cliffs.
We've dug out a few themed walks which are available online for free, mostly from the lovely people at Visit Isle of Wight. Some suggest actual routes whilst others just point out landmarks and leave you to work out how to get from A to B.
We've got a separate guide for families with very short strolls of 1-2 miles. These are good for dragging along children who would rather be sat at home playing Minecraft. There's also a thorough list of trails on the Isle of Wight Council website.
However, there are plenty of other options which are themed around local history or a particular town. They are sometimes circular and can be completed in a few hours, whereas the coastal path requires several days. Also, some of the coastal path isn't child-friendly because of dangerous drops from cliffs.
We've dug out a few themed walks which are available online for free, mostly from the lovely people at Visit Isle of Wight. Some suggest actual routes whilst others just point out landmarks and leave you to work out how to get from A to B.
We've got a separate guide for families with very short strolls of 1-2 miles. These are good for dragging along children who would rather be sat at home playing Minecraft. There's also a thorough list of trails on the Isle of Wight Council website.
Themed Walks about local people (and a horse)
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music themed walks
- The Tapnell Trail is a route around the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival site. It starts from Tapnell Farm which has a relaxed restaurant which serves up decent burgers. It's about six miles but you can cut off a corner. My mother did this one and said that it was pretty but that the scenery wasn't stunning compared to some Isle of Wight walks.
- Nostalgic old hippies might also enjoy the musical trail around Wootton which covers the site of the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival.
Local history themed walks
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Pub themed walks on the Isle of Wight
You can stumble your way round 10 historic walks which tour between past-and-present pub locations of the Isle of Wight. They were created for the Beer and Buses weekend.
Options include Carisbrooke, Cowes, Gurnard, Northwood, Newport, Shanklin, Ryde, Shanklin, Ventnor and West Wight.
Options include Carisbrooke, Cowes, Gurnard, Northwood, Newport, Shanklin, Ryde, Shanklin, Ventnor and West Wight.
Nature themed walks on the Isle of Wight
The Histree Trails is a series of Isle of Wight walks which show off the Island's most significant and oldest trees. There are eight walks in total with names like 'Poets and Pines Histree Trail'.
Perhaps I'm getting old, but I was surprisingly interested in being told that a tree might be 500 years old or that fishermen used the willows in Yafford to make lobster pots.
They range in distance from about 2-10 miles and have nice maps to reduce the risk of getting lost.
They were written about 15 years ago, so there's a caveat on the website that says 'these trails are no longer accurate, and several of the trees in them are now lost to old age or inaccessible'.
Perhaps I'm getting old, but I was surprisingly interested in being told that a tree might be 500 years old or that fishermen used the willows in Yafford to make lobster pots.
They range in distance from about 2-10 miles and have nice maps to reduce the risk of getting lost.
They were written about 15 years ago, so there's a caveat on the website that says 'these trails are no longer accurate, and several of the trees in them are now lost to old age or inaccessible'.
River themed walks on the Isle of Wight
An organisation called Island Rivers offers trails with a rivery theme (Ed: stop making up words),
The Yar River Trail is an interesting one, as it follows the entire river from its source to the sea. It starts with a spring in Niton in the South Wight before wiggling its way to Bembridge in the East Wight.
The whole thing is 19 miles so some people split it up.
Another popular river themed walk on the Isle of Wight is the Medina Estuary Trail. It's a circular walk which heads down one side of the River Medina and back up the other. It's about 9 miles.
The Yar River Trail is an interesting one, as it follows the entire river from its source to the sea. It starts with a spring in Niton in the South Wight before wiggling its way to Bembridge in the East Wight.
The whole thing is 19 miles so some people split it up.
Another popular river themed walk on the Isle of Wight is the Medina Estuary Trail. It's a circular walk which heads down one side of the River Medina and back up the other. It's about 9 miles.