Walks And Walking – The Tennyson Trail Isle Of Wight Hampshire Walking Route

Walks And Walking The Tennyson Trail Isle Of Wight Hampshire Walking Route

This walking route on the Isle of Wight follows the Tennyson Trail from Carisbrooke Castle to The Needles and genuinely offers spectacular views across each side of the island from the north to south and east to west it all makes the island look so small… on a clear blue sky day like today.

So, sun tan lotion applied to the arms left exposed by my walking shirt, walking shorts donned, gaiters on and walking boots securely fastened I got dropped off at the precise point the map says that the Tennyson Trail (TT) starts from. Later I regretted not applying sun tan lotion to the backs of my calves as they got burnt…

The route ahead to The Needles on the Tennyson Trail before Freshwater Bay July 2011

So, from the junction of High Street Newport and Nodgham Lane I walked down this small road to find the sign post (SP) for the WightGreenLine (WGL) to walk uphill to splendid views of Carisbrooke Castle behind me on the left.

I then walked straight ahead (SA) on the same path with occasional gaps on my left offering perfectly framed photographs of the countryside below. The next SP WGL was to Whitelane and I then walked through a gate and then SA to the first Sp for the TT Old Highway N136a which then bent left and through Bowcombe Down WGL SP to a gate and then SA to Public Bridleway (PB) N136a to Brighstone Forest and through a gate to continue SA to gate and SP Byway N139 TT and views of The Solent on the right…looking deceivingly close albeit quite a few miles away.

I then continued SA after the next gate and then in to Brightsone Forest and Down SA on the TT past a SP PB B54 turning right when reaching a clear view of the sea and on the Byway BS10 TT to Freshwater Bay at the WGL SP Lynch Lane to then cross the road and turn right, then left in to the car park entering Mottistone Down National Trust and then through the gate and uphill SA at next gate and on to views of the cliffs and the westerly tip of the island, The Solent and mainland….stunning!

I then walked down past a SP for the TT PB SP for Brook Down and through a metal gate and downhill to cross a road and rejoin the TT at a SP S26 Byway in to the National Trust for Brook and Compton Down and then steeply uphill to the Tennyson Monument and through a gate on to the Freshwater Bay Golf Course and SA on the TT Old Highway F33 SP to Freshwater Bay turning right on to the road to follow the SP for the Coastal Path and then turn left and SA by the gate to climb steeply up the cliff edge to the Tennyson and West High Down to a gate and then on to The Needles Old Battery and then SA to the Coastguard Building and The Needles.

This is the end of the Tennyson Trail and is good 15 miles and 5 hours of beautiful, breathtaking scenery and I thoroughly enjoyed every step!

More photos from this walk can be found here: Tennyson Trail Photos