Ventnor to W. Cowes Part_1
Cycling down the Military Road
Part 1: Cycling to Freshwater Bay
The aim of this e-bike ride was to follow the official “Around the IOW Cycle Route” on the west side of the island. Starting at Ventnor and ending up at the floating bridge dock in West Cowes. Then cycling to Newport along the disused railway line (cycle track No 23) before making my way back to Ventnor the scenic route.
Setting off early morning on a very chilly morning. It is spring I kept saying to myself as my ears felt as though they were about to drop off.
My feet were getting colder especially after descending down the monster hill from Blackgang at high speed. The wind-chill factor off-scale. My thermal socks and the waterproof over-shoe covers failed. My poor feet felt like blocks of ice and took ages to warm up.
There were frozen puddles and ice across the road in places giving me another excuse not to rush but to enjoy the wonderful scenery the island has to offer. Even the plants were shivering with the chilly start to the day.
Heavy frost on the plants
The first stop was for a pint of fresh goats milk sold at the wonderful The Village Store in Brighstone. The goats milk is supplied from The Green Barn (near Yarmouth). They have a herd of lovely dairy goats and a lovely gift shop according to the website. This is another place to visit on one of my numerous adventures.
After the pit-stop, I headed towards the Military Road. At last, the sun was starting to warm me up a little. This was going to be another slow bike ride because of the stunning scenery. Lots of frequent stops to admire the views and take photographs.
The air was crisp and the visibility was excellent. Once I had thawed out, it was a superb day for a cycle-ride.
The official map of the route taken in Part 1 of my journey
The route:
Starting off at Ventnor, cycling uphill to Whitwell and on to Niton. A long climb up to Blackgang but the views are worth the effort. Whizzing down the hill to Chale and beyond.
Following the official route with a pit-stop of Brighstone.
Ending up at Freshwater.
Recent comments on Facebook proves that the Military Road is one of the best roads to drive down. I can see why.
Quote from Wikipedia: “The original Military Road was constructed as part of a defence network in about 1860 and remained as a private gated road for about 70 years. It served as a link between forts and barracks and fluctuated between private and military use with private rights vested in the Seely family. In 1930 or thereabouts, the landowner Sir Charles Seely donated what was then a narrow track to the Isle of Wight Council for public use. The original track was vulnerable to erosion and a new road was constructed further inland. Some vestiges of the original track are still visible along the coast from Shippards Chine to the north west of the slumped area. The construction of the new road took place in the early 1930 with the formal opening of the last section in March 1936.”
Ending this leg of my journey at the lovely Freshwater Bay.
Freshwater Bay
There are lots more photos my “Scenery IOW” portfolio.