EXPLORE WEST
EXPLORE WEST The West Wight’s rolling landscape and crumbling cliffs offer perhaps the Island’s greatest escape. It was largely undeveloped during the 20th century tourism boom and has retained its unspoilt coastline. The beaches of the West Wight often require a little more effort to reach, but you are rewarded with spectacular backdrops.
BRIGHSTONE & SURROUNDING AREA
WHY GO? One of the bigger villages in the west is Brighstone with its 12th century church and traditional farmhouses. The area around North Street has a similar charm to Godshill but without the crowds. Make your way round the tiny Brighstone village museum and library before visiting the thatched newsagents and village shop. Nearby is an excellent tearooms (wolveseyhouse.com) which is a popular stopping point for cyclists. If you have a few minutes spare, pop on a pair of wellies to visit Brighstone’s “Dragon Tree”. This ancient oak can be found on a footpath off New Road and appears to be growing sideways over a stream.
Nearby, you’ll find Mottistone Manor Gardens (nationaltrust.org.uk) where children will enjoy the flowerpot trails and den building area. From here, it’s just a short walk onto the downs to the mysterious “Longstone” monument. The larger of the two stones is nearly four metres tall and is thought to have been erected thousands of years ago.
TOP TIP - ISLE OF WIGHT MOUNTAIN BIKE CENTRE
Whilst it rarely receives much press, the Isle of Wight Mountain Bike Centre (isleofwightmountainbikecentre.com) is often spoken of as one of the best in the UK by mountain bike pros. Set on Cheverton Farm, near Shorwell, they’ve created an ever-expanding trail network to challenge varying abilities of rider, with plans to extend this even further in the future.
FEELING HUNGRY?
Curiously, Hulverstone and Calbourne both have a local pub called The Sun (characterinns.co.uk/the-sun-inn and sun-calbourne.co.uk). Whilst in Calbourne, take a walk past the riverside thatched cottages of Winkle Street. On warm evenings, sit by the trout stream in the beer garden of The Crown at Shorwell (characterinns.co.uk/the-crown-inn). For an afternoon tea with a paint brush, take the whole family for an afternoon at Chessell Pottery Cafe (chessellpotterycafe.co.uk) REDFUNNEL.CO.UK
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