Isle of Wight Route from Cowes

Bobbinboy

I live in Southampton and each year I tend to get a group of people from work together to cycle round the IOW for a day. We have done the same route each year but this year I want to change it a bit as there is one part that is a bit boring.

Our usual route is over to Cowes on the ferry and then down the cycle path to Newport before heading across to Carisbrooke to do the Tennyson trail. Although the Tennyson trail is great as it is offroad and has great hills and views, the end of the route is all on road to get back to Cowes (via Yarmouth and Porchfield).

Firstly can anyone recommend a way of getting from the end of the Tennyson Trail back to Cowes off road or secondly can someone suggest a new route that takes about 7 hours and starts and ends at Cowes! I was thinking of perhaps keeping the beginning of the Tennyson route until you sea the english channel but instead of turning west across the downs, turning East towards Chale but I am open to any suggestions! (bit embarrassing asking for routes on the IOW seeing as I come from there but I left before I got into MTB..)

quiksilversbs

heya, i have got a route you can do if you turn east from tennyson trail but not to sure how i could explain it to you!

Bobbinboy

Well give it a try! If you can't describe it in detail then give me a summary and I'll try to work it out!

quiksilversbs

yea ok il do it 2moz evening if thats k coz il have to get the map out! if you know the island well then you should be ok!

quiksilversbs

heya,if you have a os map of the island u might be able to work this out! when u get to the top of brighstone or tennyson trail, you can turn east and head for chale, once in chale head up to hoy monument (st chatherine down) then drop in to whitwell and then head for stenbury down once at the top turn south (right) as u get to the top and head for ventnor golf course and then half way down the decent hang left (keep an eye out coz its easily missed) once on the path u will come a cross a road that leads to the golf course, go down the hill to the main road and turn left and then right up on to ventnor down which is a rather steep ascent! follow the road till the end and turn left and head for shanklin. once in shanklin go to brading, ( this part is on a route i did on here if u search the isle of wight and iv called it the old highway! this might help on this bit all the way to newport) once at yarbridge traffic lights turn left and follow it up to the mall and some where down the hill on the left is a bridleway go up there and follow that all the way to the top and then follow it all the way to a large gate. go through the gate and then keep right and follow it around and head to another gate, go through it turn right up a short but steep climb and follow it round to the main road, once at the main road turn right go down into the dip and when u get to a little car park on your left go into it and go through the gate and them turn right down some steps which a bit of single track will lead u to knighton shute. once at the road turn left and follow the road all the way round to a little triangle and turn right towards the garlic farm, and 200-300 meters turn left on to a bridle way and then follow that all the way into arreton u should come out by arreton primary school and the main road shoud be right in front of you, turn right uptowards the white lion and when you get to the junction at the top turn right and then immediately left and onto the old highway which will take u all the way to newport and then from there you can go back along the cycle path back to cowes!

i hope this make some kind of sense to you! lol

plodtv

mapmyride might work for this quiksilversbs help you visualize it

quiksilversbs

Ok mate il give that a go! It will be a lot easier for bobbinboy lol cheers

dunker

that road going up to ventnor down is quite steep! hehe especially late in the day after already doing half the hills killer route, could carry on along the top heading north then drop down to the main road then head up into i think it's called america wood? and north to parkhurst forrest?

Bobbinboy

quiksilversbs - That's some route you've described there! Its not going to be one that I do for the 1st time on the day so I'll have to reccy it first as I don't want to be leading 15 odd people around it and look at my instructions constantly. If you can get it on Mapmyride that would be great if not I'll print your instructions out and give it a go.

Dunker - I guess you are suggesting we do the same route as normal except that when we leave Yarmouth on the homeward leg we keep going along the main road towards Newport and then cut up through Parkhurst Forest. Could do this but it means a long stretch on a busy road with 15 people who are knackered. Last time half of them fell off on the small climb at the beginning of the Tennyson way by Carisbrook so god knows what they would be like on the long stretch of road at the end. I don't won't to be responsible for several fatalities...

Its a real shame there isn't a cycle path along the NW coast across Newtown creek!

Cunobelin

Isle of Wight Randonnee - 1st May 2011!