Walk Steps

1. Start your journey from the bus stop at Freshwater Bay. Buses 1B, 1C, 7, 7A, and 17 from Ryde stop here. There’s also a car park just a mile (1.6 km) south of Freshwater, at the corner of the A3055. Take the lane to Fort Redoubt, marked as path F50 (Tennyson Trail), and you’ll pass some public toilets on your right.
2. When the lane curves to the left, head through a gate that leads towards the sea. Be careful near the cliffs! Follow the path along the right-hand side of the fence and continue along the cliff-top path. You’ll soon enter the National Trust land at Watcombe Bay—just keep following the cliff-top trail.
3. When you reach the beautiful Celtic cross, which is a memorial to Alfred, Lord Tennyson, turn right away from the cliffs. Continue on the waymarked path ahead, through a gate.
4. Take a sharp right onto the chalk track marked as path T24 to Freshwater Bay. Along the way, you’ll pass a small replica of the old Nodes Beacon on your left and an old chalk pit on your right. Keep following the signposted path and ignore the track on your left.
5. When you see a waymarked path on your right, follow it into the trees. Keep the hedge on your left and trees on your right. Stay on this path even when it’s joined by another one from your left. You’ll pass a second chalk pit on your right—then take the right-hand path at the fork.
6. Cross over a path near a National Trust notice and step into a field corner. Walk down to the road with the hedge on your left. You’ll pass a charming thatched church on your left—pop in if you’d like—then turn right to return to where you started.