First leg from Highdown Lane to The Needles –

Length: 3.5 km

Duration: 1:07

Ascent/descent: 178/119 m

Wayfinding: mostly well signposted footpaths, some diversions, some overzealous landowners with warning signs. Parkhurst Forest is a maze, have a map or phone.

Weather: sunny, cloudy, shorts

Buses to Yarmouth then Shalfleet for the second leg to Newport –

Length: 19.4 km

Duration: 5:49

Ascent/descent: 300/297 m

Weather: sunny then cloudy, shorts

We stayed at the Highdown Inn. Both the food and accommodation were nice, a lovely pub. But my good feelings were robbed by the publican charging £24 for four sad bappy rolls the kitchen scrambled together for our takeaway lunch. I wish she had just said no to the request.

But I found out about this outrage only later. At this moment of setting off from the pub, my spirit soared with the steep climb up through a woodland then out on to Tennyson Down and his monument! Everything was perfect: blue sky, candy floss clouds, buzzing meadows, the sun all round, the sea below, the smiles and awe in my companions.

We took the ‘daring’ path that was outside the fence and walked on cliff edge. Seagulls flew close to the top of the chalky cliff faces. I saw them in their element for the first time, not dead-eyed pests on park benches. There were many openings in the ground, some made by rabbits. I wonder how often the fences have to be moved inland.

Shalfleet was an attractive village. We probably should have spent more time exploring it. This walk to Newport was nowhere near as dramatic as up on Tennyson Down. But I enjoyed the well cared-for fields we walked through.

The singular highlight of the whole walk was Winkle Street. I have decided to retire there, in one of the thatched cottages overlooking a clear stream lined with montbretia and naked lady lilies. It was an idyll.

The Parkhurst Forest was also a highlight. It was a welcome change to the farmed fields that dominated this walk. You will need something to help you navigate. Even with the OS Map and GPS we felt lost at times: one section of the path did not exist, and at another section we veered off course. Google Maps might work better.

Back to Newport, the IoW metropolis. The Thai by Ja restaurant was excellent.