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ISLE OF WIGHT DAY TRIP
28 September, 2022
27/9: UPDATE: Phil has done a little more research on the lunch options at the Needles, his notes below:
It is at least three years since I went there with the Health Ride group, at that time there were five or six cafes / restaurants in different areas of the Needles complex, the food and service was excellent then, so l assumed that things had not changed in that time. Having now checked a large number of reviews about the food and experiences, there appears to be a wide variation in the quality. I have therefore decided to change the venue to the National Trust cafe / restaurant a short ride away nearer to the needles. I am assured that N.T. is excellent, it is also nearer to the needles. If some or all of you would like to go on the chair lift then that is at the rear of the Needles complex, we will pass by the complex on the return journey to the ferry so we could always meet you by the main entrance if that’s what you want to do. Finally, you could always bring or buy your own food, or buy food off the ferry and take it with you.
Thank you Phil for checking, I suggest once we get there we decide on a departure point and time to regroup before heading back for the Ferry.
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19 of us have now signed up to an exciting day on the IOW!! Whoop, whoop! Phil has now purchased our group booking ferry ticket.
Mileage: ca. 42 miles
Terrain: Road and gravel
Time: Depart from the Castle 08:30 prompt for the 10:00am ferry
If anyone wishes to meet us at the ferry rather than cycling from the Castle, please email Gill: castlewheelers234@gmail.com
Pre-requisites: All riders must have good working front and back lights as it will be getting dark by the time we get back to the Castle.
Ride details are as follows:
We will leave on the Lymington ferry at 10.00 hr, we should be off the ferry by 11.00am at Yarmouth, we will then cycle up past the Marina travelling south, take the left hand lane off the roundabout called River Road, follow round a left bend and turn right into Mill Rd, continue past Yarmouth Mill, over Thorley Brook and follow the trail alongside the mud flats until we meet the disused railway track. At this point we turn right(ish) onto the old railway track which takes us all the way to Afton Rd travelling south, we turn left onto Afton Rd and follow all the way to Freshwater Bay.
At Freshwater Bay we will stop for a short break. I think there are toilets there as well. We will then continue west tracking the coastal road via Moon Hill all the way to the Needles Park and complex, where we stop for a while, here we can have lunch, take a look around the complex or a ride on the chair lift or just have a few beers etc., there are a range of restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops to walk around.
The return trip to Yarmouth, unfortunately it is up hill most of the way back to Norton which is a small village just west of Yarmouth. We start off on the B3322 at the Needles complex heading north, until reaching Freshwater village, the road now becomes the A3054 which takes up through Colwell then on to Norton following on to Yarmouth and then catch the 17:05 hr ferry back. Aiming to be at the castle ca. 19:00 hr.
