Start: Sandown Railway Station Car park.Set-off Time: 10.30am.Description: A fairly level walk along a disusedrailway line and then through nature reserves. Afterthe war, Alverstone was a favourite boating area withtea rooms now long gone. Much of the route in thenature reserves has been improved by the IWRamblers and Wight Nature Fund.Access Information: Gated walk with just twostiles. Several seats along the route.Refreshments: Sandown Station cafe or Spar shopen route. Toilets: Sandown Station.

Route: From the car park (1) enter the station at platform 2 and cross to theopposite platform using the subway. Take the exit along a concrete path withmurals. At the road, turn right into Perowne Way. Continue to the Spar shop (2)and turn left onto the Sandown to Newport cycleway no 23.

Follow the cycleway through marshes, passing a water works, and over a metalbridge to Alverstone. (3) Turn right at the white gate to follow a quiet lanethrough the village, passing The Old School Hall. Where the road turns right,continue straight on a narrow lane. This lane turns left and reaches Chiddles Farm.Continue along the lane passing farm buildings on the right and then fine viewsof the distant downs. (4)Turn left over a stile onto footpath B52. Follow the righthand field path to a stile and continue by gardens. In front of a gate, turn left ontoa track to rejoin the village at the Old School Hall. Turn right and at the nextPublic Footpath sign, turn right on B54 through a gate by The Mill. Follow theenclosed path to the river and weir by the mill. Follow the riverside path to agate and back onto the cycleway (5). Turn left for 100 yds and then right over awooden bridge into Youngwoods Copse. Follow the boardwalk and continue ona wooded path and eventually reach a gate (6). Here turn left and continue on anarrow path with houses on the left. Cross a lane (7) and continue on NC42descending on a sunken path. Turn right along a track and continue to a road (8).

Cross the road and go into into Alverstone Mead Nature Reserve on footpathNC17 at the memorial gate. Go along boardwalks, and go through two Ramblersgates onto a woodland path. Continue through woodland and at a road, by abench leading to a bird hide (9), turn left down a lane, to follow the track whichturns right by Skinners Meadow which is on the right. Continue on the path whichfollows the outside edge of the field. The path turns left through two gates andthrough woodlands with a golf course on the right (10). Turn right along a laneand pass the water works on the left.

Pass the school sports ground on the right, and where the road bears right(11) cross the road and follow a path straight ahead between trees and alongthe left side of a green. Cross the road at the crossing and follow the subway.Turn left to the station car park.

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Ramblesaround the Islandin association with the IW Ramblers For more walks visit: www.iowramblers.com

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Get Walking . . .Join us for a free, gentle strollon Saturday, July 5, 10.30am