Walk Leader
Carol Walker
Capacity
10
This walk is in two parts, in the morning we will explore Firestone Copse near Ryde on the Isle of Wight. We will then move to Quarr Abbey where there is a cafe, for lunch, and a small area of woodland.
Firestone Copse is located just to the south west of Ryde, near Fishbourne and Wootton Bridge.
There are a series of walking trails to follow around the woods where tree species include Oak, Ash, coniferous Douglas, Cedar and Scots Pine. The weather at this time of the year can vary, let's hope it is sunny, however, I would recommend walking boots or wellingtons as it could be quite muddy.
The walks will provide the opportunity to photograph a variety of trees in their autumn colours (hopefully), fallen leaves, acorns and other forest fruits, moss/lichen, ferns, funghi and possibly a red squirrel,
We will start the walk from Firestone Copse car park, where, hopefully, there will be a coffee van.
Quarr Abbey is a monastery which is home to a small group of Benedictine monks. There is no entry fee for Quarr.
It is situated within 200 ares of pasture, woodlands, coastline and formal gardens. There is a short woodland walk with a hide where you may be lucky to see a red squirrel.
Walk Location
50.716332157939, -1.2106506457397
Walk Directions
There will be a number of opportunities for a range of photographs in Firestone Copse. We can follow a circular trail in the forest which stopping to explore the habitat as we go, or participants can explore individually then meeting in the car park before transferring to Quarr. The mobile phone signal is a bit dodgy in places in the forest so participants need to mindful of this.
At Quarr there is a cafe for a snack or lunch and participants will have the opportunity to explore the grounds including the woodland and hide.
Accessibility
Coming from the mainland you will need to catch the 10am car ferry from Gunwharf, Portsmouth, PO1 2LA to Fishbourne, either as a foot passenger, with a bike or in a car. Car fares are expensive, about £85 day return, whereas a foot passenger fare is £17.40, seniors otherwise £23.40. Foot passengers and cyclists do not need to book and there is no charge for cycles. If you are travelling by car you can book your ticket online at https://www.wightlink.co.uk/book
The ferry arrives at 10.45am. If you come by foot I am happy to pick up participants at the ferry. It will take about 15 minutes by bike and 8 minutes by car.
At the end of the day, ferries leave every 40 minutes for Portsmouth and it is up to participants when they leave. I will take foot passengers to the ferry between 3pm and 4pm, however if anyone wished to leave sooner there is a footpath to the ferry terminal from Quarr which is about a 20 minutes walk..
Feedback Meeting Type
Zoom
Feedback Talk Date and Time