26/7/09 - Eleven walkers met at the Jubilee Car Park at Brighstone, set off for a walk towards the Blacksmiths Arms, Carisbrooke.
Leaving the car park, we followed the forest tracks to the Westover Plantation and out of the forest through the fields to Westover Farm, through Withybed Copse, towards the road. Coming out of the copse we diverted slightly from the footpath, only to find we needed to limbo dance beneath the electrified wire!
We walked towards the road junction for Newbridge, then across the fields to Five Houses. The footpath though the fields is behind Swainston Manor and from this point a folly, The Temple can be seen, in the trees opposite the entrance to Swainston Manor. The footpaths here appear to be seldom used, quite over grown in places, even more over grown where a slight deviation from the intended route occured. We continued on to Upper Watchingwell and The Old Halt, on the dismantled railway, which was an ideal place to stop for lunch.
After lunch we walked the old rail track to Betty Haunt Lane, then on to the Blacksmiths Arms, the route now rises to the Tennyson Trail, which we followed briefly before heading off across the fields to Rowridge Lane as an 'alternative' Tennyson Trail.
At Rowridge Farm, we were again using little used paths, first through a copse, then across a field of wheat, no footpath signs anywhere, just have to trust your map reading skills.
At Swainstondown Gate, the grass had been cut and was now being baled, the path took is into Brighstone Forest, rejoining the Tennyson Trail, back to the car park.

Leader - Alf

Total Distance - 10.7 Miles

Average walking speed 2.9 mph