Freshwater to the Needles

Today was sunny in Ryde, so we decided to go for a walk from Freshwater to the Needles.  Unfortunately it wasn't very sunny in Freshwater, but we went ahead anyway.  It started with a long climb.  We decided to check what we were in for before starting.

We were a little concerned about the hill!  We managed though.  Half way up we stopped to look at the view.

It is a very nice view over Freshwater Bay.  Then we went on up to the top.

We still had to do more climbing, we got up to Tennyson's Memorial.  Alfred Lord Tennyson was the royal poet for Queen Victoria and he had a house called Farringford, near Freshwater.  It has been a hotel since then.

The memorial can be seen all over the west of the island up on Tennyson Down.  Tennyson walked on the downs a lot so I suppose he was entitled to have a down named after him.  We walk on the downs a lot too so I wonder which one they will re-name Kolo Down!

Anyway we still had a way to go.

After the monument we walked down the hill and on High Down.  You can see it in the distance and the famous Needles are below it.  Sadly you can't see the Needles from High Down because they were too far down.  Baboons will always try to see things if they can so we thought climbing a tree might help.

Honestly it didn't but we baboons always love to climb trees so it wasn't wasted.  We walked out to the Needles, even though we couldn't see them and then we came back the same way.  It was a nice walk and left us with an appetite for lunch.  We went to Daffodils Cafe in the Haven Walking Holiday Centre in Freshwater House.  Its a nice spot and I would give it three baboons in the new baboon rating system.

We really needed lunch after all that walking!!

Then well, home because there was (still is) a big game this afternoon, so I was needed to join the Arsenal fans at home.  So here is our version of Arsene's red and white army!!  It looks like the Emirates on the Isle of Wight in here.

Come on Arsenal!! Yes the sweet little goat is actually a Cologne/Koln mascot that Mookie left me.  He joins the Arsenal fans to watch his favourite player, Podolski! Come on Arsenal.