#MiniBreeze on the cliff path

#MiniBreeze did one of our favourite walks yesterday, from Upper Ventnor to the cliffs above Blackgang Chine (where we went with @TourGuideTed and co).  This about five miles each way with varied scenery.

We started out early, and after breakfast at the Bembridge Bakery, drove to Upper Ventnor and walked along the wooded path beside the Whitwell Road to the downs.  When we got to the downs #MiniBreeze was able to look out at the English Channel.  This walk goes along the high cliffs above the English Channel to a view point.

#MiniBreeze is astonished by the mushrooms he has seen on the island and to be honest so are we.  These were as big as dinner plates.  We have never seen mushrooms like we have seen this year.

As we walked along #MiniBreeze saw a lighthouse in the distance.  We will be going closer to that.

#MiniBreeze looked ahead to where he would be walking, along the cliff path round to the view point.

#MiniBreeze got lots of views of the English Channel on this walk and it was a beautiful day!

Looking back along the path we had walked #MiniBreeze saw that harvest time was over and there were hay bales in the fields.  No wonder we were sneezing.

Finally we got to the lighthouse.  #MiniBreeze wanted to sit and look at this, he loved it.  It is St Catherine's lighthouse on the southern tip of the island.  It used to have a lighthouse keeper and then you could go around it, but now it is unmanned and controlled by computer at Trinity House so we couldn't take #MiniBreeze inside.

From the viewpoint we were able to show #MiniBreeze where the lighthouse used to be.  I don't think you can see it but it is high up the St Catherine's Down near the mast in the picture, the oratory is just above #MiniBreeze's left ear on the picture.  It is known locally as the Pepperpot, as it looks like a pepper pot from a distance, you can see why in the picture below.  Its real name is St Catherine's oratory.

St. Catherine's Oratory is a medieval lighthouse. It was built by Lord of Chale Walter de Godeton  as an act of penance for plundering wine from the wreck of the ship St. Marie of Bayonne in Chale Bay on 20 April 1313 AD.  It wasn't much use because being so high on the cliff it gave ships' crews the impression that they could sail further in and then they got wrecked.  That was why they built St Catherine's lighthouse lower down on the Undercliff.  However, initially it was too tall and the light was lost when it was foggy, so it had to be lowered in height.

From the view point #MiniBreeze could see the cliffs at Freshwater, but sadly, in this picture, you can't!!

Then we turned around and went back to the car.  On the way #MiniBreeze stopped to look down to Ventnor and St Lawrence, the village next to it.

Well #MiniBreeze will be leaving us soon, but he has had a good view of the island and been to London and Kent.  He has also learned to love our sports, especially football and cricket.  Oh dear and he is going to Australia, they are meant to be good at cricket but we are not so sure this summer.  Maybe #MiniBreeze will have something to teach them!! Heeheehee!!

We will miss #MiniBreeze a lot when he goes, but he may get one more adventure with us as the Australians are deciding who we should send him to first.