Freshwater Bay to the Needles

START

A Start at the walk from the car park in Freshwater Bay. Cross over the road and make your way to the seafront.

B Walk west along Gate Lane past the hotel. Turn left by the public toilets and then right through the kissing gate to access Easton Field on to Foot Path 50, which will join Foot Path 25 and 24 along the cliff top.

C Follow the foot path to the end of the headland. Here you will find a series of military sites from the Needles Old Battery, New Battery and the rocket testing sites for Black Knight and Black Arrow. This site was used for top secret rocket testing until 1971! The headland is a great place to view the Needles, a series of chalk stacks sticking up out of the sea. Once you have finished oggling the Needles make your way towards the pleasure park along the road.

D As you reach the Needles Pleasure Park there is a viewing platform close to the cliff top, just incase you need another look at the Needles. From here follow Foot Path 23 into Alum Bay Chine, and then Foot Path 22 out again. This will bring you to Headon Warren.

E Join Foot Path 17 to the top of Headon Warren. Headon Warren is a sandstone hill; here you will find coastal lowland heathland covered in heather and Gorse, which provides habitat for insects, birds and animals. Headon Warren is a great place to view the chalk downs and the Solent.

F Pass by a burial mound fenced off from the rest of the field and head to the Alum Bay Road along Foot Path 16.

G Turn left at the road and take care as you walk along the verge at the road junction cross over and take the foot path near the cottages, which will take you back towards the base of the chalk downs.

H Turn left at the end of this path. Go through the gate and on your left there will be paths going in all directions. Look for Foot Path 24, which runs east along the base of the downs between the woodland and the farmland.

I At the next junction turn left onto Foot Path 43 and go inland towards Farringford.

J Carry on straight ahead and at the next t junction of paths turn right towards Farringford Farm on Foot Path 47. Continue along this path under the bridge. It will join Gate Lane. Turn right along the pavement past Dimbola. Dimbola Lodge was once the home of the pioneering female photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. Gate Lane will bring you back to Freshwater Bay and the car park.

FINISH