Uncovering and Discovering little known and forgotten treasures & oddities, as well as some abandoned or forgotten locations of the Island. Occasionally something other than an Isle Of Wight video will be uploaded. But only rarely.
Had three fantastic holidays with a mate on our motorbikes from Hertfordshire to Ventnor in 1981/2 and 3 and absolutely loved your film. Still regularly put the Ventnor bay webcam on to see what's happening and after all these years still miss the place. Thanks for some great memories.
@@muttt.whopull3252 Thanks for the comments.. Ventnor is a special place, as well as neighbouring St Lawrence & Bonchurch. I popped over to Ventnor on the weekend.. Had a pint in The Spyglass. 👍 Glad to hear you had a good time when over here.. 🙂
This used to be a smashing ride on the bus, especially for those to old to walk it, and or, not having a car. A very beautiful area of the Island, and one I used to do reasonably often when Isle Of Wight Studio Glass was still there. Happy days.
Bit late here, but nice video. I watch a lot as to the IoW, and this gives a nice aura, of which is why i find this island (especially Ventnor and surrounding areas) almost magical. Hard to explain, but i do. I thought the tune was gonna be Boards of Canada to start with, lol. But nice tune anyway, quite fitting : )
@@Oske.images Hey, thanks. Should be over again very soon, and making a walk along this route is to the top of the list. Well, from Niton, up to where the road crumbled anyway : ) Love to hear that you think it's special!
Having done this many times now I am hoping to expand a bit and go from Shanklin to Wroxall and then to Ventnor. But hard finding a good walking route from Wroxall to Ventnor though that does not involve main roads.
Why do people have to draw Dick's on walls with spray paint?!? It's a nation wide epidemic! You don't see this on ancient Greek architecture or on the pyramids. It's the Brit-youth mentality... So sad!!!
This is still one of my favourites to watch and I live on the island and go there quite often. But I still love to just sit back and watch and listen :D
I don't recognise it - is this not the devil's chimney beside the Smuggler's Haven car park? I went there yesterday as I'm doing a project on the Undercliff and went up the steep steps with a memorial bench half way up of a guy called Paris who crashed his plane in 1990?
Hi. This is the devils chimney. ( Though a few years ago it had wooden steps fitted towards the top, and then more work again recently.) I must visit soon to take a look.. The steps you went up are known locally as 'The Chink steps' and quite close by. I've known someone who did a project on the area. The undercliff is my favourite area of the Island ( Luccombe to Blackgang.) I've searched and found a multitude of caves, tunnels, steep steps through rocks, and all manner of interesting goodies. Some really amazing features.. I'm obsessed by, and in love with the whole area.. It's great to hear you're doing a project. Good luck with it all. The Devils Chimney by the way, Is easiest found by looking for the little paths that lead to it from the bottom of the lawn behind the Smugglers Haven tearoom..
Been photographing more than videoing recently.. Have done a couple of vids though.. And have loads that I held back for different reasons. Will have to post some more sometime.. When are you over?
Looking at the damage that door must've been solid! Hey is the place attached to a newer property now, whole walled garden looks ignored? Might seriously think to buy the place - which bit of the Island is it?
Thanks. I did film the other passage right through when it was open. Went down and splashed around in the oil in the pump Room with all the machinery.. Must upload it sometime. I believe it was all sealed a while later after being open so long..
@@Oske.images Yep they have sealed the entire thing good and proper. The fumes is what was worrying them more than anything. People were climbing over the top of the tanks via the service ladders and getting right down into the bottom inside them. And doing this without any breathing gear or gas meters. And as I understand UK common law, the landowner who owns the farm above ground actually owns the parts of the fuel depot under their property. So lots of incentive for them to block access. The money spent blocking access is a lot less than the expense of a wrongful; death suit or charge of criminal negligence.
@@sailwesterly5444 No it isn't. MOD built and operated it during the war and then leased it to the ports to operate and take responsibility for it. While MOD had possession (until they leased it) they had authority over it under the war time regulations that allowed them to build it, and after the war under the peace time statute that applied to it. Once MOD abandoned it (25 years ago) it effectively returned to the ownership of the property owner above ground since UK law specifies that landowners own the land right down to the center of the earth. It's that landowner who plugged all 3 tunnel entrances and recently demolished the emergency exit on the top of the hill, pushing the debris into the stairwell and then pouring concrete over the top.
@@johnrauner2515 Beg to differ there - it's still definitely MOD - I know for a fact - despite being decommissioned in 1992, it's still held by them as asset-in-waiting. Her two sister sites of similar design - Inchindown and Orkney are now held by the surface Landowner - Portsdown Hill is different - land to farmers on there is only ever leased. The whole place is far too tactically important to ever be owned by us commoners.
Very interesting stuff. it's been around 4/5 years since I've walked this bit. Have you been back since you filmed this? Those pipes are very ugly. I recall that part of the coastal path at 7:19 being right close to the field in which there were some livestock and thinking how the fence would need to be moved in a year or two. TBH I don't recall seeing anything like this Chine (at 7:26 / 8:05, etc) so must have been before 2015. How many years before the houses at 10 mins go?!
What a bloody shame. Nice little clip and appropriate music too. I must search out some old photos to see what it used to look like in its glory days. I love old buildings. Today's structures and houses are MONSTROUS.
Those jagged rocks are all over the SW coastline. They make excellent pictures when the tide is out. I don't think the water recedes much here though. I've never seen the rocks fully exposed. Pity. Not sure what your purpose was here - maybe just a swim, but I'm certain there was method in your madness?
Ok - fair enough. I went in the sea there August. I'm not a swimmer as such so dare not venture out. I *did* find myself swimming and getting nowhere though (current). Nice view of the rocks and Cliff from where you were. Maybe I will try and get a decent picture here sometime - when the tide is out. Lovely area. Reeth Bay is nice too and Watershoot.
This is the one I looked in on this year. I commented on your earlier vid. There's a metal railing and another blockage near the top. That's it at 0:49. Sure that flimsy wooden piece has been replaced by something else but you can just get through. Before this I noticed a little pathway in the wooded area immediately on the left and some sort of pipe too. I got as far as 1:12 - it was all nettled up and other foliage. Gone forever - huge steep gaping hole on right hand side of steps - you can actually see it more clearly here - it's grown up around it recently. I turned back - i never got to turn right and go down any steps. This looks worse than when I went down a few years ago and got to the bottom meeting someone coming up - must have been 10 years ago now, I guess. Irreplaceable steps and footage.
I believe memorial fountain and road are still there. Easy to access if you know the routes. There's a different section of old road and a few goodies still there that many miss.. And yup, we visit all-sorts at night... :-) Worth a look. 👍.
Yes - still there but it's a case of finding a way in. I might just try but with all the weather lately it might be very unstable in that area tha knows!
@@garethbramley1 It's fine.. There was a guy living along there recently who kept one route clear.. I have to return soon myself. There's a base of a unique and interesting building I wish to record again before it goes... I'll wait till just after lockdown.
Great stuff. I love walking on this road - it's a lot quicker on a bike though. Just pleased it's all finished and looks decent. It was an horrific mess form a few years after the landslide. Cars will never (be able to) go through - it would just speed up another landslide. I can see where you start at Institute Hill. I've always wondered what the garage at 0:17 looked like in the old days with the petrol pumps and all. I must try and find a picture. Good to see you slowing down as it started a little too fast for my liking. That Buddle Inn sign at 0:37 is now mostly hidden by overhanging bushes - odd the owners don't bother to cut them back. Road on right at 1:33 - dead end - no access to Puckaster Cove. Ditto - 2:00. Footpath on the left is the steep incline to the coastal path and Niton (Cripple Path). Those double decker school buses used to run along here - that wouldn't have helped. 4:50 - Massive buddlea bush on the right side now. 4:57 - That building was still there this year - still with signage suggesting it is still taking guests. I think it's a sheer drop the other side of it. 5:55 - Huge wood on the right - been though it many times. If you know the name of it please let me know. 8:54 - Road on right leads down to Woody Bay / Binnel Bay. 9:00 - That's the old St.Lawrence Inn on the right where Yates started brewing in 2000. They'd moved before I visited in 2005/6. 10:09 - I don't recall seeing that gateway but presumably it is still there - I would have been looking the other way (Seven Sisters Road). I've only ever done with Ventnor end a couple of times - seemed endless and not so inviting. I recall some old lady stopped in her car to offer me a lift last time (a few years back). Of course, I was only a mile outside Ventnor then. Both times it was evening time just before dusk. Botanic Gardens on right at 12:50 - Only ever been once. I'm normally going into Ventnor by bus or walking along Whitwell Road which is nice as there's a footpath alongside it Ventnor end. Ventnor beach is deserted and it's July!!!!!! It was busy as hell this year when I was there July / August - maybe September too. I fancied a pint at The Spyglass this September but there was a large 'q' for food and I only wanted a bloody pint so I left. AN EXCELLENT FILM! Such a nice day - must have been a great ride. Hope you enjoyed your beer. I do hope it was a local one.
Of course Belgrave Road has now slipped too. More because of the supporting wall below not being maintained than natural land movement.. They should have rebuilt the wall, put in extra support and rebuilt the road.. But no, they leave it to crumble, fill with rainwater, and get worse..
Ok - not familiar with that end as there's no walking opportunities as there is in Niton / St. Lawrence. WTF is going on with your council? It's be *ucking useless for years!!! Is it run here on the mainland? Makes me so, so angry and I don't live there. They shut down all the Tourist Info places. sticking them into small corners in other premises years ago. The do *uck all maintenance to anything so it all rots and crumbles. They are very good at doing the simplest of tasks though - like putting 'footpath closed' signs up. Takes them ages and ages to sort repairs / diversions and I believe a lot of this is now done by local ramblers (like those steep, steep steps in Shanklin Down). It's all too late and everything is started to crumble big time!
That fencing at 5:02 was still there this summer when I walked that road - yet this road was completed some time ago.I guess it's a steep drop and there's not much else they can do?! All the roads / paths down to Puckaster Cove at Niton end are blocked off too due to slippage.
Yes - noticed the buddleia a couple of years back - not sure I spotted any butties though which was disappointing. Only way into to Puckaster is via the beach of by parachute! I was walking this road when they were working on it and it was a right mess for 2/3 years. What happened to that nice blue / green sign. I mean all the bloody bus stops are still there yet there's no hope of any bus going down there as it would simply have to turn back.
