Waxwing

Waxwing
"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour."

From "Auguries of Innocence"

by William Blake

Thursday 19 July 2018

Isle of Wight - Day 2 Saturday 7th July : Walks around Niton and Compton Beach







It was sunny and hot on Saturday (too hot to be honest around 30 degrees which is unusual, in our experience, for the Isle of Wight as usually the sea breeze keeps temperatures lower!).



An early morning walk around Niton to see the lighthouse at St Catherine's Point.




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The Buddle Inn is a 16th century Smugglers' inn - we usually have a meal here but last year we found prices had risen and there seemed less choice on the menu. It is well worth a visit though as it has a great atmosphere and sea-views.



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St Catherine's Lighthouse

A small beacon was first lit at St Catherine's (see later in the post) in about 1323 by Walter de Godyton. The present lighthouse was erected in 1838 by Trinity House following the sinking of the ship Clarendon on nearby rocks. A very sad incident took place in World War Two when a bombing raid on 1st June, 1943, destroyed the engine house killing the three keepers on duty who had taken shelter in the building. R T Grenfell, C Tomkins and W E Jones were buried in the churchyard at Niton.

The lighthouse was automated in 1997 and an automatic weather reporting station has been installed sending information to the Met Office.

We have in the past been on a tour of the lighthouse which is very interesting and well worth doing.

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Can anyone guess what is shown in this photo? Answer at the end of the post.

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Another photo of "Ye Olde Cottage"




Gatekeeper

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On the way back we stopped off at a small village fayre - there was a lovely display of embroidery showing various aspects of the village in the hall.


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I couldn't resist buying this Swallowtail bookmark.




We then drove along the Military Coast Road to our favourite beach at Compton.

Looking towards Freshwater Cliffs (chalk)


Saturday was the day of the "Round the Island Race" and colourful yachts were racing around the island.









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After watching the yachts for a while we went down onto the beach (last year you couldn't access the beach from here as there had been a small landslide and the steps had collapsed - they have now been repaired).

Black-headed Gull









The geology of the Isle of Wight is very interesting. The rocks along this stretch of coastline are the oldest exposed rocks on the island formed in the Cretaceous (125-140 million years ago). The gently sloping, and in places almost horizontal, Wealden beds consist of red, green, purple and grey mudstones containing bands of limestone and sandstone. The top of the cliff is composed of a layer of gravel deposited in more recent times (at the end of the last Ice Age) by rivers. The harder more resistant layers run as parallel ledges to the sea .

Chalk further along the coast at Freshwater and the Needles was deposited 80-90 million years ago in clear warm seas. The rocks in places are almost vertical. Chalk is made up of miniscule fragments of tiny algae (coccoliths) which formed spheres only 1/100th of a millimetre in diameter.

The Isle of Wight is often known as "Dinosaur Island" because so many dinosaur remains have been found here - many on Compton Beach or on the cliffs at this location. There are several examples of dinosaur footprints on the beach (we were once shown these years ago on an organised fossil hunt we attended but I have only ever found one since and not on this holiday)! Other fossils to be found on the beach include lignite (fossilised wood), oyster shells and amber is occasionally discovered.

A pine raft can be seen at Hanover Point when the tide is completely out.

(It should be noted that this area of coast is subject to rapid erosion and you should not go too close to the cliffs because of rockfalls. Digging into the cliffs for fossils is not allowed although I understand you can pick up fossil finds from the beach).






Pebbles - I discovered a few days ago that a book on Pebbles on the Beach is about to re-printed (I suspect it will be a book I will not be able to resist!).




Is this part of a fossilised shell?




Meet Compton - Isle of Wight Bear Number Three who did not make the journey last year.





The National Trust car park had been busy (many were watching the boat race) and the beach right by the car park was busy but the further you walk the quieter it becomes until the beach is empty.















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Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) seen in a pool as we left the beach at Brook Chine

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A grasshopper/cricket seen on the cliff path by D.

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We walked back to Compton Beach car park via the coastal path.











I think this may be a chine developing?

Chines are steep-sided river valleys formed when rivers erode the soft clays and sand as they enter the sea via coastal cliffs. The word chine comes from the Saxon word "cinan" meaning a gap or a yawn. The exact number of chines on the island varies as the ever-evolving coastline means that over time some are created and some are destroyed. Lush vegetation and steep sides provide shelter in what is usually an area of exposed cliffs so they are often good for wildlife. In the past they were frequently used by smugglers.





Six Spot Burnet Moth




We saw many butterflies on the coast path - Marbled White, Skippers, Gatekeepers, Meadow Brown, "Whites" although no photos as they were far too lively in the sunshine. This is a good area to see the rare Glanville Fritillary although I have never succeeded and I suspect we were too late this year.






Finally, back at the car park for an icecream.




We returned to the cottage early afternoon as we wanted to watch the England game and some tennis.



St Andrew's Chale (seen on the journey) - we used to stay in Chale and I have visited this church many times.


A distant view of the Pepperpot (a medieval lighthouse) on St Catherine's Down.





Along with Compton Beach the Pepperpot (or St Catherine's Oratorary) is my favourite place on the island. We didn't walk up to it this year but here are a few photos from last year's holiday.



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The tower is all that remains of an Oratory built in around 1323 by Walter de Godyton (see above), Lord of Chale, who, according to local legends, stole wine from a shipwreck in Chale Bay. The wine had originally come from a French monastery and he was fined and then threatened with ex-communication unless he erected an oratory with a beacon on Chale (now St Catherine's) Down. He paid a priest to tend the light and to say prayers for those who had drowned at sea. When the monasteries were dissolved in 1538 the oratory was no longer used for religious reasons but the beacon was kept lit until the the 17th century.






In the evening D went a walk on public footpaths around Niton. I didn't go but will share his photos as there are some lovely effects with the evening light.



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Day 3 will include a trip to the Pirate Festival at Ryde and then a visit to Quarr Abbey


Mystery Photo - D was amusing himself trying to capture flies in flight!




*D - Photos taken by my son with the Canon SX50hs bridge camera.

All other photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ 330 apart from last year's photo of the Pepperpot which was taken with my Olympus dslr.

15 comments:

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Looks like a fascinating place to visit and I can imagine that there is a wide variety of wildlife to be discovered, some of which you show here. I have to confess that I find it odd that you would go on vacation and then leave this tranquility to go inside and watch television!

Bovey Belle said...

Gosh RR, nearly as good as being there. You know a lot more of the island than I do. I just know the popular bits around the edge, the places with pubs in, from a mis-spent youth!

I've never heard of the Pepper Pot - though there is one of that name on the hill going down into Salisbury (on the Southampton road). Lovely evening photos by your son too - looks like you missed a lovely walk.

Ragged Robin said...

David Gascoigne Thank you and yes there is a lot to discover there. We have been about 15 times and I never tire of it.

It was a special football game - England had actually managed to reach the quarter finals of the World Cup although I was a bit miffed it was an afternoon rather than an evening kickoff!

Bovey Belle - Thank you. We have been so many times and I have so many books on the island hence the acquired knowledge! We prefer the west side as it is more rural although the rest of the family always insist on going to Ryde. lol! re: the pubs - I know plenty of those over there too :)

If you ever visit again the Pepperpot is well worth a visit - it is one of those places that has a rather special "atmosphere" and just breathes history from its stones. A short steep climb up from the viewpoint car park near Blackgang Chine but the views are stunning.

Pam said...

Doesn't the beach and sea look heavenly, they're lovely photos with the boats :)

Ragged Robin said...

Pam - Thank you and yes the beach and sea do look heavenly. I've been to some beaches in my time but Compton is my favourite of them all :)

Rosie said...

Just catching up with both of your IOW posts. The cottage you stayed in looks wonderful I can imagie sitting in the garden in the evenings after a day out and about around the island. Your photos of the walk along the coastal path are lovely as are 'D's' photos taken on the evening stroll through the fields - the last one with the people and dog is perfect. Looking forward to reading more of your adventures:)

Ragged Robin said...

Rosie Thanks so much. The cottage and garden are really lovely :) I loved the dog picture my son took too although the first of his photos of the evening walk is my favourite - have put it now on the computer as a screen saver.

The Quacks of Life said...

hello compton!!!

Ragged Robin said...

Pete Duxon - Compton waves to Quacks and co. :) I think he was the last ferry teddy I purchased - they don't seem to do them any more :(

Caroline Gill said...

Your post, RR, brings back so many Easter memories for me. How lovely to have the sunshine and therefore the butterflies. I would love to see a Marbled White one day.

Compton looks a lovely bear, and he was evidently enjoying his holiday.

What a lot you packed into your first full day on the island. I'm running behind, so can move straight on to Day 3!

Ragged Robin said...

Caroline Gill - Thanks so much Caroline - so pleased the posts are bringing back happy memories of your holiday there earlier this year :)

IofW is good for Marbled White - one day I would like to visit in May to look for Glanville Fritillary.

Compton got taken by mistake - I just grabbed the a red jumper bear and a blue jumper bear and it was only when I arrived I discovered I had left Osborne behind - I was mortified!!! Should have taken all 3!

Amanda Peters said...

This place has a different feel to it, reminds me of llandudno in Wales.Love to see the boats sailing on the sea, and you managed to get down to the beach.
Interesting to read about the geology, did you bring the fossil shell home ? and did you find any more ?

I have the Pebble book, not sure if I got it from a secondhand shop or amazon a few years back. Handy little book, but like all things we look at.. its not that straight forward to get an ID for something.

More trees here and a much greener feel to the place than your visit to Tennyson Down,

Amanda xx

Ragged Robin said...

Amanda Peters - Thank you. I haven't been to Llandudno since I was a child! Yes I have brought the fossil home and sadly didn't find any more! The geology of that coastline is fascinating.

I suspect I have the pebble book somewhere in a storage box in the garage with old holiday files - or at least a similar book. But as you say like so many things id is never as easy as it might initially look!

I couldn't believe how brown areas of the Isle of Wight looked - so need rain!

CherryPie said...

This looks like a lovely place to go walking.

Ragged Robin said...

CherryPie - Thank you - you would find it easy to complete your steps challenge over there - so many lovely walks.