Circumnavigate Culver trail
Take a short but exhilarating cliff top walk over Bembridge and Culver Downs which offers spectacular views over Sandown and Whitecliff Bays. There’s the chance of seeing peregrines, ravens, cowslips and butterflies at different times of year, and it’s equally enjoyable if you just want to take in the views from the cliff tops.
Map
Elevation
Start:
National Trust car park at Bembridge Fort, grid ref: SZ625859
1
From the car park, turn so the sea is on your right and follow the grassy path which runs along the top of the down parallel to the road. The path meets the road at a cattle grid. Turn right through the gate alongside the cattle grid and walk along the road, which can be busy at times. Turn left through a metal kissing gate just before the Culver Haven Inn and visit the Yarborough Monument.
Yarborough Monument
At 75 feet high, the Yarborough Monument is the tallest on the Isle of Wight, an impressive memorial in granite to Charles Pelham, Earl of Yarborough. He was one of two MPs returned by the ‘rotten borough’ of Newtown and in 1837 he was elevated to an Earl. His great passion was sailing and he was one of the founding members, and later the first Commodore, of what was to become the prestigious Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes.
2
Follow the coast path sign in the direction of the Whitecliff Bay holiday camp, diagonally right downhill to a gap in the fence. Go through the gap and traverse the side of the hill. Where the coast path starts to lead diagonally downwards to Whitecliff Bay, continue straight ahead on the level and pass through the kissing gate with the National Trust Culver Down sign just beyond. Follow the grassy path clockwise round the cliff-top edge, always keeping within the fence on your left.
Culver’s White Cliffs
Culver Cliff is the eastern tip of the chalk ridge which runs across the Island from the Needles. It is one of the main seabird nesting sites on this side of the Island – look out for the fastest bird in the world, the peregrine falcon. Spring brings pretty cowslip displays, and in summer bush crickets, grasshoppers and chalkhill blue and marbled white butterflies can be spotted. The chalk grassland at Bembridge provides a great habitat for these butterflies.
3
Carry on following the boundary fence, past the coastguard cottages and through ‘Sue’s gate’ to rejoin the coastal path and start the descent towards Sandown. After about 1 km (0.6miles) go through another kissing gate and continue ahead for about 120 metres (130yds) to the natural amphitheatre of Red Cliff.
Red Cliff
A natural amphitheatre exposing red and brown Wealden sands has been created by a major landslip at Red Cliff. It is sheltered from the south-westerly winds that cut across the bay and hit the exposed headland.There are many burrowing bees and wasps in the warm south-facing cliff face and the occasional cliff fall along this eroding coastline provides new fresh habitat for them. Ravens nest here, often heard before they are seen, thanks to their distinctive hoarse call – ‘cronk cronk’.
4
Soak up the view before retracing your steps to the kissing gate. Take the left fork in the path and follow the grassy track SS95 away from the coast. Head towards Bembridge, seen on the horizon. Go through a well-trodden grassy gap in the hedge to your left marked by three metal posts, then immediately head diagonally uphill towards the fort. This soon becomes a well-defined track. About 100 metres (100yds) from the fort where the main path bends left, carry straight on upwards and pick up a lesser track that curves gently right to reach the road opposite the Fort entrance. The fort is open for pre-booked tours only.
Bembridge Fort
Bembridge Fort was built in the 1860s as part of the Island’s defences against invasion. Until 1998 the fort was occupied by a factory but it moved out suddenly, leaving rooms abandoned as they stood. Large areas were in a derelict condition and full of debris. A dedicated team of volunteers has been working to clear the area. Guided tours given by volunteers take place on Tuesdays between April and October, bringing to life this fascinating Victorian edifice.
5
Turn right at the road and follow the boundary fence around the fort’s moat. Cross the chalky car park to the viewpoint and topograph and look over Brading Haven. Return to the start car park across the road.
Brading Haven
Until 1880, Bembridge Harbour as you see it today was merely the seaward portion of Brading Haven. Brading Haven was the most important harbour on the Island up until the 16th and 17th centuries. It covered over 800 acres (325ha) and stretched almost two miles inland from St Helens. It was finally reclaimed in 1878 in a scheme to bring prosperity to St Helens and Bembridge. The reclaimed wetland is now an RSPB reserve, home to birds such as little egrets and warblers.
End:
National Trust car park at Bembridge Fort, grid ref: SZ625859
