Fenner Country - walking terrain over St Boniface Down familiar to a local Armada 1588 hero

Resident from 1564 in the Isle of Wight at Whitwell Manor, George Fenner planned from there his celebrated foray to Cape Verde and its environs between 1566-7 in place of John Hawkins where he fought off five enemy ships and in 1588, after much fruitless searching for the Spanish Armada, captained the Galleon Leicester in fierce engagements at the Battle off Dunnose on the 25th July, overlooked by St Boniface Down, his portrait appearing in the 1590 tapestries subsequently hung in Parliament.

Timings

Tuesday 15 September:

1010: Downs Fenner Country walk over St Boniface Down from Ventnor to Bonchurch landslip begins with short introductory talk outside HM Coastguard

Location & directions

Ventnor Industrial Estate, Old Station Road, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, PO38 1DX

Directions:

Gather outside HM Coastguard Ventnor building on the old Ventnor Railway Station site at PO38 1DX

Contact on day:

David Baldwin

Telephone number:

+447702003855

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking not required

Accessibility details

This walk involves steep climbs and is not suitable for those with significant mobility restrictions. However it is suitable for assistance dogs. It is possible to have vehicular access to attend the Introductory talk in Old Station Road and then to drive up the Newport Road and the Down Lane to the summit of St Boniface Down and meet the walkers outside the North Perimeter Gate of Air Traffic Control where there is a layby and 'Armada 1588 Downs Information Board' deliberately sited there for that purpose by NATS kindness and which walkers pass before descending to Bonchurch Landslip.

Additional information

Nearest Toilet facilities are to be found Ventnor Central Car Park but there is a considerable 7-10 minute climb from there to Ventnor Old Station Road where the walk begins. There are Bus Stops and regular No 3 buses connecting both ends of the Fenner Country Armada 1588 Downs Walk on the B3327 at Ventnor Old Station Road/Mitchell Avenue and at Bonchurch Landslip on the A3055

Estimated duration:

2 hour(s)

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