Ryde to Fishbourne and Kite Hill

I'd walked from St Helens Duver to Ryde this morning and had a short break back at the Ryde Travelodge, but it was still before 3pm, so I decided to set out again, aiming for Quarr Abbey. The Isle of Wight Coastal Path heads west from the Esplanade along St Thomas Street and Buckingham Road, then cuts through to SpencerRoad, a quiet residential street that it follows for some distance, almost up to the main A3054.  I was following another woman who stopped at a house close to the end of Spencer Road, and she selected some books from a pile left outside (possibly for sale, possibly being given away) and continued, now carrying the books. 

From the end of Spencer Road, the other woman and I both continued onto Ladies Walk, first negotiating a fire engine that was parked at the junction. Ladies Walk is a lovely wooded lane which crosses Ryde Golf Club. It was perfect for today's warm, sunny weather, and  others apparently thought so too; there were a fair number of dog walkers etc. about. I eventually emerged by the pretty little Binstead Church and  after passing a few more houses, I continued on the  lane towards Quarr.

The original abbey at Quarr was established in 1132 and it was operational until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536. I passed the ruins of this monastery then continued to the current Quarr Abbey, completed in 1912 to house a French Benedictine order and still in use. The monastery is housed in an impressive modern building and since I last visited (again, at least 20 years ago) the operation has become more commercial - with a gift shop (called the farm shop), a little exhibition and art from a local artist on exhibition and for sale. I visited each of these, though I wasn't in the farm shop for long because it was very busy, and I bought a painting by Bembridge artist Charlotte Hodge Thomas as a present for a friend. I then retreated to the tea shop; last time I was here, my sister and I were served in the tea shop by a monk, today it felt more like any tea shop, though very reasonably priced. For all its increased commercialisation and busy-ness, most of the Abbey complex retains a peaceful feel and the last thing I did was go inside the Abbey Church, which was large, dark and completely quiet - lovely!

Suitably refreshed by my visit to the Abbey, though now carrying a bag containing the picture I had bought, I returned to the Isle of Wight Coastal Path on the lane past the Abbey. There were good views of the Quarr Abbey gardens from here and very soon I reached Fishbourne, familiar to me as the ferry port for the car ferry to/from Portsmouth; as if to confirm this, there was a ferry berthed at the terminal. The route of the Coastal Path turns left past the terminal, but I turned right onto a minor road which took me past "The Fishbourne" pub and some houses and then down to a green with a conveniently placed seat from where I watched the ferry loading and departing.