Carisbrooke Castle

Carisbrooke was once famous for its mills. The old pond of Priory Mill has been turned into a beautiful, willow-fringed lake with benches and picnic tables along its banks — a cool haven for mallard, swans, and kingfishers. Passing a stream, the walk enters Spring Lane and leads up to a beech wood where jays and magpies scold in the branches.

Beyond the beech wood lie the wide turf moats of the castle's outer defences, where viper's bugloss, cowslips, green alkanet, and autumn lady's tresses grow. Kestrels hover over the ancient bastions, and from the moat there is a wide view of central Wight.

A steep chalk track leads towards Carisbrooke Castle, which dates back in parts to Saxon times and is most famous as the enforced home of King Charles I during the English Civil War. Within the walls are seven acres of buildings and ruins. The north side of the castle car park provides an impressive panoramic view of Carisbrooke, the Lukely Brook water meadows, and the village's red-tiled roofs. The walk ends in Castle Street, a picturesque lane of old cottages running alongside Lukely Brook.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.