Shalfleet, Newbridge, Winkle Street and Calbourne

Shalfleet is dominated by St Michael's Church, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The massive tower dates from the 11th century. It was built with walls five feet thick as a place of refuge from French raiders. Originally there was no entry to it at ground level. The 12th century south doorway is surmounted by a tympanum on which there is a crude but appealing rendition of Daniel in the Lions Den. Inside, there is some good work from the 13th and 14th centuries and some box pews.

The route heads south on a lovely path beside a stream, the Caul Bourne, and passes through little copses of old oaks where flowers abound. There are lovely downland views as the path rises over the track bed of a disused old railway.

Across the valley stands Newbridge Mill. This was reopened in 1973 after many years of disuse and produces high quality stoneground flour. Bakers use this to make wheat wafers, a special island shortbread, and Calbourne crunchies, a local delicately available in shops throughout the Isle of Wight.

The route goes through Newbridge and down Clay Lane, a high hedge lane edged with cow parsley and cuckoo pint, then climbs gently through woods and over streams to Westover Farm. From the farm, there are spreading views north to the creeks and estuaries on the Solent and south towards the chalk downs that form the backbone of the island.

You drop down again to the Caul Bourne and a path that becomes Winkle Street as it leads into the village of Calbourne. The street comprises a picturesque row of tiled and thatched cottages in honey coloured local stone opposite grassy lawns and a stream edged with flowers and ferns. To enter Winkle Street from the wood is a delightfully medieval experience.

The village boasts another church of ancient foundation, built on land granted by King Egbert in AD826. Inside, there is a perfectly preserved brass dating from 1579. It commemorates William Muntacute, a son of the Earl of Salisbury, who was accidentally killed while jousting with his father. The heartbroken Earl ordered a commemorative brass to be placed in the church of every parish where he held lands.

The way out of the village, past an old iron pump beneath a tiled roof, is down a lane that, like Winkle Street, peters out into a path. This leads to Calbourne Mill, superbly set in a wooded valley. A fine example of a working 17th century mill, its great overshot wheel turns two pairs of millstones. The important role that mills played in the lives of our ancestors is displayed in fascinating detail at the Calbourne Water Mill and Rural Museum, and visitors are free to wander around the grounds.

Peafowl and a variety of ducks and other waterbirds roam freely and can be hand fed, while a stroll along the stream reveals other fascinating features, including a steam-engine built originally for the Liverpool Garden Festival, and a working millwheel just nine feet in diameter.

The return to Shalfleet retraces the outward route, then goes off along green bridleways and quiet lanes to explore more of the pleasant pastoral landscape of this corner of the garden-island.