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A dog’s-eye view of the Isle of Wight

Pawprint: A Wightlink guide to all that’s good for dogs visiting the Isle of Wight

6659 Dog's Guide to the IoW.indd 1 13/02/2012 11:23

Welcome to our Wight world – one of the most dog-friendly places in Britain.

In this guide to all that’s good for dogs visiting the Isle of Wight, we paw-stamp the best places to take your owner for a walk along a network of over 500 miles of footpaths, name our favourite beaches and give you the low-down on pet friendly pubs and places to stay.

Pawprint is a guide with a difference because it tells you all about the Island from a dog’s-eye view. In it there are pawtraits of dogs like me in which we, the Wight canine community, share our ‘paws of wisdom’ so you have all the information you need to sniff out the best the Island has to offer for yourself.

My own patch is West Wight, where I go riding with my owner Graham on a trailer behind his bike and in the sidecar of his scooter. It’s a great way to see the countryside before jumping out to scale the high cliffs of Tennyson Down or go rambling on Headon Warren.

The other canines featured in Pawprint reveal their own shaggy dog stories about adventures to take on their home patches and between us we cover all four corners of the Isle of Wight.

We hope these will set your tail wagging. Take your owner on a trip across the Solent on a Wightlink ferry and start exploring!

The Isle of Wight by Dogs, for Dogs

1. Police dog Rebel at Fishbourne p.20

2. Swimming dog Spice at Firestone Copse p.14

3. Rescue dog Foxy at Seaview p.12

4. Pat dog Cassie at the Duver p.6

5. Hotel dog Daisy-May in Shanklin p.18

6. Photographer’s dog Noah above St Catherine’s Lighthouse p.16

7. First timer Poppy at Mottistone p.3

8. Surfer dog Sherrie at Compton Bay p.10

9. Biker dog Breez on Headon Warren p.4

10. Howley the Husky in Parkhurst Forest p.8

11. Ball catcher Ruby at Northwood Park p.7

12. Champion sheepdog Bill on the family farm p.9

Cover: Daisy-May at Horseshoe Bay, Bonchurch

Sandown

Shanklin

Fishbourne Ryde

Seaview

St Helens

Mottistone

Cowes

Ventnor

NewportYarmouth

OsborneBay

SandownBay

Newtown Es tuar yParkhurs t

Fores t

ComptonBay

Br ighs toneBay

A lumBay

Cha leBay

St Catherine’sPoint

TheNeedles

BembridgePoint

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Before embarking on its guide for dogs by dogs, Wightlink wanted to find out more about the likes and dislikes of holidaying hounds. To do so, we stationed dog lovers at the ferry terminals in Portsmouth and Fishbourne. They collared car loads full of canines – and their owners – and asked them to take part in a special Pawprint poll.

Over 100 dogs helped out and here’s what we found:

The top 10 things that make dogs wag their tails on holiday:

1. Exploring the woods2. Finding new walks3. Running in the wind4. Being petted by humans5. Messing about in water6. Getting titbits on a pub lunch7. Playing with other dogs8. Ball and stick games9. Beachcombing10. Swimming in the sea

Although most came from a two-hour catchment of the ferry

port, over 20 per cent had made the journey from further afield

– some dogs from as far away as North Wales, Cheshire and Lincolnshire

A third were regular Island visitors, with nine or more previous trips under their collar, but 10 per cent were travelling for the first time

Two-thirds were holidaying for a week or more

Dogs like beaches best: top choices for returning rovers

were The Duver, Bembridge and Appley Sands. Shanklin and Yaverland also scored well

Parkhurst Forest was named best for a woodland walk, followed closely by lesser-known Firestone Copse

Tennyson Down was the cliff walk that makes dogs lick their lips

Bembridge’s Crab & Lobster Inn was most popular for a pub lunch

Using this canine intelligence, Pawprint covers all the favourites that drew barks of approval from visiting dogs but also introduces lesser-known gems recommended by Island dogs and their families.

Beardie Oscar at the Duver

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Newfoundland cross Poppy was one of the fi rst-time

visitors to the Isle of Wight with her family, the Colsons, who took part in the Pawprint Poll. Energetic in the extreme (a 10 mile daily walk is the norm according to Amanda Colson), two-year old Poppy may have been the novice but 18-year old Gypsy, a Samoyed cross, had been there before and enjoyed reliving past pleasures.

They headed straight to medieval Carisbrooke Castle, where Poppy made short work of the steps leading up to the castle wall while the family and Gypsy struggled to keep up. “It’s a fabulous place for a long rambling walk around the wall and great too that dogs are allowed into the castle on leads. It was one of many places we visited that made the Isle of Wight the friendliest place for holidaying dogs we have ever visited.” Another attraction rated highly was the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, where the dogs shared the Colson’s Victorian

carriage. “We were amazed at how many places were open to dogs.

“At Shanklin we visited the Chine and then walked along the seafront where almost every business had a bowl of water outside for dogs,” said Amanda. Best of all was the walk to the top of Mottistone Down, a picturesque part of the Isle of Wight’s famous Tennyson Trail. “It was our fi rst time and the

views were just brilliant. We’re defi nitely going to do it again – although perhaps on a slightly less breezy day.

“What we liked so much about the Isle of Wight was that there was so much variety. To go from cliff top views to beaches and then to open countryside in a single walk is just superb. Poppy and Gypsy loved it and so did we.”

Gypsy on Mottistone Down with Beth (12) and Fern (6)

The Colson family at Carisbrooke Castle. Left to right: Fern, Gypsy, Beth, Amanda and Poppy.

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Breez and owner Graham Lee are a familiar sight around West Wight’s country lanes. That’s because this unspoiled part of the Island is the seven-year old German Shepherd’s home

patch and you can spot her from a distance in the customised sidecar of Graham’s Vespa scooter or reclining in a distinctive red and yellow cycle trailer behind his bike.

As a volunteer for the Badger Trust and a gardener, Graham lives an outdoor life and takes Breez with him wherever he goes.

“She’ll sit in her sidecar while I drive my scooter along the south coast Military Road to the other side of the Island where we’ll climb up onto St Catherine’s Down with just the resident wildlife for company. We like to stop at the Pepper Pot, a medieval stone tower that looks like a prehistoric spaceship, for great views across the south coast.

“But our favourite haunts are closer to our Freshwater home. We’ll walk up to the Tennyson Monument but we won’t go anywhere near the cliff edge – and nor should visiting dogs! You can get there safely by walking up the footpath from Dimbola Lodge to Highdown car park. From there it’s

no distance at all to the monument on Tennyson Down – but expect a windswept walk.

“On the fl at we love the Western Yar cycleway. We ride the bike and trailer along the cycleway, once an old railway track, which skirts the estuary between Freshwater Causeway and Yarmouth. Sometimes we stop to have a good look at the wildlife and the boats in Yarmouth Harbour – although Breez prefers a good sniff to views.

“Best of all is the climb up to the top of Headon Warren, one of the Isle of Wight’s wildest places. In late summer the fl owering heather makes the heathland look like a purple carpet. It’s 400 feet above the sea and there are fantastic views to the Needles in one direction and to Hurst Castle on the mainland in the other.”

Headon Warren

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Breez says: “In the summer I love swimming in the sea at Whale Chine. It’s quiet there and we often have the beach to ourselves. Another favourite is Fort Victoria Country Park where the coastal walk through the woods provides inquisitive dogs like me with lots to sniff out. The Fort has large cannons which I like to jump over and if you visit you can check out the model of me sitting in the sidecar of Graham’s scooter at the Model Railway.”

We love the Western Yar cycleway.

Freshwater Bay

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C A S S I E ’ SWhen leading Isle of Wight fundraiser Cassie is not hard at her charity

work, there is nothing the striking jet-black German Shepherd dog likes better than to explore the extensive network of sand dunes at the Duver on the east coast of the Island.

“It’s her favourite place to spend down time,” says constant companion Jillie Wheeler, “although the beach at Bembridge near our home comes a close second. That’s because Cassie is a very social dog and likes to dig in the sand there with the local children. Sometimes she gets a bit over-enthusiastic and demolishes their sand castles though! ”

Children are close to Cassie’s heart and she has just raised £22,000 to buy a new minibus called ‘Cassie’s Coach’ for the Isle of Wight’s Saturday Club for deaf children. The children strike a chord with Jillie too as she has been profoundly deaf for some years.

The Saturday Club minibus is the latest in a series of successes for the

nine-year-old award-winning canine champion who has been fundraising since she was a pup, helping Jillie Wheeler to raise over £54,000 so far for Island charities.

Together the fundraising double act also raised £26,000 for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice. This was enough to buy ‘Cassie’s Wheels’, a vehicle used by the mobile ‘Hospice at Home’ team, and to provide much-needed equipment for the care of people with life-shortening illnesses.

Cassie is a registered PAT dog – that’s Pets As Therapy – and regularly visits a local residential home where residents make a big fuss of her. She even helps out with their bingo sessions. She helps canine friends too and has collected over £6,000 for animal charities led by the Friends of the Animals, which pays vet bills and fi nds new homes for Island animals.

With her ‘Pay for a Pat’ collecting box, Cassie has received more than 200,000 pats in her lifetime and does not plan to stop any time soon.

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Cowes-local Ruby enjoys walking along the Esplanade from the Yacht Haven to Gurnard

beach but her real passion is the park – the 26 acres of Northwood Park, that is. The three-year-old Staffie/Border Collie cross takes owner Stella Brown there every day for ball drill.

“I throw the ball and Ruby jumps into the air to catch it – again and again,” says Stella. “It’s exhausting but great fun. She is a very athletic dog with a keen eye and would run all day if I let her. Her life revolves around chasing balls and meeting friends in the park – dog owners for me and canine pals for Ruby. It’s a social place and great for dogs and their owners who are visiting the north of the Island.”

A few minutes from the centre of Cowes, the 26-acre Northwood Park was given to the people of Cowes in 1929 and in its midst is a palatial Grade II listed early-Victorian house.

More Wight parks to visit

Fort Victoria Country Park 50 acres of woodland line the beach south of Yarmouth with a Victorian fort in its heart and red squirrels in its woods.

Appley ParkA beautifully-landscaped coastal park at Ryde’s eastern end, fronted by golden sands that are open to dogs in winter.

Cassie’s dog walking tips• Beach-loving dogs should head

to Bembridge. It’s a long beach that runs from Bembridge Harbour all the way to Whitecliff Bay and is open to dogs all year.

• In the summer the sand dunes behind the Duver are a great place for an energetic walk.

• If you like a climb, head up to Culver Down or Brading Down. There are great views of the Island and few people.

Pat dog Cassie with 4-year old Ella, granddaughter of

Saturday Club founder Helen Foster.

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Exploring woods was rated the experience most likely to make

dogs wag their tails in the Pawprint Poll and Parkhurst Forest, with its interlocking network of woodland tracks, was the out-and-out favourite on the Isle of Wight. It’s a far cry from the icy conditions at Aviemore in Scotland - but a secluded area on the western perimeter of Parkhurst Forest is where Julie Platt finds the freedom to race her winning teams of Siberian Huskies.

Howley, a spirited six-year-old husky, likes to think he is leader of the pack, but in reality Rosie, lead dog in a team of four bitches, could better lay claim to the title. She led a team of four that helped Julie to second place last year in the Aviemore Siberian Husky Dog of Great Britain Rally, the UK’s biggest sled race, run on a cross-country ski course. It made them the top all-bitch racing team and Julie, the leading lady musher (a term that means racing teams of dogs), a position she still holds.

Julie, an ex-vet nurse, started competing a decade ago after getting her first husky in 1996 and realising that the breed was not an easy one to exercise. “I took my first husky out with me when I went horse riding and slowly got hooked on sled racing. It was the only practical solution to exercising the dogs once I started adding to the pack.”

Howley leads the pack (left) and takes a swim in the Doggy Paddles hydrotherapy pool

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Another Islander sponsored by Wightlink is sheep farmer Eamonn Lawless. When Eamonn retired from competitive riding over 20 years

ago, he decided to take up sheep dog trials because “I had a great love for the working sheepdog and have always enjoyed competing.”

And he proved to be good at it. In 2009 Eamonn became English Sheep Dog Champion with his border collie Bill and the pair have been winning events ever since, most recently in the 2011 Welsh Open Championship where they took the trophy for best driving dog.

Not surprisingly, Eamonn and Bill have been featured in BBC TV’s iconic ‘One Man and His Dog’ show and the pair reached the final 16 in the World Sheep Dog Trials last year.

“Bill got there because he is a hard worker and a tremendously biddable dog with a natural affinity for gathering and penning sheep. Given the choice, he would rather be working with sheep on our 50-acre farm at Wootton Common than out on a walk.”

Eamonn on his farm with Bill (right) and Bill’s son Bruno.

Strange as it might seem, living on the Isle of Wight and competing in Scotland, Wales, Suffolk and other far flung parts of the UK has worked well for Julie and her husky teams – especially as they are sponsored by Wightlink, which helps keep the cost of travel down.

It’s a family affair in which Julie, partner Lee Wooliscroft and her son Rohan, 12, all compete. Rohan has been a regular winner since taking up the sport four years ago.

Away from sled racing, the family run Doggy Paddles Canine Country Retreat near Ryde where dogs can go and swim for health in the centre’s on-site hydrotherapy pool. There are boarding kennels too, where holidaymakers staying in pet-free accommodation can leave their dogs to sleep in comfort but pick them up by day and take them out on Island walks. Check out the facilities on offer at doggypaddlesretreat.co.uk

‘Musher’ Julie Platt trains her husky teams in Parkhurst Forest

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My Perfect Day“I spend most days on Dunroamin Beach between Sandown and Shanklin. It’s my local – sandy and really dog-friendly – so I get to play with lots of other dogs. Forget going on walks though, I prefer swimming and riding around the bay with my mum in her kayak or paddle board. Most of all I love to ride the surf – either at Dunroamin or at Compton Bay where the conditions can be brilliant.

My idea of a perfect day is when the waves are good enough for me to ride them again and again. I go surfi ng three or four times a week on my blue and yellow surfboard. To get started, dad gives me a push off as my legs aren’t long enough to paddle. Once I’m on the wave, I can balance and steer the board towards the beach on my own. I learnt when I was a six month-old

Surfer girl Sherrie lives to ride on the crest of a wave. Now aged seven, the action Lab grew up on a surfboard and when she’s not astride her own board, she loves nothing better than to go for a dip in the waters of south Wight.

At the HelmThe stretch of water between Shanklin and Sandown Pier provides a useful time trial for Pauline Fallon and Sherrie. “It’s where we like to race our kayak,” said Pauline. “Sherrie jumps into the kayak and we set off paddling furiously. Sometimes she’ll jump out and swim alongside, other times I’ll throw a ball and she’ll retrieve it. But when it comes to swimming Sherrie beats my best time hands – or paws – down.”

Sherrie’s StoryFor surfi ng enthusiast Kevin Fallon and wife Pauline, every spare minute is spent in and around the waters near their south Wight home in Lake. “Ours is a water-based life so it was natural to take Sherrie to the beach when she was a tiny pup,” said Kevin.

The Fallons used to lay Sherrie on an old surfboard so she could watch them and soon found that she had become attached to it. Within months she would happily sit on the board while Kevin pushed it towards the water’s edge and would stay put as it fl oated into the sea.

By her fi rst summer, Sherrie had learnt to stand on the board and could surf. Her lower centre of gravity made it easy for her to get her balance and brace herself as the wave carried the board

ashore. According to the Fallons, Sherrie has a natural agility that has enabled her to master the sport.

“Sherrie’s a better surfer than us – a real veteran of the surfboard,” said Kevin. “She doesn’t think about the danger involved or how deep the water is – she just concentrates on riding the wave. She knows her limits though and won’t go into the water if the waves are too high.”

“I’m a real Beach Babe.”

pup and have been surfi ng for nearly seven years.

“I love to entertain spectators – human and canine – who stop to watch me and I admit I’m a bit of a poser. I do my best to perform when the cameras come out and I’m always happy to give fans my pawtograph. Come and see me next time you visit the Island!”

Sherrie surfi ng at Compton Bay 10


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Best place to walk? I like an early morning constitutional in Appley Park at the far end of Ryde. It’s a great place to meet other dogs and I have a group of regulars to play with.

Between October and April when Appley Beach is open to dogs, the best thing in the world is to run down onto the sands and chase seagulls.

Most interesting beach? It’s a tie between St Helen’s Duver and Seaview. Both have extensive rock pools to explore and there’s always something new to sniff out.

Away from the madding crowd: I love the foreshore at Players Beach in Binstead. It’s a brilliant place for dogs year round and I like to run out onto the long wooden jetty. Sometimes the sea is all around me and I’m not too sure about that. The beach is below Ryde Golf Club and easily found by taking a footpath off the Coastal Path to the side of the club.

Claim to fame: Our dog obedience group performs at lots of shows during the summer including Ryde Regatta in July and I have won prizes for my fancy dress costumes that Linda makes for me. I’ve been a seadog, flamenco dancer, cowboy and even the Wizard of Oz. We practice our agility every week in the scout hut at Godshill and this gives me a chance to socialise with the other dogs in the group.

Where’s best to relax for a drink after a walk? I like the Wight Mouse Inn at Chale and so does Linda. Outside there’s a huge play-ground and plenty of space for dogs to run around.

Your best friend? Aside from Linda, it’s Maddie, she’s a papillon who lives in my road. Sadly it’s unrequited love but I live in hope.

Any long-lost relatives? My sister Sophie came across from Ireland with me and lives here on the Isle of Wight as well. I catch up with her from time to time at dog shows.

Living in Ryde, rescue dog Foxy is spoilt for choice when it comes to Island beaches

– whether it’s the huge expanse of sand at Appley, the rock pools at Seaview or his ‘home’ patch, Players Beach.

Part-Pomeranian, part-Yorkshire Terrier, Foxy, 8, had a shaky start in life, contracting canine parvovirus soon after arriving on

I like an early morning constitutional in Appley Park.

I like the Wight Mouse Inn at Chale and so does Linda.

the Isle of Wight from Ireland, aged just six months. Luckily, the Island-based Friends of the Animals charity nursed him back to health and found him a good home.

Now he’s a star of the Dog Obedience Group of Shanklin – D.O.G.S. for short - and performs at shows across the Isle of Wight with owner Linda Hall.

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A Wight beach for all seasons

Many of the beaches named as favourites in Pawprint are open to dogs year round. Here is our pick:

Bembridge A vast beach in the east, explore its rock pools at low tide Bonchurch Horseshoe and Monks Bays are sand and shingle beaches near VentnorBrook One of the many south coast stretches of beach that welcome dogsDunroamin A dog friendly beach from Lake slipway up to Hope Beach, ShanklinFort Victoria A great sunset walk for dogs and owners close to Yarmouth Reeth BayThe Island’s most southerly point, quiet with plenty of room to runPlayers BeachAn east coast secret, tucked away in front of Ryde golf course at BinsteadSteephill Cove A charming rocky beach and local’s favourite, a stone’s throw from Ventnor Whitecliff Bay One of the fi nest sandy stretches on the Island, accessed from Bembridge beachWoodside Bay Another local’s favourite, next to picturesque Wootton Creek

1. Seaview; 2. Appley Beach; 3. Jetty at Players Beach13


Geoff Mason’s decision to change career and move

to the Isle of Wight with his family four years ago was a lucky break for his dog Spice. It meant that the Collie/Labrador-cross finally got the family home he was looking for. What’s more, Geoff’s job as a Forest School leader – teaching bushman techniques out in the environment to children who do not respond to normal classroom studies – means that he can take Spice (6) to work with him – and work is in the woods.

G E O F F & S P I C E

its common name - the ‘Chequer Tree’ - to many pubs, down near the water’s edge at Firestone Copse, a Site of Special Scientific Interest.”

“...the long stretches of sand in the south, especially at Grange Chine. It’s a wonderful place for dogs year round and the cliffs above the beach are always interesting. Some of Europe’s most important dinosaur finds have been made in the crumbling cliffs (right) that run along the south to Brook and Compton Bay. They are part of the scenic 72-mile Round the Island Trail, which Spice and I have walked together.”

“…Island forests and the rare plants you find in them. Parkhurst Forest and Firestone Copse are my favourites. The main tracks at Parkhurst are well trodden, especially the squirrel safari path, but I like to take Spice up to the northernmost perimeter. It’s wild and overgrown there but on top of the hill at Mark’s Corner, overlooking Thorness Bay, the woodland is quite different. You’ll see Beech, Hazel and the rare Wild Service Tree, which turns a vivid blood red colour, tinged with copper, in the autumn. You’ll also find this rare specimen, which gave

Firestone Copse

Firestone Copse

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“...living on the Island. We have miles of beaches and hundreds of acres of forest. I’m always out and about – exploring, running and chasing things I know Geoff can’t see. My favourite place is Woodside Beach where Geoff and my family have a caravan. We go there most weekends and I love to play on the beach, chasing waves as they break across the sand and pebbles. Sometimes my best friend, Roly, a Staffy, comes to visit from London and we play in the waves together.”

“...barking at the Wightlink ferries that sail in and out of the terminal at Fishbourne. I see them from the beach at Woodside (right), which is next door to Wootton Creek and Fishbourne. Sometimes I think they reply to me by sounding their horn.”

“...the waterside walk at Firestone Copse, where there’s mudflats and salt marsh as far as the eye can see. I have to be really careful not to get bogged down in them though. When it’s high tide in the Old Mill Pond, I love to jump into the water and swim to retrieve the sticks that Geoff throws for me. Other times it’s great to explore the woods while Geoff likes to examine the interesting trees found in the Copse – especially the tall Californian redwoods.”

Sometimes my best friend, Roly, a Staffy, comes to visit from

London…

The Old Mill Pond at Firestone Copse

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Golden retriever Noah (5) is a successful dog model and lives in West Sussex. He has been visiting the Isle of Wight since he was a young pup and often features in photographs of the Island taken by his photographer owner Lee.

You may know my face: I’ve featured in three of Wightlink booklets before Pawprint. That’s because I go everywhere with Lee and often run in front of the camera when he’s on a photographic assignment.

Sometimes I’m the star: Other times it’s my brother Oscar, a mad two-year old Bearded Collie. He’s more of a beach dog and loves digging. I prefer to be up on the downs or hiking along the coastal path.

My idea of bliss is: Getting on the Wightlink ferry. Once I’m out of the car and up on deck watching Portsmouth disappear into the distance, I know that it’s going to be a good day.

The best place on the Island is: The downland above St Catherine’s Lighthouse. I’ve been going there since I was six months old and used to enjoy running free with Woody, Lee’s first beardie. Now I’ve introduced Oscar to the place we call Little Colorado.

My idea of a treat is: A long trek cross-country. If my luck’s in, Lee takes me on the Hamstead Trail that stretches from the north to south coast of the Island.

The best discovery I’ve made: That has to be the Long Stone. It’s a huge stone that marks a prehistoric burial site. More importantly, it’s on a great walk from Mottistone Manor up to the Tennyson Trail on top of Mottistone Down.

Noah at the Mottistone Long Stone

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Find Noah’s favourite placesLittle Colorado: This is National Trust land located where the old ruined road from Niton to Blackgang comes to an end (OS grid reference SZ494 758). To the right is the huge rock face of Gore Cliff but keep away from this area and instead head left from the NT car park through a strange landscape of erratic grassy mounds, rocky outcrops and a wide, rock-edged hidden valley. There are long runs for dogs and great views of St Catherine’s Point for owners.

The Hamstead Trail: This is a seven mile hike from the north coast near Newtown Estuary to the south coast at Brook Bay along salt water marshes and over downs. Less energetic dogs and their owners can choose bite-sized chunks. Find the route at islandbreaks.co.uk in the walking section.

The Long Stone and Mottistone Down: From Mottistone Manor it is a short walk up footpath NS43 to the Long Stone, which stands on its own below Mottistone Down. Continue uphill taking footpaths BS88 and BS44 to reach the top of the down and all the space to run that any dog could wish for along the Tennyson Trail.

Noah and Woody at Little Colorado

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Three-year-old Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen Daisy-May

runs Heatherleigh Guest House in Shanklin – with just a little help from housekeepers Mary, Kim and Cam Gregory. Not surprisingly, it is one of the most pet-friendly places to stay on the Isle of Wight.

“Heatherleigh is definitely a place for dog-lovers – we like having dogs to stay and so does Daisy-May,” says Mary Gregory. “She positions herself where she can greet guests and they get twice as a big a welcome if they have a sausage for her.”

Best walking beaches on Daisy-May’s patchThe Heatherleigh (heatherleigh.co.uk) is just yards from Shanklin’s sands and a short drive to a host of other beaches nearby. This means that when off duty, Daisy-May is spoilt for walking choice. Try her favourites:

• The south end of Shanklin beach by the Fisherman’s Cottage - great for a run and quieter than busier Hope beach.

• The low tide walk from Fisherman’s Cottage to Luccombe beach. “I like paddling in the shallow water up to my chest.”

• The twin Bonchurch beaches of Horseshoe Bay and Monks Bay – open to dogs year round and often deserted.

Daisy-May at Horseshoe Bay, Bonchurch

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Under the Table Talk

Many Island pubs welcome dogs – find details at doggiepubs.org.uk – but try these 10, handpicked by the canine contributors to Pawprint:

• The Crab & Lobster Inn, Bembridge (crabandlobsterinn.co.uk/01983 872244). This dog-friendly establishment topped the Pawprint dog poll and is located above the beach at Bembridge Ledge. Dogs are welcome in the bar and eating areas.

• Crown Inn, Shorwell (crowninnshorwell.co.uk/01983 740293). Recommended by Spice, dogs are welcome in the inn and outside in its picturesque garden.

• Culver Haven Inn, Culver Down (01983 406107). Chosen by photographer’s dog Noah because of their specially cooked sausages for dogs, this cliff top pub has spectacular views to the mainland.

• Driftwood Beach Bar, Sandown (driftwoodbeachbar.com/01983 404004). Surfer dog Sherrie and owner Pauline paddle their kayak to this beach bar. Open from March for the summer season.

• Fisherman’s Cottage, Shanklin (01983 863882). Recommended by locals Daisy-May and Sherrie, this historic thatched pub is on the beach below Shanklin Chine. Open May-October.

• Folly Inn, Whippingham (folly-inn-east-cowes.co.uk/01983 297171). Just up river from Cowes in Whippingham, this riverside inn is a favourite of both Daisy-May and Foxy.

• The Spyglass Inn, Ventnor (thespyglass.com/01983 855338) was another Pawprint Poll favourite, located just above the beach on Ventnor seafront.

• The Steamer Inn, Shanklin (thesteamer.co.uk/01983 862641). A Foxy favourite, this seafront pub welcomes dogs on a lead and provides two water bowls for light refreshment.

• The Sun Inn, Hulverstone (sun-hulverstone.com/01983 741124). A second nomination from Noah, this character pub near Brook Chine provides biscuits for good dogs in the bar and garden.

• The Wight Mouse Inn, Chale (wightmouse.co.uk/01983 730431). Spice and Foxy both enjoy the huge garden of this south Wight pub.

Dog-Friendly BilletsDogs are actively welcomed at five-star Niton Barns (nitonbarns.co.uk), a clever conversion of farm buildings into luxury holiday homes. “Guests are astounded because they are used to being turned down by far less luxurious properties and can’t believe their eyes when they arrive, see the standard of accommodation and find that not only do we accept dogs, we actually welcome them,” says General Manager Neil Simmons.

The complex of seven eco-friendly barns – plus The Haven, a newly-converted addition in Niton village nearby – feature in Wightlink’s Green Getaways collection of holiday homes in rural locations. Other dog-welcoming Green Getaways include:

Self-catering: Tuppence Cottage, Shalfleet (calbourneclassics.co.uk)Mersley Farm, Newchurch (mersleyfarm.co.uk)Camping: Compton Farm, Brook (comptonfarm.co.uk)

Neil Simmons with photographer's dog Noah at Niton Barns

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Rebel is a four-year-old long-haired

German Shepherd patrol dog who works with PC Nathan Lucy, one of four constables in Hampshire Constabulary’s Isle of Wight Dog Support Unit. And he certainly is a Rebel with a cause: that being to track down, chase and detain criminals.

Now in the third year of his policing career, Rebel is already an award-winning police dog and works hard to protect the local Isle of Wight community. He began life as a civilian but his spirited nature made him unsuitable for life as a family pet in a Southhampton high rise fl at.

Aged just one, Rebel was gifted to the police force and began a gruelling 13-week training course to establish whether he

could make the grade as a police dog. He passed with fl ying colours and was assigned

to Nathan Lucy, joining Jen, a Spaniel Collie Labrador cross who specialises in pro-active searches for drugs, cash and weapons. Now the two dogs live side by side in Nathan’s garden and, despite working long days, like nothing more than to spend their leisure time on the beach next to the Wightlink Fishbourne Terminal chasing balls and splashing in the water.

Freddie is the newest recruit to the Isle of Wight puppy satellite of Canine Partners, the charity which trains dogs to transform the lives of people with disabilities.

Over the past four years 24 puppies have been guided by Isle of Wight puppy parents. Not all make it through the training but, once qualifi ed, the Canine Partners perform an impressive range of tasks that include unloading washing machines, retrieving dropped items, opening and closing doors, undressing their partner, helping with shopping and fetching assistance in an emergency.

Freddie has a long way to go but the handsome young Golden Retriever is doing well so far, proving himself bright and willing to learn - qualities that will stand him in good stead for his future as a Canine Partner. Wightlink is a long-term supporter of Canine Partners.

Find out how you could help at caninepartners.org.uk

Nathan, Rebel and Jen off -duty 20


Ryde

YarmouthFishbourne

Dogs cross The Solent free

Dogs travel free on three Wightlink ferry routes linking the Isle of Wight to the British mainland – always provided they are accompanied by their humans. On a clear day, they can promenade on the car ferries’ outer decks and when the weather is not so clement they can enjoy the short crossing inside from the shelter of the ferries’ upper decks.

Travel factsBy Car: Wightlink’s fl eet of seven car ferries provides a regular shuttle service linking Portsmouth with Fishbourne and Lymington with Yarmouth in West Wight, half-hourly at peak times and with more than 200 sailings a day. Journey time: approximately 35 minutes from Lymington and 40 minutes from Portsmouth.

On Foot:

Take a Wight Ryder passenger catamaran from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head at the end of the UK’s oldest and most historic pier. Journey time: under 20 minutes.

Numerous trains and buses feed Portsmouth Harbour and the catamarans link with Island Line trains between Ryde and Shanklin, as well as with the Southern Vectis bus service.

Wightlink’s website, wightlink.co.uk,provides up to date information about ferry times and things to do on the Isle of Wight. Customers can also benefi t from a range of money-saving fares available when bookings are made online.

Travel bookings can also be made by calling Wightlink’s call centre.

21


Headon Warren

Follow the Pawprint Code:

Ask your owner to check the Countryside Code Walk on a lead whenever you are near farm animals or wildlife

Stay well away from cliff edges - especially when the weather is windy Keep to the footpaths – there are more than 500 miles of these to enjoy

Only visit beaches that welcome dogsDon’t get caught out – check tide tables to ensure that you visit beaches at low tide

Make sure your owner cleans up after you

wightlink.co.uk

0871 376 1000** calls cost 7p per minute from BT landlines, other network charges may vary.

(from overseas: 00 44 2392 855230)

Text © Chris Higham 2012Designed by Trent Design

Photography by Lee Higham

Published by Wightlink 2012© Wightlink Ltd 2012

All information correct at the time of publishing (March 2012). E&OE Printed on paper from well-managed forests and other controlled sources.

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