With all the stormy weather that has battered the Isle Of Wight over the winter, I thought it would be a great opportunity to see how the famous lost village of Blackgang had fared over the last few months. Having listened to warnings to stay clear of cliff tops and areas of high risk for landslips, we headed off to the old Southview estate.
Now this area had been well documented on here before, so I won't go too much into the history of the site as some might say it is a path well travelled.
Which brings me onto the first part of the journey, the paths. Now reading reports here and watching vids of this walk online, most of us will know that the Old Blackgang Road has been damaged by many a landslip in the past, drastically altering the shape of the coastline, however it would also appear that now once the old road ends, so too do many of the pathways that have been trodden down by explorers, naturists and squatters alike. Some of these are now getting quite treacherous and therefore this journey would not be for anyone suffering with their fitness.
Here are a few examples of the eroding pathways:
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Indeed the pathway isn't just full of large cracks, it now even leads you to over the cliff at one point.
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Which would take you to this quick route down to the beach:
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Now this isn't just some random hedge/growth of brambles, but in a style that would have turned Brian Johnson to fits of giggles, you have to get your leg over this in order to rejoin the pathway.
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Those who have studied previous reports for this site will know that you know you are getting close to the lost village when you see signs of the telegraph poles, punctuating the skyline as proof that civilisation had once conquered this now inhospitable land.
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Although not all of these have remained as upright as others:
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We finally reach our first sight of former life in these here hills, as hints of the old road start to reappear and the remnants of the stone wall that sat beside a once busy road reappear, a gap in the wall leads us to an old caravan. Battered by time, and probably vandals as well, this now sits and a pile of rubbish in this idyllic location, soon to be overgrown by ivy and brambles.
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Carrying on along the old road, shortly on the right hand side, we spot the base of an old caravan which had no doubt been positioned to make the most of the breath taking seaviews on offer at this location.
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Just next to this we found what we presume to be an old flagpole, it still lifts up but there was no way of holding the structure upright, but there was a tiny bit of blue fabric on the end of it. Maybe next time I'll bring along some pins to hold it up and a Jolly Roger to hoist.
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Just next to the old caravan we found the first permanent dwelling. This now only had a few walls left standing and has been completely taken over by ivy, this pic was taken from inside the structure, I did take some from a distance away but it is a job to spot the walls from the undergrowth.
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Whoever had been here was obviously a keen gardener:
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Probably inspired by the programmes of famous Islander Mr Titchmarsh!
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Once we emerged from the undergrowth of that building it was back onto the road where we soon came to find the famous Shakespeare fountain monument. The inscription should read "The water nectar and the rocks of pure gold" not just "tar and the ro" as it does now. Note the blue pipe with running water flowing, probably a reminder of recent residents. Who said this place doesn't have functioning amenities!
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I'll stop at this point, but I will be back to finish the trip once I have uploaded all my photos and I will show you how the luxurious holiday chalets are looking, seeing which building may be shortly heading down into the sea and look at how the Southview Coach House is looking after the winter.
Keep an eye out for part 2!
Now this area had been well documented on here before, so I won't go too much into the history of the site as some might say it is a path well travelled.
Which brings me onto the first part of the journey, the paths. Now reading reports here and watching vids of this walk online, most of us will know that the Old Blackgang Road has been damaged by many a landslip in the past, drastically altering the shape of the coastline, however it would also appear that now once the old road ends, so too do many of the pathways that have been trodden down by explorers, naturists and squatters alike. Some of these are now getting quite treacherous and therefore this journey would not be for anyone suffering with their fitness.
Here are a few examples of the eroding pathways:
Indeed the pathway isn't just full of large cracks, it now even leads you to over the cliff at one point.
Which would take you to this quick route down to the beach:
Now this isn't just some random hedge/growth of brambles, but in a style that would have turned Brian Johnson to fits of giggles, you have to get your leg over this in order to rejoin the pathway.
Those who have studied previous reports for this site will know that you know you are getting close to the lost village when you see signs of the telegraph poles, punctuating the skyline as proof that civilisation had once conquered this now inhospitable land.
Although not all of these have remained as upright as others:
We finally reach our first sight of former life in these here hills, as hints of the old road start to reappear and the remnants of the stone wall that sat beside a once busy road reappear, a gap in the wall leads us to an old caravan. Battered by time, and probably vandals as well, this now sits and a pile of rubbish in this idyllic location, soon to be overgrown by ivy and brambles.
Carrying on along the old road, shortly on the right hand side, we spot the base of an old caravan which had no doubt been positioned to make the most of the breath taking seaviews on offer at this location.
Just next to this we found what we presume to be an old flagpole, it still lifts up but there was no way of holding the structure upright, but there was a tiny bit of blue fabric on the end of it. Maybe next time I'll bring along some pins to hold it up and a Jolly Roger to hoist.
Just next to the old caravan we found the first permanent dwelling. This now only had a few walls left standing and has been completely taken over by ivy, this pic was taken from inside the structure, I did take some from a distance away but it is a job to spot the walls from the undergrowth.
Whoever had been here was obviously a keen gardener:
Probably inspired by the programmes of famous Islander Mr Titchmarsh!
Once we emerged from the undergrowth of that building it was back onto the road where we soon came to find the famous Shakespeare fountain monument. The inscription should read "The water nectar and the rocks of pure gold" not just "tar and the ro" as it does now. Note the blue pipe with running water flowing, probably a reminder of recent residents. Who said this place doesn't have functioning amenities!
I'll stop at this point, but I will be back to finish the trip once I have uploaded all my photos and I will show you how the luxurious holiday chalets are looking, seeing which building may be shortly heading down into the sea and look at how the Southview Coach House is looking after the winter.
Keep an eye out for part 2!
I must have one of the last bits of film of it from a couple of weeks before the fire, late November 2011. 
