BRIGHSTONE SLOPE & SEA SAUNTER

REPORT

The Quiz Walk is an event we hold with the Isle of Wight Ramblers and it has been running in its present form for 5 years. August is usually a poor month for attendance, due to holidays and hot weather (well sometimes). We did two planning visits during the very hot spell. So, with high temperatures becoming the norm, we decided to offer an even earlier start at 9.30a.m. We needn't have bothered, the morning was cool and windy with occasional spitting rain. But nobody seemed to mind

It's always a pleasure doing these walks as we find ourselves on paths we have never trod before. And so it was this time with a visit to the tiny hamlet of Chilton and a stroll through Grammers Common, an area of dense woodland above the village.

Everybody was very happy with the area of the walk, which combined a mix of hill, woods, the coastal path and was all off road. The village hall at Brighstone was an excellent venue and there was even a pub nearby for those who needed more than tea and biscuits at the end. Once again the clues were a mix of cryptic and straight forward and as usual they caused some debate at the finish Do you know the difference between a bolt and a plug? The Totland Tearaways do, thanks to Sue's long years at Hursts the Ironmomgers! .

This year we continued the idea of by having two maps and allowing teams to choose. One map had the approximate position of the clues marked on it. The other was blank and the team had to work out clue positions by using grid references. Out of a possible total of 66 points 5 were added for using the ≥hard≤ map and 5 deducted for choosing the ≥easy≤.

Congratulations to the winners The Wootton Badgers who, using the "easy map, only had one wrong answer. Also to our youngest competitor, Ethel, aged 4 months, who managed to keep her team in order. All in all a good day out and we are encouraged to arrange another walk same time next year, possibly in the Arreton vally. We look forward to seeing more of you then.

Lesley Curran and Frank Winter, Planners