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The easiest, though longest, walk of the lot! And it has the
bonus that there’s a good pub at either end of the Freshwater Way, so you can
break the walk in half by stopping in Yarmouth or wait until you have finished
and relax in Freshwater.
Start the walk at Freshwater church on the western side of
the River Yar, climbing over the stile and taking a series of pleasant but
unremarkable country lanes away from the water’s edge. The footpath is clearly
marked and leads through pastoral countryside, fields and woods. It can be very
muddy in places and there is varied terrain to negotiate before you reach the
main Yarmouth to Freshwater road. Here turn right across the road bridge and
into the attractive West Wight harbour town of Yarmouth.
If you want to break the walk here, you can stop off at the
King’s Head, a friendly pub with several contrasting rooms - most with stripped
pine or dark oak furniture. The return walk is flat and busier, but full of
interest. A wide gravel path, once the old railway track and now a cycle way
skirts the estuary from Yarmouth Harbour to the old church at Freshwater. This
is a good area to spot birdlife and, if you are lucky, red squirrels. Tree-lined
and wooded in places, it provides beautiful rural views, with bulrushes and mud
flats on both sides of the path.
At Freshwater, the church itself is worth a lingering look as
is the view from the bridge back along the causeway, but don’t delay for too
long because immediately adjacent is the Red Lion Inn. This pub is known
primarily for its much-acclaimed food and you’ll find plenty of locals here. The
nicely renovated interior is filled with pine tables, which give a country
farmhouse feel to the place.
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Red Lion Inn
(Tel: 01983 754925) Open weekdays 11.30am-3pm.
Weekends 11am-3pm. Lunch: 12-2pm – book in advance.
Specialities: Homemade Fish Pie and Fish
Cakes. A few veggie meals. Four real ales include Goddard’s and London Pride. 28
wines by the bottle, choice of New World or French wine by the glass. Children
under 10 not allowed in bar, but welcome in the garden.

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The King’s Head
(Tel: 01983 760351) Open weekdays from 11am.
Lunch: 12-2.30pm.
Specialities: King’s Head Sizzling Fajita
and other Mexican dishes. Veggie meals. Choice of real ales includes Speckled
Hen, Flowers, Bass and Boddingtons. Four wines by the glass (3 white, 1 red).
Dogs, muddy boots and children all welcomed. Summer patio.
  
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