This 2.7 mile moderately challenging walk takes you up over St Catherine’s Down to St Catherine's Oratory (also called the Pepperpot) and along to the Hoy Monument. It a steep and grassy route that, unless there has been a lot of rain, is largely mud-free. There are a couple of styles/gates to negotiate, and there are sometimes cows in the fields you must cross, so please keep dogs under control.
As St Catherine's Oratory is on the highest point of the Island, it's initially quite a steep climb from the carpark. But it generally levels out after that.
When you reach the top you will have spectacular views across the centre of the Island to all points on the compass. The Hoy Monument stands at the north end of St Catherine’s Down and once down the first incline is a fairly flat walk.
The monument itself is not that spectacular, but the views are stunning. Best avoided in strong winds or wet weather as it is rather an exposed location with no shelter to speak of. It's a fabulous picnic spot.
It is best to start the walk at Blackgang Viewpoint Car, where there is often an Ice Cream van, or select one of the starting points below if you prefer to leave the car at home. The walk up to the Pepperpot is about 10 or 15 minutes, depending on your fitness level, and how many times you want to stop and admire the view. The Hoy Monument is another 30 minutes.
DIRECTIONS from Ventnor
Catch the Number 6 bus from Ventnor, straight to Blackgang. Alight at the St Catherine's Down stop near Blackgang Viewpoint Car Park. It's about 25 minutes.
DIRECTIONS from Niton
Either catch the Number 6 bus north from the Rectory Road stop in Niton, straight to Blackgang. Alight at the St Catherine's Down stop near Blackgang Viewpoint Car Park. It's about 8 minutes.
TIME: 1.5-2 hours
DISTANCE: 2.7 miles
DIFFICULTY: moderate to challenging
WALK ROUTE - also see map PDF (link below)
1) Starting from the Blackgang Chine Viewpoint carpark, cross the road and go up the steps and through the gates/style into the field at the top.
2) You'll see a signpost for Gore Down. Follow footpath C36 northwards across the field. The incline slowly increases, so take a break every so often to admire the stunning view westwards across fields to Freshwater Bay.
3) As you near the top, you will go through another style where you will see the Pepperpot a short distance ahead of you. This oratory is on the site of a prehistoric burial mound. The nearby barrow was partially excavated in 1925, when human and animal bones, and also flint tools were discovered. Read more about the Pepperpot below.
4) If you wish to continue on to the Hoy Monument, carry on over the brow of the hill. It's not too steep now.
5) Head towards the large white stone marker (sometimes called the Salt Pot), but don't cross over the fence. Instead, keep walking with the fence to your right and down a steep hill. The views up here are expansive. You can see for miles around.
6) It's largely flat from now on. Keep a look out and you will spot the Hoy Monument in the distance. When you reach the National Trust gate, go through and keep going. You'll eventually reach the monument, built in 1814. Read more about its history below.
7) Being a linear walk, return the way you came.
The Pepperpot
This tall, octagonal tower is the shell of a medieval lighthouse. It was erected in 1314 as a penance to a landowner for stealing wine from a merchant ship that ran aground on the treacherous rocks of Atherfield Ledge.
The cargo of 174 casks, from Edward II's Duchy of Aquitaine in France, was salvaged, and much of the wine came into the hands of Walter de Godeton, who owned land in the manor of Chale. Charged with illegally receiving the wine, bound for the monastery of Livers in Picardy, he was ordered to pay a large fine and was almost excommunicated from the Catholic Church. To atone for his sin, Walter built a lighthouse with an oratory for a priest to tend to the light and pray for wrecked sailors.
Affectionately known locally as the Pepperpot, it stands on one of the highest parts of the Island and is the only medieval lighthouse surviving in England.
The slender tower is 35 ft (11 metres) high and has an eight-sided pyramid roof. Inside it is a square-sided shaft; at the top are eight rectangular openings so the light from the fire could be seen at sea. Only the foundations of the oratory have survived.
The four buttresses to the lower part of the tower were added in the 18th century. To the north is a circular stump forming the base of a new lighthouse started in 1785 but never completed. The present day St Catherine's Lighthouse, Niton, of 1838-40, is much nearer the coast.
The Salt Pot
Close to the St Catherine's Oratory, you'll see the remains of a circular stone structure. It's actually a lighthouse that was started in 1785 but never completed, and now lies within the compound of a modern wireless station. It is colloquially known as the 'Salt Cellar' or 'Salt Pot', pairing with the St Catherine's Oratory, colloquially known as the 'Pepperpot' on account of its appearance.
The Hoy Monument
The Hoy Monument is located at the northern extremity of St Catherine’s Down. Established in 1814 by Michael Hoy, it has an informal alternate name of the “Russian Monument,” as he was a Russian businessman who amassed his money via trading with Britain. The purpose of this monument was to honour the visit of the Russian Tsar to Great Britain.
Following Hoy’s death, a commemorative inscription was added at the foundation, honouring the men who lost their lives during the Crimean War in 1857. The Hoy Monument underwent restoration in 1992, funded by a generous £85,000 contribution.
Tablet Engraving: THIS TABLET WAS ERECTED BY WILLIAM HENRY DAWES LATE LIEUTENANT OF H.M. 22ND REGT. IN HONOUR OF THOSE BRAVE MEN OF THE ALLIED ARMIES WHO FELL ON THE ALMA, AT INKERMAN AND AT THE SIEGE OF SEVASTOPOL. A.D. 1857.
