Launching the Solar System Walk

Once we had secured funding and had set up the walk, all that remained was to get the word out that it was there and encourage some folk to try it out. The walk is laid out on the 1,000 yard scale, where 1 inch represents 100,000 miles. At the Bonchurch end is a scale model of the Sun and the distance to Pluto can be walked in 1,019 paces, the equivalent of 3,666,000,000 miles! Each planet passed along the way is marked by a plaque with some key facts on.

On Saturday28th November, Dave and Dianne from the Crab and Lobster Tap kindly accommodated us for coffee and lunch when a group of invited guests attended Stokey's presentation in the Masonic Hall opposite. He used his expert knowledge to deliver an engaging interactive presentation to illustrate the size and timescale of the solar system, and introduced the concept of the Solar System Walk.

Sadly the weather was so inclement that we were unable to complete the whole walk, but, armed with newly acquired knowledge, most of the guests have since been able to enjoy the walk in kinder weather.

Among the guests were teachers from St Catherine's School, The Island Free School and the Allnatt Centre at East Dene, who were keen share Stokey's knowledge with their students and use the walk as a resource. Liz and Stephen Izatt came along from Ventnor Arts Club, as did Helen and Frazer Cunningham from Vintage Vacations. Bernard Cawley represented Ventnor Enhancement Fund and we were pleased that Wightlink  journalist Karen Woods came all the way from Fareham to see what the walk is all about.

We were very pleased with the enthusiastic response to the event and have since enjoyed to seeing locals and visitors enjoying the walk and taking in a bit of knowledge with the sea air!

From Idea to Reality

Lin here...

I came away from Stokey's 'Wonders of the Universe' course inspired with the idea of re-creating the walk along the revetment, but with no real idea of how to achieve it. But then I chatted to a few friends about it and one, Joan Barton, felt it fitted really well with her work for Ventnor Enhancement Fund.

VEF was founded as a charity in 2006 as a group of volunteers who raise funds to provide decorations and additional facilities to enhance the ambiance of the Ventnor area. Donations from businesses and residents, together with grants have enabled the fund to undertake a number of projects that have now become part of the character of the town.

Their flowerboxes fill the town with summer colour and the fund provides  Ventnor Park and the Cascade waterfall with atmospheric floodlighting. 

Image with permission of Ventnor Enhancement Fund

The outside gym above Ventnor Park and the children's playpark behind the Winter Gardens were set up with VEF funds. Another project was the enhancement of the Flowersbrook area of the coastal path with wildflowers and landscaping.

Their latest venture is the creation of a labyrinth on the grass above the car park at La Falaise, drawn in the shape of a giant diplodocus.

Image with permission of Ventnor Enhancement Fund

When approached, VEF agreed to support the project by providing the funding for the plaques to set out the positions of the Sun and the planets. Chairman Mike Gaukroger designed and set up the model of the Sun, and Adam White joined Joan and me to put up the plaques.

Our next step was to produce the signs themselves. Our starting point was the set of facts that Stokey uses to illustrate the walk. Since we wanted to make the walk family friendly, we simplified these to five or six key facts per planet and designed the plaques showing the distance to the next planet in paces.

We then approached Signpost Express, a Newport based company, to advise on a suitably durable material and produce the signs for us. Lee from Signpost Express came up with an attractive finish that would tone in well with the environment, and made the signs for us, also volunteering to fit them to the railings for us.

All that remained was to let everyone know it is there!

Welcome to Stokey's Solar System Walk!

Welcome to Stokey's Solar System Walk Blog!

First of all, I am Lin, not Stokey! This walk is Stokey's brainchild, but he is too busy sailing and teaching to spend his time blogging about it! So I will be keeping everyone up to date with how Ventnor's latest attraction came to be and how it shapes up in the future. Stokey's sailing and training services can be found here https: International Ocean Services. In October 2014, an evening in Perks Wine Bar somehow ended in an invitation to attend one of Stokey's 'Wonders of the Universe' courses the following day. Like many people, I had always looked up at the stars and planets and asked myself questions like 'how many stars are there?', 'how far away is the Sun?' and 'what is beyond the Milky Way', so I thought, why not?

Stokey's presentation was accompanied by fabulous visuals, models and practical demonstrations that answered these questions and more and included the original walk. The talk was fascinating, as Stokey shared his enthusiasm for the mysteries of the solar system and a lifetime of knowledge, presented so that we laymen could grasp the concepts. Stokey led the group down to Horseshoe Bay at Bonchurch, held up a large orange balloon and pronounced it to be the Sun. He then walked us along to Wheelers Bay, pacing out the distance between the planets to scale. At each stop, we learned some interesting facts and figures about the planet. Thankfully it was a clear night and we finished the course with a stargazing experience as Stokey pointed out the features of the night sky. As we walked along it occurred to me that it would be great to see this walk marked out so locals and visitors could discover the Solar System as they enjoyed a stroll, and so the Solar System Walk was born!