In advance of the Osborne run, I was sent a map of the 3k, 5k and 10k running routes within the spectacular grounds of Osborne House. The Osborne run, like the very popular Walk the Wight, is in aid of the Mountbatten hospice, on the Isle of Wight.
Osborne House, once the 'holiday home' of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, is now an English Heritage site. This year, it's 200 years since the births of Victoria (24 May) and Albert (26 August) in 1819.Â
Osborne House is off of York Avenue in East Cowes (postcode: PO32 6JX). It is very close to the Red Funnel ferry link between the island and Southampton.
The house itself is stunning but for me, the walk around the extensive grounds is the best bit.
Start your stroll from the house and take the Valley Walk down to the bathing pavilion. Turn right at the beach and then walk to Swiss Cottage. The timber Swiss Cottage, built to imitate an alpine building, was built for Victoria and Albert’s nine children. This is nearly a mile from the main house.
From Swiss Cottage, take the path back up towards the house, with the house to your right. You can take a short detour off this path to the Ice House and then back on to the main path.
Follow the path around the back of the house, in a clockwise direction, until you get back to the bathing pavilion, and then turn right and take Valley Walk back up to the house. The view of the house from Valley Walk is stunning (photo below).
The formal gardens are the best surviving example of Prince Albert’s taste as a garden designer and his adoption of the Italian style of the Renaissance. There is obviously an entrance fee to visit the house and its grounds, but in my opinion, it is well worth it. A lovely, peaceful stroll...
