Newport Rhode Island: Cliff Walk photo tour

Photo tour of Rhode Island

Recently I spent time in Newport Rhode Island touring the sites and acting like a tourist. To be fair, since it was my first time here I fully qualified for that label, it was fun exploring. One stop we were told we absolutely had to make was the Cliff Walk, a shore walk between the mansions and the ocean.  Cliff walk has a very long history, believed to be deer paths first, Indian trails next and then Colonials walkways followed by more developed walks after the grand mansions were build.  I should say a grand thank you to everyone who has supported the continued use of this walk as it does cross private land, some owners have fought access but most continue supporting its history.

 

The walk is completely free and is approximately 3.5 miles long, you can start at either the north or south point. If you take your own transportation you would need to walk back to your vehicle or better yet take the RIPTA trolley, for $6 round trip you can hop on hop off anywhere along the route. To do the entire walk I would allow yourself at least 2.5 hours or longer depending on photo stopping and your level of ability.

We rode to the farthest point just off Bellevue Road. From there the walk passes by Bailey’s Beach and immediately starts out with beautiful views with a foot worn path lined with Rugosa roses.

We encountered a couple admiring the huge rose hips, they were unsure of what they were looking at and speculated that it was some kind of tomato. After a brief explanation of what they were and their use we were on our way.

The walk has some challenging sections but most are easily passable,I found the trail entrancing, it seems rather magical as you never knew what you would find just around the bend. I took a few trail photos which I have shared with you below.

We chose a cooler overcast day to do our walk, the temperatures were in the mid 70’s and still we were rather hot along the way. When we left for the day I had expected to be chilled due to ocean breezes, instead we welcomed any breeze with open arms, literally, much like the Cormorant perched in the distance. Whenever we passed through a tunnel, like the one pictured above, it was a cool refuge that we slowly passed through, okay, I’ll admit,they were fun and playful too. The views along the way were varied and beautiful, some include the mansions while others were of shoreline.

 

At the very end of our walk, at Memorial Ave, we encountered The Chanler’s ~ Spice Pear restaurant. The menu was inviting so we sat and enjoyed copious amounts of water along with a shared order of fish tacos and the award winning burger. The Chanler is a stunning hotel that is worthy of a stay, their wait staff is very attentive and friendly.