The walk is laid out on the 1000-yard scale of 1 inch to 100,000 miles. Starting from the model of the Sun, the planets of the Solar System are marked out to scale with signs showing some key facts about each one. Walking from the Sun to Pluto takes 1,019 paces, the equivalent of 3,660,000,000 miles. By the time you reach Pluto, you will no longer be able to see the sun. Ideally, the walk starts at the model of The Sun in Bonchurch and finishes outside the chalets at Wheelers Bay, but it can of course be taken in reverse, starting at Ventnor Haven.
“Stokey” is Peter Woodall, who originally hails from Stoke and is still a keen supporter of that football club. But he is better known as an ocean sailor who has crossed the Atlantic some 30 times in 33 years and amassed more than a quarter of a million sea miles. He is a highly respected and much sought after teacher in celestial navigation and has sailed to the Azores some 89 times to teach students completing their Ocean Yachtmaster certification. After over 30 years sailing the seven seas, and having seen pretty much all the world has to offer, Stokey chose to put down his roots in Ventnor in the Isle of Wight which is a pretty big endorsement for the town! From here he plans routes for trans-Atlantic sailors and teaches courses in navigation and ocean sailing and shares his love of the heavens with locals through his popular ‘Wonders of the Universe’ courses.
Submitted by Ventnor Enhancement Fund
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