Category Archives: Hampshire

Ventnor beach review, Isle of Wight

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Ventnor beach is a delightful cove positioned on the Southerly edge of the Isle of Wight. Set staggering down a steep cliff, with a zig zag path, tiers of shops and houses lead to golden sand and shingle. The beach has an esplanade that rolls round from The Spyglass Inn (west) to the recently built bandstand (east). Pretty little beach huts line neatly along the bottom of the cliff. High tide covers the sand and can leave you with little beach to sit on.

The town was built up in the Victorian era and sits on the side of St. Boniface Down. It is smaller than the nearby Sandown and Shanklin beaches and often much quieter on sunny beach days. Ventnor is filled with holiday makers and residents alike.

Ventnor is popular not only for the beach but for the coastal path that leads from Bonchurch (small beach to the north-east of Ventnor) through Ventnor and on to Steephill Cove (one of the best kept secrets on the Island, well, OK not so secret really but quite secluded as it can only be reached by foot).

Ventnor also has the famed Ventnor Botanical Gardens, home to many subtropical and exotic plants. Nannie rightbeach really enjoyed her stroll around them and even ventured onto the coastal path which is directly accessed from the gardens. Watch out for the ladders though! The beach is a good forty-five minutes’ walk from the gardens, along the costal path and then there’s the walk back!

rightbeach recommends Ventnor beach for all generations of the family, although the steep path and stronger currents suggest it would suit older children who can swim and carry their own lunch better than the pushchair brigade. It will be a real agile granny pleaser with the gardens and coastal walks. The Victorians believed Ventor’s suntrap micro-climate was ideal for restoring health-therefore rightbeach also recommends this beach if you are nursing a small hangover!

Beach blurb

See Ventnor beach on a map …

Things to note to ensure your trip goes well:

  • The road in and out of the esplanade is extremely steep and twisting so beware! Nannie rightbeach has warned you!
  • High tide steals most of the sand away so time it right or head up into the pretty town to souvenir shop.
  • When swimming there may be hidden rocks or strong currents-rightbeach suggests adult supervision at all times. A red flag indicates unsuitable swimming conditions.

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Area
Rating
Observation
Beach Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Sand, shingle, beach huts and rock pools. Mostly gone at high tide. Litter picked daily during the summer.
Crowded (1=deserted) Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Popular with locals and Grockles but not so that you are all piled on top of each other.
Surf Sandcastle rating Strong tide means it’s not great for watersports but swimming is good.
Sand Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Sand and shingle.
Parking Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Car parking is on The Esplanade or at the medium-sized car park at the end behind The Spyglass Inn, all pay and display. You could also park in the Botanical Gardens if you were planning a visit there.
Toilets Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Toilets clean and tidy.
Food Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating The Spyglass Inn, along Ventnor’s sea front, has a homely atmosphere that is filled with seafaring memorabilia that shows its history as a smugglers tavern. Local seafood specials mmmm! Fresh Ventnor crab and lobster may be purchased from a fisherman’s hut (Blake’s) located at the very start of the Esplanade.
Shopping Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating A Victorian town centre full of antique and knick-knack shops.

Review by Nannie rightbeach

Spring Vale beach, Isle of Wight

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Spring Vale beach is a small sandy beach with pebbles banks set below a comforting sea wall. Beach hutters and cyclists gaze out to views of the Solent-very peaceful in the late afternoon sun. The pebbles are littered with slipper limpet shells and makes a melodic sound when crunching through them at high tide. rightbeach spent a pleasant afternoon gathering shells to spell out their very own name!

When the tide is out, (it goes out a loooooooong way, the remaining rock pools and channels are perfect for little feet to paddle and little hands to gather bucketfuls of winkles. If sitting quietly it becomes apparent that wild birds (other than shouty seagulls) use this beach: rightbeach spotted a pair of dancing white egrets using a pair of birthday binoculars!

Nearby Puckpool Park provides fun in the form of tennis, crazy golf, ice creams and also has parking for around 100 cars (free, unheard of on The Isle of Wight!) It also boasts a pub and serves hot food all day.

Beach blurb

See Springvale beach on a map …

Things to note to ensure your trip goes well:

  • Park in Puckpool Park for free. Take advatage of their facilities and then head off to the beach. Return for an ice-cream before trooping off home.
  • Dogs are allowed on the beach all year.
  • A pair of binoculars will allow close up views of birds and boats far away.

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Area
Rating
Observation
Beach Sandcastle rating At high tide there is not a lot of beach left. Low tide leaves fab rock pools and crabby seaweed haunts. Breakwaters at regular intervals.
Crowded
(1=deserted)		 Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Not a super sandy beach and so not too crowded even when the sun is high in the sky. Nodes Point Holiday Park is a five-minute stroll so there are families who use the beach regularly.
Surf Sandcastle rating Still water means it makes a great part of the sea for kayaking.
Sand Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Mostly sand and shingle with pebbles dotted around. Rocks when the tide is out.
Toilets Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Including disabled access.
Parking Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Park near to St Helen’s Old Church, plenty of space in the pay and display spaces.
Food Sandcastle rating One cafe on the sea front but a mile or so inland is The Vine Inn which serves local pub grub.
Shopping Sandcastle rating No gift shops, clothing or other retailers. Head up into the village for provisions, or better still round to Bembridge.

reviewed by The rightbeach Team

Yaverland beach, Isle of Wight

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Yaverland is a long, wide sweep of golden sand edged by the famed red and white cliffs. It has great fossil finding prospects and is rated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Collecting of fossils can only be done from the bottom of the cliffs but it is very likely you will find something to take home to show off with. rightbeach found fossilised bivalves hidden in grey sandstone. Go out and see what you can find!

The beach itself is a sandy, open space. It is popular with dog walkers and families but is also known for a variety of water acitivities such as windsurfing and fishing. It is busiest between the groynes but you can get that feeling of near isolation by heading ‘beach right’.

Yaverland beach is very close to The Isle of Wight Zoo (Tiger Sanctuary) which is a chance to get up close and almost personal with some truly stunning tigers. rightbeach fell in love with Xena the snow tiger. It is also a stone’s throw from Dinosaur Isle (think Natural History Museum on a small seaside scale)

rightbeach would recommend Yaverland for a day on the beach with children and family dog. Easy car parking and toilet facilities combined with enough space to spread out and build a sand fortress (see photo) make it a real winner.

Beach blurb

See Yaverland beach on a map …

Things to note to ensure your trip goes well:

  • Visit the beach after a heavy rain storm for the best chance of finding fossils. Perhaps combine it with a trip to Dinosaur Isle (lots of interactive dino fun along with the best dino shop EVER! rightbeach bought a mould to make the fossilised remains of a triceratops out of chocolate!
  • Windbreaks or tents are a must as the wide beach can get rather breezy.
  • Great beach for kite flying. rightbeach nearly had its head removed by the string of a wildy flapping butterfly-shaped kite.

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Area
Rating
Observation
Beach Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Flat sand, sand at all times, cool fossil opportunities when beach combing
Crowded (1=deserted) Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Populated but not on top of each other. Head ‘beach right’ for more space to call your own.
Surf Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Breezy beach means good surf. Popular with windsurfers.
Sand Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Sand. Small pebbles, fossils and tumbled glass in the tide line. All very pretty really.
Parking Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating About £1 an hour. Get there earlyish to get a space in the car park nearest the steps.
Toilets Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating  In the car park, so not too far away. Free and eco. The cleanest toilets rightbeach has come across.
Food Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Ice creams and the usual chips and sausage roll from the one cafe by the car park.
Shopping Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating A walk into Sandown brings more traditional gift shops or pubs for a wider meal choice.

Review by rightbeach

St Helen’s beach, Isle of Wight

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St Helen’s is a tranquil sand and shingle beach, maintained by The National Trust . It is situated along the sea edge of the Duver. At low tide there are fascinating rock pools to dip your net in or great clumps of seaweed in which to rummage for crabs. rightbeach saw three generations of one family having a ‘who can catch the biggest crab’ competition. Grandad and his bacon lure was the winner!

The beach is mainly used by twitchers, boat watchers and some families from Nodes Point Holiday Centre. During the Summer months, long lines of ponies can be seen trotting contentedly along through the shallows. It has no esplanade of sea front shops but there is a sea wall running the entire length, topped by a concrete promenade. A short row of beach huts and a cafe is all that can be found on some days. On sunny days, it is a stop off for cyclists and walkers.

The beach drops steeply down to the sea which becomes deep reasonably quickly. Boats coming into Bembridge Harbour pass close by and so swimming should be with this in mind. The red and green buoys mark the channel relatively close to the shore.

rightbeach recommends this beach for a morning of crabbing at low tide rather than a whole day camped on the beach. rightbeach‘s eldest daughter spent a marvellous hour trotting along the shore line on Turnip the pony-thanks to Sally’s Riding School of Nodes Point.

Beach blurb

See St Helen’s beach on a map …

Things to note to ensure your trip goes well:

  • To find parking near the sea, follow signs to The Duver, along Duver Road, past the Common and the entrance to the Duver and park near the remains of St Helen’s Old Church .
  • Dogs are allowed on the beach all year.
  • Bring a picnic as there is only one small cafe.

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Area
Rating
Observation
Beach Sandcastle rating At high tide there is not a lot of beach left. Low tide leaves fab rock pools and crabby seaweed haunts. Breakwaters at regular intervals.
Crowded
(1=deserted)		 Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Not a super sandy beach and so not too crowded even when the sun is high in the sky. Nodes Point Holiday Park is a five-minute stroll so there are families who use the beach regularly.
Surf Sandcastle rating Still water means it makes a great part of the sea for kayaking.
Sand Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Mostly sand and shingle with pebbles dotted around. Rocks when the tide is out.
Toilets Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Including disabled access.
Parking Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Park near to St Helen’s Old Church, plenty of space in the pay and display spaces.
Food Sandcastle rating One cafe on the sea front but a mile or so inland is The Vine Inn which serves local pub grub.
Shopping Sandcastle rating No gift shops, clothing or other retailers. Head up into the village for provisions, or better still round to Bembridge.

reviewed by The rightbeach Team themselves

Whitecliff Bay beach, Isle of Wight

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Whitecliff Bay is a relatively small, golden sanded beach situated at the bottom of Culver Cliffs, on the south-east side of the island. It is 10 minutes walk  from Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park and so is popular with families and couples. The holiday park is the only parking available near to the main concrete path down the cliff. The path ends in a steep, oh so very steep, final section. Not so much fun for tiny tots or tired daddies on the hike back up to the car!

The beach has a very shallow slope towards the sea, making it good for swimming and paddling with little children. High on the cliff top, Yarborough Monument (known as ‘the Obelisk’) can be seen presiding. Rock pools and mini coves, isolated by high tide, to ‘beach left’.

There are two beach cafes/shops to keep a ready supply of buckets, spades, ice-creams and cold drinks on the beach. rightbeach had breakfast at the ‘Tuppenny Cafe’ and basked in the glorious morning sun, watching the rightbeach kiddies and grandparents taking the first plunge of the day…ahh fond memories.

rightbeach recommends this beach for families with older children due to the tricky path down to the beach and lack of toilets.

Beach blurb

See Whitecliff Bay beach on a map …

Things to note to ensure your trip goes well:

  • Get there early to nab a parking space and parking is limited (rightbeach warned you, 20-30 spaces max!)
  • Minimal kit or plenty of hands and arms to carry it to and from the top of the cliff.
  • turn ‘beach right’ at the bottom on the slope as it gets mighty windy to the left.
  • Rock pools galore to the left so pack your beach shoes, nets and buckets to nab all sorts of creatures of the deep.
  • Watch out for high tide, it can leave you with nowhere to run but back up the cliff!

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Area
Rating
Observation
Beach Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating What it lacks for in wide expanse of sand it makes up for in character.
Crowded
(1=deserted)		 Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating It’s never too bad there although the car park and cafes can get busy. You can always head ‘beach left’ for seclusion.
Surf Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Mini rollers but nothing too fancy.
Sand Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Lovely golden sand but it is nearly completely covered at high tide.
Toilets NONE! Not even for staff at the cafes or at the top of the cliff! NONE!
Parking Sandcastle rating 20-30 spaces within Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park.
Food Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Two cafes  (hot and cold food and drinks) with a small range of buckets and spades, postcards, etc
Shopping The only shop nearby is the newly refurbished, reopened and fully stocked holiday park convenience store. Situated to the left of the driveway at the entrance to the holiday park.