Tag Archives: mud

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

Weston-Super-Mare beach review, Somerset

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Weston-Super-Mare is a seaside resort, located on the Bristol Channel coast. It is a long, sandy beach that has a large tidal range (which exposes mud flats at low tide). At the lowest tide, the water’s edge is about a mile from the seafront. That’s a long walk for rightbeach! There are many holiday and caravan parks within the area and so the beach is mostly populated by families.

In addition to the sand and sea, Weston has many traditional seaside occupations to offer: donkey rides (rightbeach kiddies loved them), the ‘Wheel at Weston’ (rightbeach went round and round and round and round and round and round and round…), sand sculptures (you have to pay to get in, you can’t even see them clearly from the wheel) and of course the newly opened Grand Pier. It is host to many amusements such as go-carts, dodgems, a 4-D cinema, laser maze…the list goes on and on! Great for eating up the teens’ pocket money.

Weston has lots of opportunities for cups of tea (rightbeach had a china mug on the beach!), fish and chips, candy floss, ice-cream, etc. There are also many beach front shops that sell postcards, kites, buckets, spades, kitchen sinks… all well positioned along the clean and tidy promendade (watch out for the cycle lane!)

rightbeach recommends Weston-Super-Mare for a day trip with all generations of the family. Lots of pushchair/wheelchair friendly slopes and plenty of toilets and ice-cream.

Beach blurb

See Weston-Super-Mare beach on a map …

Things to note to ensure your trip goes well:

        • Do check the tide times as when the tide is at its lowest mud flats are revealed. This can mean a huge hike down to the water’s edge (rightbeach means nearly a mile!) only to be disappointed and covered in mud. Go at high tide. There’s plenty of sand left.
        • It’s an open beach so windbreaks, tents or even pushchairs will keep the wind chill out and the sand off your food.
        • Donkey rides were a real rightbeach hit. Donkeys seemed very well-kept, rotated often and had their own little chill out area away from pokey fingers. rightbeach children rode Jake and Granville, both of whom had a very placid plod and even temperament.

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Area
Rating
Observation
Beach Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Lovely clean sand but watch out for the sticky mud at very low tide. Beach is raked daily in the Summer.
Crowded
(1=deserted)		 Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating It’s a busy beach but with plenty of space for all. Don’t go expecting to be all alone.
Surf Sandcastle rating Sailing, wind surfing and jet skiing rather than surf boarding.
Sand Sandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Coarse sand and mud flats at lowest tide.
Toilets Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Toilets dotted along the promenade. Clean and serviceable when visited by rightbeach‘s specialist toilet team (children aged 1 and 4 + Grannie rightbeach)
Parking Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating
Food Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating Lots of cafes, ice-cream shops and pubs along the promenade.
Shopping Sandcastle ratingSandcastle ratingSandcastle rating A full on town just behind the promenade so head up towards the station for high street stores and supermarkets (Tesco, ASDA  and Waitrose) if that is what you are after.

reviewed by rightbeach