A Gushing Review of Bierley Waterfall

There will come a point where we have seen everything on the Isle of Wight's 147 square miles. We will have played every arcade machine on Shanklin seafront, tasted every flavour of Minghella ice cream and dug up every grain of sand on Appley beach.

The recent downpours and flooding provided a good opportunity to see one small attraction that we hadn't seen before - Bierley Waterfall in the South Wight.

We parked by the side of the road on Newport Road in Whitwell. There is space for a couple of cars, but if those are taken then you'll need to walk a little further. 

Mrs Guru suggested that I went on ahead as it was pouring with rain and she didn't fancy getting the children caked in mud for no good reason.

I obliged and headed for the footpath which is signposted as NT86 and points to 'Wydcombe 1/3'. The only other human being the area was happy to answer my questions about the waterfall and pointed me in the right direction. 

This sign is visible from the main road

The footpath directed me straight through a farmer's field. I felt reluctant to do this, partly because there was no worn path to follow and partly because I didn't want to be shouted at.

Instead, I decided to skirt round the edge of the field.

I went round the edge of the field and found the stile in the bottom right hand corner

Bierley Waterfall is near to this stile

Videos I had seen online of the waterfall had given me the impression that I would find more of a trickle than a waterfall. Anyone attempting an "I'm A Celebrity..." shower scene during the summer would be disappointed.

However, on my visit it was gushing with gusto as it had been raining heavily for a couple of days. Let's not pretend that it is as impressive as some of the big waterfalls in Yorkshire but it was better than I expected.

The stream leading from the waterfall was fairly deep so I gingerly walked along the muddy banks to get a better view. ​

Bierley Waterfall is a trickle in summer but is more impressive in winter

After a couple of minutes I returned to the car and announced that it was worth the effort, despite the rain.

​Back down the hill I went, this time assisting three others and saying things like "watch out, that bit's slippery", "no, I'm not carrying you" and "do we have any spare clothes in the car?".

At the stream, myself and the children decided to wobble our way along the fallen branches to get a closer look. Mrs Guru watched on from a safe distance. I convinced myself that this was a sibling bonding exercise, despite the risk of water pouring over the top of the wellies. 

After a few tense moments, we made it close enough to get an excellent view of the waterfall and then squelched our way back up the hill.

I am a little unclear on the ownership and boundaries of Bierley waterfall, and am happy to be put straight in the comments below. I certainly didn't see any signs to suggest I was trespassing but I have read some comments online that it sits on private land so it should only be admired from afar. Apologies in advance if I was standing in your back garden.