In a former life in journalism I would frequently have to show an interest in things that listeners were passionate about. It was usually dog poo, which biscuit is best for dunking or Princess Diana. A story combining two or three of those was gold.
I have a vague recollection of a story about geocaching but I never got around to working out what it was and kind of assumed it would require giving up weekends to spend my time in a field. I decided to give it a go after a visitor to this site got in touch and said that the Isle of Wight had plenty of geocache spots. The general idea is pretty simple. You download an app which shows you where little boxes of treasure are hidden in your area, and then try to find them when you have five minutes on a day out. You write your name in a log book and you can usually take a toy from the box and leave one behind if you want to. So, several weeks after downloading the app we finally got round to our first Isle of wight geocache. We had spent the morning at Appley's beach and seaside playground and spotted that there was a cache 400 metres from our current lunch spot. Obviously that doesn't sound far, but considering that it required an uphill walk across a park with a toddler I'd say we did well not to require survival assistance from Bear Grylls. After passing the Goodleaf Tree climbing spot we found a path into woodland, and then another path where a tupperware box was hidden inside a camouflage bag. We dutifully signed the log book and our toddler helped herself to a toy car, which she exchanged for some toy we got free from Lidl. We also marked our success on the app. And that was it. No great commitment or expense or hours spent in the rain in a field. Just a 10 minute detour and a new toy for our little one. By the way, Diana's favourite biscuit for dunking was a custard cream.
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If you see a VW carrying a surfboard on the Isle of Wight you can be fairly confident that the driver is a) called Brad and b) heading to Compton Bay.
You will struggle to find a glossy brochure on the ferry which doesn't recommend that beach as place to go for surf. I would generally say the same and gave the same lazy bit of advice in our guide to the best Isle of Wight beach for... A few weeks ago though my life changed forever... in Shanklin. Well, not quite, but it is a piece of advice worth passing on. The surf forecast told me that Compton Bay was flat as a steam rolled pancake for the next week so we gave up on body boarding and decided to have a serene swim in Shanklin which has better facilities for little ones (toilets, indoor play, amusements, mini golf). With my bodyboard sat in the garage at home I was more than a little disappointed to see big waves on the beach at Shanklin. There was no sign of Brad or any of his surfing friends either. And so we had an entertaining swim, trying to avoid being knocked over by the enthusiastic waves and unsure if we should be enjoying ourselves or just be annoyed that we didn't bring the bodyboards. A friend once told be that when the surf was poor at Compton it was often good at Sandown or Shanklin. I'd sort of ignored his advice as it hadn't seen it for myself. Anyway, I've now added a link to the Shanklin surf report to our surf forecast page, and next time I'll pack my bodyboard. The Isle of Wight is well stocked for stag do activities. There isn't the range of big nightclubs you will get in a city but there are loads of outdoorsy type activities for those who fancy doing something other than shouting wahey and vomiting on a stag do.
I recently organised an Isle of Wight stag do for a number of mainlanders, so of course I felt a weight of responsibility to represent the Island at its best. Thankfully the weather did its part and we were treated to a fair amount of late summer sunshine alongside some suitably laddish bants, as the kids say nowadays, apparently. We started things off at the Folly Inn in Whippingham which I've always thought to be a good pub for group gatherings as the food is reasonably good, the view is great and it is big enough that you don't feel they are trying to push you out the door as soon as you put down your fork. After dressing our groom as a Whoopee Cushion we headed to Tackt Isle in Bembridge, where I learned a valuable best man lesson - doing anything with a group takes forever, so don't try and cram in too much on a stag do. I would happily say "right lads, we're five minutes late already, we'd better go" and everyone would sit down in the sunshine like some kind of peaceful protest. I honestly think it would have been quicker to transport a group of toddlers. We eventually got on the water for some kayak games with Tackt Isle, which obviously involved non stop banterish hilarity such as splashing, falling in, shouting "wahey" or "oi oi!" and giving the groom a comedy tiny paddle. That was followed by an hour on segways and airwheels (2 wheeled and 1 wheel transporter things) during which time we tried our best to avoid driving into the sea. The whole kayak and segway combination lasted about three hours and cost £20 each, which I thought was great value. After helping ourselves to the free tea and strumming the guitar at Tackt Isle - and apologising again for being late - we set for Compton Bay. By Isle of Wight standards it was an epic drive, the equivalent of a mainlander driving from Berwick upon Tweed to Falmouth. To pass the time I handed out the Isle Spy car journey game which is really intended for distracting naughty children but seemed remarkably apt for the stag do. At Compton Bay the sun was shining and we had the beach to ourselves for playing football in mankinis (thank goodness), eating burnt sausages and general larking. At night we decided to camp nearby which was literally the equivalent of sleeping in a fridge (it was 8 degrees and I had a pack of bacon near my head). After scraping off the morning icicles from our noses we ate the bacon and climbed up to The Pepperpot to admire the view. By this time I had realised that moving our group was akin to turning a cruise ship around so I gave up on our Sandown golfing plan. Thankfully the laddish lads were impressed with the Pepperpot and the cliffs overhanging Blackgang Chine which provide an opportunity for reminiscing about school trips in the 1990s. I would love to say that the stag do ended with us getting utterly wasted and shaving the stag's eye brows but it actually ended up with lasagne and crumble in the sunshine in my mum's garden. WAHEY! LADS!
It was the sort of discussion where you don't really agree with anything they are saying but you really can't be bothered to have a heated argument with a stranger so you just half agree without committing too strongly. Perhaps the kind of conversation you might have an elderly aunt about UK immigration policy.
Anyway, the gentleman in question was an Islander and was very genial but he was also of the view that there was 'nothing for kids' on the Isle of Wight. Before my spleen burst I lamely asked him to clarify which age group he was talking about or whether he felt 2 year olds and 17 year olds were equally overlooked. He went for teenagers. I then began a limp and inelegant debunking of what I believe is a myth about living on the Isle of Wight. I muttered something about enjoying the Island as a teenager because I like beaches and left it at that before putting my trousers on and moving on to discuss the Southampton FC transfer policy. When you're a teenager, everywhere else is more appealing. Ask a few Isle of Wight teenagers if they would rather live in North Korea and many of them would leap at the chance. Getting a more measured answer requires a bit of hindsight and distance (and discussion with a wife who grew up in a typical mainland market town). I grew up in the middle of the Isle of Wight, which is not generally the prettiest part but it does mean you can get anywhere within 25 minutes or a little longer on a bus (or sometimes a lot longer). So, you are within a reasonable distance of a multi screen cinema, a bowling alley, beaches for barbecues, football, surfing or kayaking, forests and cycle tracks for mountain biking and several swimming pools. If you've got the money there is laser tag, mountain boarding, sailing, windsurfing, paintballing, technical tree climbing and so on. Within ten minutes of where I grew up there are now two high quality music festivals (Isle of Wight Festival and Bestival). There are also smaller festivals and events throughout the year. If you are into artsy things, as I was a bit, there is now an arts festival in Ventnor. Admittedly, the Isle of Wight is usually excluded from bands' UK tours, so you end up going to Portsmouth or Southampton - but how many market towns have had everyone from The Rolling Stones to the Kings of Leon perform in the last few years? The shopping in Newport is OK, though not city sized. There aren't many night clubs but there are enough bars with atmosphere in Newport, Cowes and Ryde. Let's compare that to the mid-sized Midlands town where my wife grew up. They had a two screen cinema, a swimming pool, a few shops (though certainly not as many as Newport) and a few bars that are open fairly late (perhaps slightly more than Newport, but nothing special). To do some proper shopping you would need to drive 50 minutes to the nearest city, which will cost you about £10 on the train, so not hugely different from an off peak day out to Portsmouth or Southampton. I'm sure if she had grown up in London or Manchester there would have been more to do (more live music and shows for example), as long as you had the money. But most parents seem to end up on the suburbs or further out because they don't fancy city life with a family. In my view, Mr Chatty's point about there not being much for teenagers may have been more accurate in the 1990s, but nowadays it doesn’t really hold true. The Isle of Wight punches above its weight because of the annual surge of tourists who keep many of the attractions going. Plus there is the obvious point that people living in Ryde, Yarmouth, Cowes or Ventnor are more likely to go to Newport to shop than the mainland. As a result, Newport’s potential customer base is larger than just the town itself so it can justify a big M&S, TK Maxx and so on. Don't get me wrong, Newport isn't a global shopping hub but it is better than a similar sized market town on the mainland. Views welcome, as long as you let me put my clothes on first. **Updated December 2022 with brief section about water cleanliness** I had a heated debate recently with a fellow Wightophile about the best Isle of Wight beach for swimming. Voices were raised slightly, fists were gently thumped onto a table and there may have been some finger wagging. I exaggerate only slightly. The best beach for swimming may not be the best for other reasons - such as the practicality of clambering down a hundred steps with a pushchair. No, an ideal beach for swimming needs to have water which is the right depth, smooth sand underfoot and a lack of suspicious floating things. There are lots of lovely Isle of Wight beaches that are just too shallow for a proper swim. I once walked out for a swim at Priory Bay (Seaview) at low tide and ended up in Gunwharf Quays Shopping Centre in Portsmouth with my trunks still dry. I've had similar problems at St. Helen's and at various other popular spots around the east Wight (Appley at Ryde and Bembridge can be like this at low tide). There are other beaches which are just too stony underfoot, so without wetsuit boots on it can be like walking across a landfill site. For example, Hanover Point is perhaps my favourite spot in the whole world but there is a huge stretch of rockbed, which has the cheek to remain hidden at high tide. Many visitors happily run into the sea from the golden sands and stub their toe a few seconds later. If you listen carefully you can hear expletives echoing around the bay. The rocks also have peaks and troughs so even with wetsuit boots on you find yourself up to your neck one minute and then up to your knees the next. Totland is another stony beach - the outlook is gorgeous and it tends to be quiet, but it is hard work with great big pebbles rolling around beneath your feet. Freshwater Bay is pretty rocky too, although it does have a really interesting and varied landscape. At high tide, the gradient of Freshwater Bay means that it gets deep very quickly which is fine for confident swimmers but scary for wobbly ones. Steephill Cove near Ventnor tends not to be very stony but sometimes has so much seaweed that you feel you are wading through tickly purple treacle. When the tide is low, I like a quick dip in Gurnard, but it can be a bit stony too. My experience with suspicious floating items in the seas around the Isle of Wight has thankfully been scant, although I've heard some tales, usually recounted by toothless barflies with beards and eye patches. ("Yarrr, twas as big a turd as I ever did see in me life, and twas coming roit for me.") However, we can get some clues from which beaches get Blue Flags, which at the time of writing are Sandown, Colwell, Ventnor and Yaverland. Incidentally, wouldn't it be better if the blue flags were actually pictures of turds with a line through them to indicate the cleanliness of the water? Anyway, I digress. I enjoy swimming at Yaverland and I'd certainly recommend Colwell (at low tide ideally as there is very little beach for skilfully getting into your trunks without mooning onlookers otherwise) and Sandown. Shanklin is very similar to Sandown as is the stretch of beach in between the two, which is called Dunroamin Beach. They tend to be a good consistent depth so you can actually swim and there aren't usually many waves. Whitecliff Bay is another good option as it is nice and sandy, although getting there is difficult as you have to walk through a holiday park and then down a hill so steep that it almost requires crampons. However, my vote goes to none of the above. For me, Compton Bay is the best beach for swimming on the Isle of Wight. In my view, sea swimming is most fun when the waves are choppy. You rarely hear anyone overwhelmed with hilarity on an entirely flat sea. You also tend to warm up much quicker because standing still isn’t an option when there’s a wave coming. As I said earlier, Hanover Point is rocky, but if you walk towards the Compton Bay end of the beach it is much sandier and there are frequently big waves. It might not be ideal for training for a swimming competition, and it doesn't ever have lifeguards so you do need to be a bit cautious, but it is unbeatable for some traditional seaside larking. For more on beaches, see our snazzy interactive map. Needless to say, it is well worth reading the information boards at beaches and understanding the tides, unless you want to end up heading for France on a lilo. Update 2018: since we wrote this guide, the Isle of Wight Council have taken the decision not to apply for Blue Flags. However, we have discovered this great map from Surfers Against Sewage which gives regular update on water cleanliness. Another update - December 2022: the issue of water cleanliness around the UK's coastline has been in the news a lot recently. This isn't just an Isle of Wight problem, so it shouldn't put you off visiting but I'd like to reiterate the value of checking the latest data on water quality. I haven't done a full comparison, but there seems to be regular water quality issues around the Isle of Wight in winter.
You might also like to write to your MP... This site uses cookies - see our privacy policy. Ads & links in bold may give us a small payment from the seller, at no cost to the buyer. However, this never affects our views - if we like it, we recommend it. My brother and I used to recite a saying which went “Can you canoe? I can canoe? Can you?”. Thankfully such things aren’t necessary when you are kayaking, which is what a chum and I decided to give a go recently with Isle of Wight Adventure Activities. After squeezing our way into slightly damp wetsuits and doing some silly exercises on the beach we clambered into our kayaks and into the chilly waters around Freshwater Bay. The first challenge with kayaking is getting past the breaking waves, which is rather reminiscent of Tom Hanks attempting to get his homemade craft out onto the open waters in Castaway. Thankfully I didn’t lose my volleyball-with-a-face-on-it and we headed right, out round Fort Redoubt. I’m sure nautical people would say West or "Portwards m'laddy" or something similar but you know what I mean. The coastline is somewhat eerie around this section, as it is only accessible by water or by abseiling down from the cliffs above. There are no amusement arcades, cafes selling teacakes or minigolf courses here. We tentatively approached one huge cave, although our guide advised that we couldn’t go right in because there were too many rocks which routinely appeared in the water with the waves like Whack A Moles. Our guides seemed to know what they were talking about and I guess being impaled on a rock wouldn't have been good for tourism. A bit further along was a smaller cave, which we could go inside for a proper nosey around. The cave had a tiny little beach of its own at low tide where stones were dragged up and down with the waves, making a fantastic echoey noise which drowned out my ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ noises. At this stage, I was loving it and was beginning to question our excellent guides about the benefits of kayak ownership. I even prepared a plan in my head for where it would live (in my mother's garage, whether she liked it or not), and how I would attach it onto the roof of the car (roof bars and those stretchy bungee clips). As we left the cave, things suddenly took a bit of a turn for the worse. You see, over the last few years I have developed an annoying inclination for motion sickness. I had assumed that no-one gets motion sickness on a kayak but it seems I do. It wasn’t as if the waters were rough or anything – a slight bobbing had been enough to set me off. I stared at the horizon, breathed deeply and tried every other technique I could think of. My mind went back to the Round the Island Yacht Race from 10 years ago when I emptied my stomach into the Solent several times over an eight hour race. Thankfully, our guides suggested that we stop on Watcombe Bay – the small beach that is only accessible from the water (see our guide to Isle of Wight beaches). I raced for the beach, probably beating a few Kayak sprint world records, and clambered onto the beach much like a man who had been at sea for 40 days rather than 40 minutes. On precious terra firma we had a wander along the beach and into another cave. Once again, my ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’ were drowned out by the sound of large pebbles being dragged by the tide. Watcombe Bay is not an idyllic sandy beach, but it does feel pretty special simply because so few people get to step onto it.
Those few minutes on the bay were just enough for my stomach to settle to a reasonable level and we headed back out into the water for one last paddle back to Freshwater Bay. In conclusion, I learnt two things from my kayaking adventure. 1) Caves are fantastic 2) My stomach is not When I die, I’d like a good sturdy bench to be constructed with my name on it, rather than a gravestone. Not only is a bench much more comfortable for sitting on than a gravestone, they also tend to be placed in gorgeous places so my numerous offspring could sit and admire the view whilst discussing how great I was. I think they’re more inclined to return regularly if its an attractive viewpoint than if it’s a county council graveyard. There are many contenders for the Isle of Wight’s best bench (Freshwater Bay has so many benches it looks like a football stadium) but I think I’ve found my favourite. The bench itself is nothing special – in fact, it doesn’t even have a back – but the location, location, location is perfect. The bench in question is at the highpoint of the Military Road, between Freshwater Bay and Compton Farm. There’s a tiny layby nearby with enough space for two cars, ensuring that you won’t be sharing the bench with too many people.
To your right you can see Freshwater Bay with its white cliffs and creepy caves. To your left, you can see for several miles towards Hanover Point and Blackgang Chine. I can even see the spot where I proposed to my wife – what a romantic eh? And out to sea you can see nothing. Nothing for miles and miles and miles. Apart from perhaps a couple of container ships and the curvature of the earth. Normally I prefer to see ships coming and going, which is what you get on the north of the Isle of Wight, but on this occasion I prefer the quiet and empty vastness of it all. So we sat with a box of flapjack and half a can of Morrison’s Saver Lager (I felt half a can of 2% lager would be best as we needed to drive home). The sun even shone for a bit, briefly. See our guide for more Isle of Wight car park viewpoints Before the days of pushchairs and pampers I was very choosy about when I would swim in the sea around the Isle of Wight. The conditions needed to be ideal - a baking hot day and not a lot of wind. I would frequently sit on the sand whilst everyone else pretended they weren't painfully cold at Hanover Point. That all changed when two things happened. Firstly, I discovered wet suits. Or more specifically I discovered that I could wear a wet suit in the water without looking silly as long as I was holding a bodyboard. You don't really need to use it, it's just a prop so that it looks like you are wearing the suit for reasons of sport and chafing rather than because you are a bit girly and don't like the cold. Secondly, my opportunities for swimming in the sea became much rarer as we became frequent tourists rather than residents and had to start fitting swims around naps and early bedtimes. And so I found myself with ice cold water rapidly racing towards The Danger Zone (just below my waist) on the Easter weekend with rain drizzling down and not a whiff of sunshine. Needless to say, it was cold because, to be honest, it is always pretty cold, even in summer. But thanks to my wet suit it wasn't actually unbearable... For about two minutes anyway. My fellow swimmers stayed in a little longer, even the one who went in wearing nothing but a flimsy pair of shorts and swore like a sailor for five solid minutes. He also emerged with self inflicted scratch marks on his chest - presumably he was trying to distract the rest of his body from feeling cold. Now, I know there are 78 year old men who swim every single day in the sea and don't make even the tiniest bit of fuss, but I'm afraid that's just not normal and there are some parts of my body which would vehemently agree. My previous rule was that sea swimming around the Isle of Wight is legitimate from May 1st until mid September with a wetsuit, or from around mid June until late August without a wetsuit. I'm very proud to say that I have now stretched the season considerably and declare that sea swimming is just about bearable from Easter, until late September. Come on in, the water's lovely-ish. |
Isle of Wight Guru's BlogTales of Isle of Wight days out, attractions and ferry discounts from a Wightophile. This site uses cookies - see our privacy policy. Ads & links in bold may give us a small payment from the seller, at no cost to the buyer. However, this never affects our views - if we like it, we recommend it. Archives
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