Priory Bay is an absolute gem of a beach. I'm convinced that if it was easy to access then it would be heaving on a summer's day. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) you need to faff around a bit to get there. Those who make it to Priory Bay share a steely determination that is usually found in Arctic explorers and astronauts. Your options: 1. Via Seagrove BayOur preferred option is to park on the housing estate around Caws Avenue or Solent View Road. This is very much a residential area but all of the residents have driveways so you aren't pinching their spaces. Needless to say, you can expect an angry note, raised eyebrows or a shaking fist if you don't park courteously. If you're getting a bus, you want the number eight that links Newport and Ryde. This will get you as far as Caws Avenue in Seaview. From here, we walk over a small bridge at the bottom of Solent View Road. Google Maps tells me it is called Seagrove Dell, which is perhaps a rather grandiose name for a short footpath and a couple of trees. This leads to Seagrove Bay, where you turn right at the beach. There's a toilet here, which is the closest public toilet to Priory Bay. If it's low tide then you can walk along the sand and through to Priory Bay round the corner. If it's not low tide then you walk along the seawall until you reach the raised walkway. This leads to a footpath through the woodland. Follow this until you reach the steps down to Priory Bay. The canniest option is to arrive about an hour before low tide, and then leave an hour after low tide. That way, you can probably walk on the beach in both directions. Of course, the height of the tide varies throughout the year so it's a bit of a guessing game. Your total walk is about half a mile, which should take 10 minutes. It took us twice that long last time because I had a beach trolley and 27 bags. 2. Via St Helens BeachAn alternative plan for reaching Priory Bay is to walk from St Helens beach. This is very much dependent on the tides and you face certain death if you don't read the tide times properly. Parking at St Helens is quite easy. There are pay and display spaces on the seafront for those who are willing to part with both an arm and a leg. This car park isn't huge and you might end up doing a 93 point turn to get out. There's also a National Trust car park if you continue past the main entrance to the seafront. It's free for members and was cheaper than the seafront car park last time I checked (see our guide to cheap parking). There's also some on-street free parking on Duver Road, which leads down to the beach at St Helens. Feel free to have an argument with your spouse about how far children should be expected to walk for free parking, and what it was like in your day. Once you get to St Helens Beach, you turn left as you face the sea and walk around the headland. It's a nice walk but can only be done at low tide. The walk is about three quarters of a mile and will take you about 15 minutes. Needless to say, it's easy to get cut off. If this happens, you'll end up walking back to St Helens via Seagrove Bay - which is a big detour. We've also used paddleboards and kayaks to get round from St Helens, which avoids the tidal issue. 3. Via Priory Bay HotelThe third option isn't really an option at all at the moment - and hasn't been for several years. At one stage, there was a rather nice hotel with a path down to the beach. However, the Priory Bay Hotel is currently closed and access isn't allowed. We've written about the closure of the hotel, which is currently looking very sorry for itself. 4. Buy a YachtYour final option is to buy a boat and sail to Priory Bay from the mainland. You can then sit in a boat a couple of hundred metres from the shore and eat crab sandwiches with Geoff and Jean from the tennis club. If you know of a better option for visiting Priory Bay, please leave us a comment. Perhaps there's an underground railway line to the beach that we don't know about?
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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
February 2025
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