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Mobile Friendly Guide To The Isle Of Wight's Best Beaches 2024
You are spoilt for choice on the Isle of Wight with a range of beaches to suit all tastes (apart from those who enjoy warm seawater obviously...). Please note, this page is a work in progress and isn't yet comprehensive.
Beware of tides and currents when swimming - most beaches have information boards with lifesaving advice. Rules around dogs are also covered in our guide to dog friendly Isle of Wight holidays. Also check the safer seas map before swimming, to check if Southern Water has pumped sewage into the (Ed: ewwwww).
If you are looking for advice on which is the best beach for toddlers, teenagers, swimmers, dogwalkers, surfers and other recommendations see our guide to 'which is the best Isle of Wight beach for...'
Or are you looking for the fancy Isle of Wight Best Beaches Interactive Map?
Beware of tides and currents when swimming - most beaches have information boards with lifesaving advice. Rules around dogs are also covered in our guide to dog friendly Isle of Wight holidays. Also check the safer seas map before swimming, to check if Southern Water has pumped sewage into the (Ed: ewwwww).
If you are looking for advice on which is the best beach for toddlers, teenagers, swimmers, dogwalkers, surfers and other recommendations see our guide to 'which is the best Isle of Wight beach for...'
Or are you looking for the fancy Isle of Wight Best Beaches Interactive Map?
East Wight Beaches
Dunroamin Beach (Lake)
Sandown Beach
Shanklin Beach
Shanklin is ideal for families looking for a bucket-and-spade-traditional-seaside-day-out. There is mini golf on the esplanade, toilets, (paid) parking, sandy beaches, bouncy castles during peak times and plenty of places to eat. There's also a lift up to the clifftop. Dog ban on the whole beach from May to September, although the ends of the beach in both directions are dog friendly (see our dog friendly guide)
Near to family holiday parks including Landguard and Lower Hyde. See our guide to 10 of the best...places to stay in Shanklin |
Priory Bay (near Ryde)
Whitecliff Bay
Gorgeous bay with sand, attractive tree lined cliffs and enticing water for a swim. Has a nice cafe (worth checking if it is open). Access is difficult. Most people walk through Whitecliff Bay Caravan Holiday Park and then down a very very steep slope. Photo is at high tide.
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Appley Beach (Ryde)
Ideal for young families, offering parking, a playground, sandy beaches, toilets and a cafe. Pushchair and wheelchair friendly walk and nearby park. Not great for swimming at low tide. Popular for beach football. Summertime dog ban on the main section of beach up to Appley Tower (the Tower is the thing in the picture), with a dog friendly section at the Seaview end. Also accessible from the Puckpool car park which has another playground.
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Yaverland (near Sandown)
Pay and display car park, toilets and cafe. Plenty of beach, nice clifftop views. A little windswept. Near to Wildheart Animal Sanctuary (previously called Isle of Wight Zoo), Dinosaur Isle and a playground in Sandown. Less busy than Sandown, which can be accessed via a seawall walk. No dogs allowed in summer in front of the car park, but dog friendly in the large section in front of the cliffs.
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Seaview Beach
Mostly sandy with large beach for games at low tide. Shallow water which is better for paddling than swimming. Basic facilities only, easy parking along the esplanade. Bit blowy and exposed. Backed by posh houses with views of Portsmouth. Dog ban on the main section of beach from May to September, although there is a dog friendly bit to the left of The Boathouse pub as you look out to sea and head towards Appley.
Near to Salterns Village Cottages. |
St Helen's (Near Bembridge)
Nice outlook and accessible sea wall for wheelchairs and push chairs. Cafe selling ice creams. Nice location for a dip but very shallow at low tide. Car park gets very full so you might have to walk from the village or park in the National Trust one nearby.
Near to Nodes Point Holiday Park and St Helen's Holiday Resort. |
Bembridge Beach
Probably the best Isle of Wight beach for rockpooling at low tide (see our tide times). Home to an impressive lifeboat station which you can visit for free. Nice cafes nearby, pay and display parking and toilets. Bit shallow for swimming usually. Dog friendly beach all year round.
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Seagrove Bay
Nicely shaped bay backed by grand houses (in the distance in this photo). Big concrete seawall is good for pushchairs etc but not especially pretty in my view. Check tide times as there isn't any sand at high tide. Not easy to park nearby. Basic toilets. Some people swim here, others use it to access Priory Bay round to the east via the wooden walkway (shown in photo), which also has a small bit of shady beach beneath it (good for those rare scorching days when you don't want to get burnt).
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Players Beach
Fishbourne Beach
West Wight Beaches
Alum Bay (West wight)
HANOVER POINT/Compton Bay (SOUTH WEST WIGHT)
Ideal for surfing, sunsets, natural cliff backdrop. There is a toilet and usually an ice cream van in the car park. No dogs (use nearby Brook Chine instead). Fantastic vistas on the Military Road between Hanover Point and Freshwater Bay. No dogs allowed in summer (May to September).
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Brook Chine (South West Wight)
FRESHWATER BAY (WEST WIGHT)
Freshwater Bay's Smuggler's Caves
Small beach which is exposed at low tide and has some caves. Can be accessed by kayak or by walking across rocks at very low tide from Freshwater Bay. High risk of drowning, instant death, slipping on a rock and scraping your knee, getting trapped by the tide or breaking a nail. Best visited with the help of a local who understands the tides. In case I haven't made the point clear enough - walking round is dangerous and I'm not advising you try it!
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COLWELL BAY (WEST WIGHT)
Never a huge amount of sand but nice for a swim with a pretty outlook and decent facilities and parking nearby. Dog friendly if you turn right at the slipway.
Near to accommodation at The Bay, Colwell |
Totland Bay (West Wight)
Stony beach at high tide but lovely outlook and does get sandy sections at low tide. Some parking on the seafront, though it's not free any more. Bit of a long walk down otherwise. Includes a pier which has been repaired in recent years. Reasonable toilets. Restaurant on the front. Bit stony for swimming at high tide so bring wetsuit shoes!
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Chilton Chine (South West Wight)
Watcombe Bay (near Freshwater Bay)
Only accessible by boat/kayak or by abseiling down from the cliffs, so not ideal for pushchairs! Small stony beach with caves to explore and lots of resident birds to poo on your head. Obviously there are no facilities... I would only attempt this one with a local expert who understands tides etc as there have been cases where people have found themselves stranded at Watcombe Bay.
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Sconce Point (near Yarmouth)
Fort Victoria Woodland Beach
Brighstone Beach
Scratchell's Bay
Shepherd's Chine
A good people-avoiding beach which is not terribly hard to access. There are two or three parking spaces on the road and then a walk down a mildly precarious footpath. No chance with a pushchair but fine if you are relatively adventurous. Very fine shingle which is hard work for walking and will happily pour into your sandals. No facilities, but that's kind of the point.
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Atherfield Beach
An isolated beach with crumbly cliffs. Similar to Shepherd's Chine with mostly shingle and an occasional bit of sand. I couldn't find anywhere nearby to climb down to it, so I walked along from Shepherd's Chine which has two or three parking spaces on the road. There's a McDonalds on the beach, a cocktail bar, three minigolf courses and a luxurious public toilets. I'm joking of course, there are no facilities anywhere nearby.
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Yarmouth Beach
Another contender for the Isle of Wight's smallest beach. Not exactly a favourite of ours, but it's a good place to watch the ferry coming and going near Yarmouth Pier (or drunk people having a party inside the yacht club). It's a stony beach but it does at least have a car park, cafe and toilets nearby.
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Sandhard Beach
A well concealed beach which is surprisingly pleasant and not very busy. A broadsheet newspaper would probably call it a 'hidden gem'. Lack of parking, so you can either walk from Fort Victoria or park in Yarmouth and walk along the road. It's about half a mile either way. There are some smatterings of sand but it's mostly shingle. Great views of the Solent and Harbour. There are also some BBQ stands which are for public use. The beach featured briefly on a TV series called The Beast Must Die (what do you mean you've never heard of it?). Nearest facilities are in Yarmouth town centre.
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South Wight Beaches
VENTNOR (SOUTH WIGHT)
Shingly/sandy beach. Toilets, parking and food and drink nearby as well as a paddling pool for toddlers. Busy during high season. Decent for swimming. The place to be seen in Victorian times! Dogs not allowed in summer (May to September)
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STEEPHILL COVE (NEAR VENTNOR)
As the name suggests, there is a steep slope to access. I would say that it is too steep for a wheelchair unfortunately, though we have managed to take a pram down with a bit of a struggle. Nice swimming, toilet available, café, beach gets a bit busy sometimes. Feels Cornish(ish). Dogs only allowed on leads. Can walk to Ventnor along the hilly coastal path.
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Castle Cove (near VEntnor)
WHEELER'S BAY (BONCHURCH)
BINNEL BAY (NEAR NITON)
Hard to access, terrible for swimming, stony and difficult to walk on with no facilities but beautiful, isolated, peaceful, romantic. Ideal for angsty song-writing. You won't find an amusement arcade here. Read the blog.
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Whale Chine (South West Wight)
Reeth Bay (near Niton)
Orchard Bay (St. Lawrence)
Private beach with access to the public as long as you don't leave your crisp packets behind or organise a rave. 10 minute walk, steep steps, clamber over rocks. Good fun for an adventure but not for a day out with young children. Read the blog.
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Mount Bay (St. Lawrence)
Watershoot Bay
Isolated rocky beach which can be reached via confusing series of footpaths from Old Blackgang Road Car Park. Access from St Catherine's Lighthouse is probably the easier option. You might have it to yourself so it's an ideal beach for having a cry whilst looking at photos of an ex-girlfriend. Read the blog.
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Blackgang Beach
Shingly beach which is known as either Blackgang Beach or Rocken End Beach. Can be accessed via a muddy and slippery unofficial path down from Old Blackgang Road Car Park. High chance of slipping over five seconds after a spouse says "are you sure this is a good idea?". Also popular with those who like to achieve a full body tan, if you know what I mean.
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North Wight Beaches
OSBORNE BAY (NEAR EAST COWES)
Cowes Beach
Shingly beach on the Parade with parking (if it's not too busy). OK for a quick dip, but watch out for passing cruise ships. Lovely walk between Cowes and Gurnard and some interesting properties to gaze at on the Parade. No dogs allowed in summer (May to September).
See our guide to places to stay in Cowes. |
Gurnard Beach
Robert's Beach
Not sure if this beach has an official name but we've always called it Robert's Beach. It is sort of hidden as it backs on to woodland and is accessed down a footpath called Shore Path behind Gurnard Sailing Club. Shingly beach with only a little bit of space, but nice and quiet usually for watching the sunset. No facilities.
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Thorness Bay
Accessible via Thorness Bay caravan park. Scrubby beach with a mix of sand and stones, lovely sunsets, backed by woodland and farmland. Popular with anglers.
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East Cowes Beach
Woodside Bay
Shingly beach with some sand, backed by woodland. Mostly used by guests at Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat and Woodside Coastal Retreat but can be accessed on foot if you can find somewhere to park on the road. Nice sunsets and generally very quiet. OK for a paddle, but not a great swimming beach.
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Newtown Creek
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