Exploring the Isle of Wight’s Coastal Beauty and Beaches. Know Your Rights and Boundaries for a Memorable and Safe Walking Experience.
Exploring the stunning coastline of the Isle of Wight is a pure delight for walkers, families and nature enthusiasts alike. Ever since I was tiny my family took me on walks along disused railways and searching for fossils on the beaches, and that magic has never left me.
However, with so much coastline waiting to be explored around the island, I have learnt first hand how essential it is to understand the rights and boundaries that govern coastal access to ensure both safety and respect for private landowners.
It is often hard to know when you have gone from public access land onto private land, private property signs are often not visible and access can start and stop without any warning. I’ve left a public footpath before and arrived on a beach and kept walking without any knowledge that the beach is private – and that is a situation no-one wants to find themselves in, especially if you are walking with children.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll help you understand where the public beaches that provide unrestricted access are as well as the areas where private land begins. With constant coastal erosion what looks like an access path way may change also, so we have tried to include all the most up to date information for you to enjoy your Isle of Wight coastal adventure.
So get ready to embark on unforgettable coastal adventures while staying safe and informed.
Isle of Wight – South Coast
In general most of the beaches outside of the urban areas where there is little in the way of development which has beach frontage is usually accessible; for example the far south west coastline between Knowles Farm St Catherine’s to Freshwater Bay (although access up and down can be a challenge as some access paths have been lost such as at Whale Chine).
Southern Most Coast
The difficulty in this area is really safety and access, the tide does cut off many of the beaches and you are left with sheer rock faces and no way back if you do get cut off. The beaches become more gentle around towards Blackgang. Chilton Chine and Brook and most beaches along the Military Road have good beach access and are safe to walk along and all times of the tide. However once you get past Compton, the beach access becomes cut off by the high tide and provides little beach to actually walk on until well into Freshwater Bay, you are then unable to walk along the beach around to the Needles. The walk up over Tennyson Down is still good and accessible with a good rest stop at The Needles Pleasure Park, or here you can jump onto a bus and return to all main points within the Island.
Isle of Wight – North West Coast
Moving round the Needles heading North, Alum Bay is actually a private beach but accessible and open to the public via steps or the chairlift when running. The North West coastline from Totland to Colwell Bay including towards Brambles Chine; Fort Victoria to Norton Spit Yarmouth is public, but there has been some erosion along the coastal path and you may have to head slightly inland at high tide from Colwell bay to return to Fort Victoria beaches.
Heading East from Yarmouth to Bouldner, once out of Yarmouth the beach access is dangerous, you can follow the public footpath slightly inland which is a beautiful walk taking in Bouldner battery and the heathland then along to Cranmore Beach you can gain beach access to Hamstead Ledge where you must return inland (The public access path down to Cranmore beach is badly eroded but is signposted and public). The coastal path gets very very very muddy during rain – even wellies would prove a challenge as the mud gets so deep on the path!
This area intertidal is very dangerous and walking on the beach between Yarmouth and Cranmore is not recommended, you will see the extreme coastal erosion of the trees dropping onto the beach, plus this area is very slippery with clay and cut off by the tide.
North Coast
You are unable to access the beaches to the east of Newton Creek but once around to Thorness Bay the beaches from Gurnard to Cowes. North East, East Cowes beach to Castle Point are public and have good access.
East Cowes Esplanade (Beyond Castle Point) has been cut off by erosion, the coastal path is closed, you can walk along the beach at low tide, but again risk being cut off by the tide.
Osbourne Bay to Kings Quay is private, but you can access the beach at Osbourne House if visiting. Lower Woodside beach on the eastern end has public access, but no parking and the holiday park is private, there is a path leading down to the beach but again this can get very muddy walking round to Fishbourne and is not recommended.
Fishbourne Beach has public access, you then have to head up on the footpath that takes you past Quarr Abbey to Players beach off of Ladies Walk near Binstead to return to public beaches (but again muddy) then Ryde from beach to west of pier all the way to Seagrove Bay Seaview is public.
Priory beach is private but access is good if you don’t mind a short walk and currently tolerated and will in the future be coastal margin for the England Coast Path. You are able to walk around to St Helens at low tide, but the footpath is recommended.
East Coast
St Helens beach (The Duver) and Bembridge Point to Forelands is public. Then Whitecliff Bay is private but again tolerated if walking along from Forelands but not necessarily up the slopes to and from the beach which are reserved for users of the holiday sites also no dogs there. There is a good footpath leading along the coastal path as an alternative to walking on the beach.
Around Culver is not recommended as the tide can cut you off. South east Yaverland (National Trust) is public as is all of Sandown Bay through Sandown, Lake and Shanklin to Appley Beach. You are able to walk around to Luccombe at low tide from Shanklin, but onward is difficult as the coastal path back up from the beach has been cut off due to erosion. A huge Landslip in late 2023 completely cut off the footpath going across to Bonchurch, (Via the Old Landslip, Wishing Seat and Gardens) At the time of writing this, Leeson Road – the main road going from Shanklin to Bonchurch is also closed and the landslip has covered the beach area making low tide beach access impossible and unsafe. See latest travel news.
From there to Bonchurch is tricky due to tidal conditions and risk of being cut off. Monks Bay Bonchurch, Ventnor beach, Steephill Cove is private but access is tolerated and encouraged in the summer. You will have to head up into Ventnor then re-join the pathway behind Ventnor Botanic Gardens that takes you along to Orchard Bay just west of Ventnor Botanic, it is a private beach above Mean High Water but has public access via a footpath and below mean high water is accessible. Woody Bay at St Lawrence is accessed via a footpath, with incredible views is well worth the walk and there are no issues with its use and finally Binnel Bay, St Lawrence is again accessible by a narrow footpath, very rocky and stony but quite dramatic.
Many of the private beaches have underwater and non-visible dangerous metal or other features that would risk your safety, so for safety reasons it’s really not recommended to explore the private beaches at below the low tide line. But you really are spoilt for choice, most of the beaches are marked with good footpaths, your views are unspoilt and you will experience breath-taking scenery along the way!
Even with the coastal erosion pushing you back up off the coast in some places, the full Isle of Wight Coastal Path walking will take you over 71-miles around the entire island’s coastline, meaning you will be spoilt for choice in where you explore next.
We would like to thank the Public Rights of Way team at Isle of Wight Council for helping us compiling this comprehensive list, please do get in touch with us if there are any errors or emissions – with over 70 miles of coastline we have done our best to include the correct information but do advise you check before you set off if you are unsure of your access rights.
Right to Roam – Open Access Land
To find more information and undertake a detailed search of open access land and maps can be found at this link
Isle of Wight
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