Horseshoe Bay, Isle of Wight
Encyclopedia
Horseshoe Bay is a small bay on the south east coast of the Isle of Wight
, England
. It lies at the east end of the headland of Culver Down
. It faces south east towards the English Channel
and its shoreline is approximately 100m in length. It should not be confused with a similarly named bay about 15km southwest at Bonchurch
.
The seabed is rocky and the beach comprises a steep bank of flint pebbles. The beach can only be reached at high tide by boat. The cliffs are sheer, concave and are made of chalk, which is unstable and persons on the beach are at risk of being injured by falling rocks dislodged by the many seabirds that use the cliff. Some form of head protection is advisable if venturing close to the base of this cliff. Horseshoe Bay lies NNE and adjacent to, two caves known as the The Nostrils. These can be reached by scrambling over a small rocky outcrop and are partly submerged at high tide.
The bay can be accessed by walking round the headland from Whitecliff Bay
at beach level and at low tide. This should only be attempted on a falling (ebb) tide. At certain time of the year, on very low tides, it is possible to reach Horseshoe Bay from Sandown Bay. This entails some scrambling and a short traverse even at extreme low tide across the submerged base of the cliff between an old collapsed cave and the nostrils. The Coastguard Rescue Team and the lifeboat local lifeboat are sometimes called to rescue people trapped by a rising tide, or unable to cope with the terrain. Extreme care should be taken and always tell someone where you are going before you set off.
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It lies at the east end of the headland of Culver Down
Culver Down
Culver Down is a chalk down to the north of Sandown, Isle of Wight.It is believed that its name derives from "Culfre" - old English for "dove"....
. It faces south east towards the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
and its shoreline is approximately 100m in length. It should not be confused with a similarly named bay about 15km southwest at Bonchurch
Bonchurch
Bonchurch is a small village to the East of Ventnor, on the southern part of theIsle of Wight, England. It is situated on The Undercliff, which itself is subject to regular landslips. A large section of the settlement is found in Upper Bonchurch, halfway up St Boniface Down on the main A3055 road...
.
The seabed is rocky and the beach comprises a steep bank of flint pebbles. The beach can only be reached at high tide by boat. The cliffs are sheer, concave and are made of chalk, which is unstable and persons on the beach are at risk of being injured by falling rocks dislodged by the many seabirds that use the cliff. Some form of head protection is advisable if venturing close to the base of this cliff. Horseshoe Bay lies NNE and adjacent to, two caves known as the The Nostrils. These can be reached by scrambling over a small rocky outcrop and are partly submerged at high tide.
The bay can be accessed by walking round the headland from Whitecliff Bay
Whitecliff Bay
Whitecliff Bay is a sandy bay near the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight, England about 2 miles south-west of Bembridge and just to the north of Culver Down. It is a tourist site , has a popular beach with two hundred metres of sand and shingle, and minimal facilities including 2 cafes...
at beach level and at low tide. This should only be attempted on a falling (ebb) tide. At certain time of the year, on very low tides, it is possible to reach Horseshoe Bay from Sandown Bay. This entails some scrambling and a short traverse even at extreme low tide across the submerged base of the cliff between an old collapsed cave and the nostrils. The Coastguard Rescue Team and the lifeboat local lifeboat are sometimes called to rescue people trapped by a rising tide, or unable to cope with the terrain. Extreme care should be taken and always tell someone where you are going before you set off.