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Colwell Bay
A short walk through the woods takes you to Colwell Bay, a quiet sand and shingle beach popular with families, and with great views over the Solent. There are cafes and beach shops (and even a cocktail bar) at the furthest end of the beach, plus places to hire boats, canoes and windsurfing equipment. It's a gentle sloping beach, making it a perfect place to swim with small children, and at low tide there are lots of rockpools to explore. A pleasant 20 minute walk, or a 10 minute drive to Colwell Chine.
Totland Bay
An easy walk round the headland from Colwell, Totland Bay is a wonderful place to watch sunsets over the Solent. There's a good pub/restaurant called The Waterfront on the promenade, and a decent enough cafe at the end of the 130-year old pier. The quietest point is also the furthest, beyond the old lifeboat station at Widdick Chine. 40 minutes walk, 10 minute drive to Totland Bay.
Compton Beach
The best beach on the Isle of Wight, and the one favoured by locals, Compton is a mile of sandy beach with breathtaking views of the limestone cliffs surrounding Freshwater Bay, and the Tennyson Heritage Coast. Compton is an excellent swimming beach, although big waves in windy conditions make it at times unsuitable for small children. When the surf is up, it's the most popular beach for surfers and boogie boarders, but kitesurfers have to stick to Brook next door.
Another attraction at Compton Beach is the dinosaur footprints which can be seen in the rock at a spring low tide.
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