A blocked tunnel.......

littledasypus · Jul 16, 2009

I thought it was just tourist access to the beach.

If you don't feel like climbing down the cliff you can actually get round from Freshwater Bay at low tide and it is great fun because you go through a series of caves to get there. Its really neat because some of the caves are like excting tunnels that go through and pop you out somewhere new. If you pick a spring tide (full or new moon I think) you should be able to do it without getting your feet too wet, but I prefer it on a regular low tide so there is a bit of wading, cos its more fun.

You just walk round from where the rusty steps come down from Fort Redoubt.

Don't get caught by the tide coming back in though, because some of the tunnels soon fill up with waves.

There are interesting caves round to the left of Freshwater Bay as well, but they are not quite as fun, and I expect you knew about them anyway.

littledasypus · Jul 16, 2009

This painting is of the cave you were looking down into, at low tide when you can get into the main part of it. As with all pictures from that time, it is a bit exagerated and romanticised, but is still fairly accurate.

Can't remember date or artist at the moment, but was part of a collection of Isle of Wight coastal paintings.
Its pretty cool though, full of smugglery goodness.

T-bar · Jul 16, 2009

some massive caves at the bottom of Tennyson The Palor, Lord Holmes's Kitchen and many more to name a few Sounds like we need to dig down to the old tunnels then lol