Today was cold but bright, at least to start with, so a trip to Seaview seemed in order. Parking at the car park in Pier Road, we found the coastal path and started walking along it. The path along the road, then up and behind some magnificent houses, and past some significant earthworks, then led along the seafront for a little while. The coastal path leads uphill and past the Priory Bay Hotel, leading to the end of the estate, down the road past Nodes Point Holiday Village, through a kissing gate on the left hand side and downhill through fields to St Helen's Duver Beach. We slowed down here and ambled along the seafront in search of a cup of tea, but the cafe was closed. We continued along, looking through cracks into beach huts which looked long abandoned but which will be used again soon I am sure, as soon as the weather warms up. They were once railway carriages.
We turned back and followed the beach to Nodes Point, past the remains of the church, and the partially submerged causeway that leads to Bembridge Fort at very low tides. The beach swings round past a rising, wooded cliff to a heap of rocks on the waters edge. We scrambled carefully over these, and came eventually to Priory Bay, thanking heaven that it was low tide! The beach here is pristine, a great sweep of sand with woods on one side and the sea on the other. Someone had taken the time to take great branches of driftwood, and partially burned logs and stand them upright in a rough line as an art installation. By this time the sky over Portsmouth was growing ever blacker, the sea was streaked with green, and the branches stood stark against the pale sand, the green sea and the darkening sky. Wonderful.
Continuing on, we left Priory Bay and entered Seagrove Bay. There was a raised wooden walkway here leading to the promenade, so we followed this for a while before returning to the beach. Unfortunately, at this point the weather from Portsmouth hit the Island and we were caught in a mini snowstorm, rushing for shelter against the sea wall and watched the sand blowing along the beach. As the snow didn't let up we continued back along the coastal path to the car park and huddled for warmth against the heater. Glorious walk!
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| St Helen's Church |
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| Periwinkles |
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| Art installation |
