Bembridge

Possibly Britain’s largest village, Bembridge is rather exclusive, with many very upmarket properties, and second home owners flocking here for holidays and weekends. Occupying the easternmost point of the island, surrounded by beaches, with a pretty harbour; to the east of the village an RNLI station extends into the sea.

Bembridge Ledge is a notorious rocky outcrop at the most eastern point of the island that poses a major threat to passing boats, especially yachts and pleasure craft, but at low tide it makes for great rockpooling. Pubs and cafes in this area serve great seafood.

The Yar estuary is an RSPB reserve, culminating in the picturesque harbour fringed with houseboats; one is a restaurant and others offer B&B. Just off the harbour, in the sea, sits St Helen’s Fort, to which the locals walk at an especially low tide in August.

Above here you can spy the Island’s only windmill, dating from around 1700 and high on Culver Down is Bembridge Fort and other former fortifications. A granite obelisk, memorial to the Duke of Yarborough, the first commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron, stands proudly here.

Bembridge village grew up in Victorian times around the Holy Trinity Church and has a good deli, florist shop and fruit and veg shop, a great fishmongers, a traditional old family run butchers, an interiors shop, a couple of art galleries and a general stores. There are a handful of pubs and hotels, several caravan parks around the coast and Bembridge even has a small airport.