Newtown Bay is a bay on the northwestern coast of the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

, England in the western arm of

the Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay to ...

. It is a subtle bay located around the exit of the

Newtown River Newtown River is a large natural inland harbour located on the Isle of Wight's northwestern coast, named after the nearby village of Newtown. It is sometimes also referred to as Newtown Creek. Newtown Harbour is the name given by Natural ...

. It stretches about 4 km from

Hamstead Point Hamstead may refer to: * Hamstead, Isle of Wight * Hamstead, West Midlands ** Hamstead Colliery **Hamstead railway station Hamstead railway station serves the Hamstead, Great Barr and Handsworth Wood areas of Birmingham, England. It is locate ...

in the west to

Salt Mead Ledge Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantiti ...

to the east. It is a remote place as there are few properties along this part of the coast, it being low-lying marshland and home to countless sea birds, and is often visited by walkers, boaters,

birdwatchers Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

and beachcombers. The shore is a narrow band of gravel, while the sea bottom is mostly mud or sand. To the east of the river entrance, sticking out into the bay, is a

sand spit A spit or sandspit is a deposition bar or beach landform off coasts or lake shores. It develops in places where re-entrance occurs, such as at a cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift by longshore currents. The drift occurs due t ...

and further east another sailing hazard called Salt Mead Ledge both of these are only uncovered at low water. From here to Great Thorness to the east and Porchfield to the south, the land is used by the military and is marked on maps as a Danger Area. For this reason the

Isle of Wight coastal path The Isle of Wight Coastal Path (or Coastal Footpath) is a circular long-distance footpath of 70 miles (113 km) around the Isle of Wight, UK. It follows public footpaths and minor lanes, with some sections along roads. Route The pa ...

skirts this area. A small peninsula into the bay holds Corf county campsite, itself an SSSI. The

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

owns much of the land and landing at Fishhouse point is not allowed.

External links

Images of Newtown River entrance and Salt Mead Ledges
Bays of the Isle of Wight {{IsleofWight-geo-stub