About
Compton Bay and Downs takes in one of the Isle of Wight's favourite beaches and the chalk downland rising behind it. Backed by eroding, many-coloured cliffs, the long sandy bay is a surfing beach and a classic fossil-hunting ground, where fossilised bone, wood and oyster shells wash out of Cretaceous rocks and huge dinosaur footprint casts lie on the shore at Hanover Point. Inland, Afton, Brook and Compton Downs form one of the biggest expanses of open downland, home to the Glanville fritillary and other rare butterflies, with the Tennyson Trail along the ridge. Reviewers single out the fossil finds and the toilets at the top, and warn that the sand is reached by steep wooden steps. Trust trails include a 7.5-mile loop over the downs and back along the coast. Dogs are welcome on the downs and all year between Hanover Point and Brook Chine, but not on the beach west of Compton Bay car park in summer. Bring a picnic: there is little beyond a seasonal van.
Check today’s timesSee all times
- CountrysideDawn – Dusk
Opening times may change at short notice.
The countryside is open dawn to dusk on NT's calendar.
Toilets, baby changing, an accessible toilet and a 'Changing Places' cubicle are at the Hanover Point car park. Food and drink come from a seasonal mobile van.
The beach is reached by short flights of wooden steps with handrails at the Compton Bay car park and Brook, and a long flight near Compton Chine. The sea is shallow a long way out but surf and currents can be strong.
PricingFreeFree for all visitors
Free entry for everyone
Entry
Free for everyone
Pricing details
Beach and downs are free for everyone. Parking charges for non-members apply separately; guided fossil walks run by a partner are booked and paid separately.
ParkingFree for members
£8 per day
Parking details
Three National Trust pay-and-display car parks on the A3055 Military Road: Compton Bay (Hanover Point), Compton Chine and Brook Chine. Free for NT members, who must register their card in the JustPark app. Non-members pay via JustPark (at Hanover Point, also at the seasonal food van): Compton Bay Hanover and Compton Chine use code 80545, Brook Chine 80526; the JustPark listings checked today show £2 per hour and £8 per day. You can pay up to 48 hours after your visit. No overnight parking and no coach parking; verge parking on the clearway is enforced.
Driving pin: Google's 'Hanover Point National Trust Car Park' listing (50.6550521, -1.4663128), the Compton Bay car park with the toilets, about 13 m from NT's own coordinate for the place.
2 car parks · JustPark codes
Enter the code for your car park in JustPark to pay, or at the machine. Members park free after checking in.
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Walking routes3 routes
Compton Bay and Downs walk(opens the full route on the National Trust site)
WalkmoderateDogs, with restrictions
