Half-Baked

Located on the Western tip of the Isle of Wight, Freshwater Bay is a scenic coastal spot known for its tall, chalky cliffs, smugglers’ caves, and clear waters. It is also a great beach for rockpooling. At low tide, you can walk across the rocks for an even better view out to sea or try your luck at finding some treasures below your feet or in the caves nearby.

Pictured above is Stag Rock – a popular sight at Freshwater Bay. In fact, Freshwater Bay has two prominent sea stacks: Stag Rock and Mermaid Rock. Stag Rock is named after a local legend, in which a stag, being chased by hunters, leaped from the mainland cliffs onto the rock to escape capture. Mermaid Rock, the larger of the two, is called so because, well, it resembles a mermaid.

We went to Freshwater Bay on a sunny day in early January, when it was unsurprisingly quiet. Cheeks red and eyes watering, we had fun exploring the beach almost all by ourselves. For two introverts, this is always the best way to experience a new place. A quick google search of the bay reveals it is a hotspot in summer, especially for watersports such as surfing and paddleboarding. We prefer to stick closer to the shore, searching for fossils (an endless quest) or scrabbling for pretty shells.

Unfortunately, we didn’t find many gems at Freshwater Bay, but Kate did find an assortment of brightly coloured seaweed, which she collected and used to make a collage of our day. I came home empty-handed, save for the hundreds of photos Kate took of me on the rocks, looking like a modern-day Mary Anning. You win some, you lose some.

Photos: Kate Gibson (feature image and image of Stag Rock), me (others).