New Forest, Dorset and Isle of Wight

The New Forest lies within the county of Hampshire, on the south-central coast of England, and includes Britain's smallest National Park with it's he rare blend of open heathlands and ancient woodlands.

Dorset's 150 mile coastline follows the English Channel to the south and forms the Jurassic Coast, designated a World Heritage Site in December 2001.

The Isle of Wight, England's largest island is located in the English Channel and separated from the mainland 5 miles away by the Solent. It has 57 miles of coastline. Slightly more than half of the island, mainly in the west, is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The landscape of the AONB is diverse being made up of five different sub areas which together consist of 11 distinct types of landscape. This diversity is the special attraction of the island leading to its oft-quoted description of "England in Miniature".

1 / 25

Compton Bay - Isle of Wight

Compton Bay is located on the southwest section of the island. The northern edge of the bay is defined by a distinctive white chalk cliff called Freshwater Cliff, named after Freshwater Bay which is located next to them and forms a small but piercing bay into them. The eastern edge of the bay is formed from soft red and orange cretaceous rocks that are rapidly eroding. The bay is popular with wave and kite surfers due to the reliable and consistent waves that form when the prevailing south-westerly wind is blowing onshore. There are dinosaur footprints visible in Compton Bay when the tide is low and this is one of the best areas to see the Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight. At high tide, the sea covers the beach almost completely.

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty island isle bay sea cliffs seaweed waves beach coastline coastal seascape