Osborne Bay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Osborne Bay |
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 Osborne Bay
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| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
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Osborne Bay is a beautiful bay on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It's part of the Solent, which is the sea channel between the Isle of Wight and mainland Britain. The bay is located east of East Cowes. It's about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the start of the River Medina.
Its shoreline is about 0.75 miles (1.2 km) long and has a gentle curve. It stretches from Old Castle Point in the west to Barton Point in the east. The bay gets its name from the famous Osborne House estate, which is right next to it and owns the land facing the bay.
Osborne Bay has a beach that is privately owned but open for everyone to visit. The beach is about 300 yards (274 meters) long. It's mostly made of small stones called shingle and sand. The bottom of the sea here is a mix of mud and sand. It stays shallow for about a quarter of a nautical mile (460 meters) out from the shore. In summer, many yachts anchor here because the bay is protected from strong south-westerly winds. It can get quite busy!
History of Osborne Bay
In 1845, Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, bought Osborne House. It became a favorite holiday spot for them and their children. This was where Queen Victoria's children learned to swim. It was also the first place the Queen herself swam in the sea. Back then, it was common to use a special changing room on wheels, called a Bathing machine, to go into the water. Queen Victoria had a very fancy one!
After Queen Victoria passed away in 1901, her bathing machine was moved. In 1902, her son, Edward VII, gave the entire estate, including the bay, to the country.
Later, the Royal Naval College, Osborne was built on the estate. The beach at Osborne Bay was used for training soldiers before the D-Day landings during World War II. During these training exercises, some buildings and piers on the bay were badly damaged.
The beach at Osborne Bay first opened to the public in the summer of 2012. The owners, English Heritage, have a special permit called a marine licence. This permit allows them to mark out a safe swimming area for visitors.
