Seagrove Bay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Seagrove Bay |
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 The pebble beach at Seagrove Bay |
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 Seagrove Bay
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| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
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Seagrove Bay is a lovely bay located on the northeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It sits to the east of the village of Seaview and looks out towards Selsey Bill. The bay has a shoreline that stretches for about two-thirds of a mile, from Nettlestone Point in the north to Horestone Point in the south. Seagrove Bay is known for its clean water and beautiful beach, having won both the Seaside Award Flag and the Water Quality Award.
In the middle of the bay, you'll find a public slipway, which is a ramp for boats. To the north of this slipway, there's a straight pebble beach. Many private boats also moor in the shallow waters of the bay. At the very south end of the bay, a wooden walkway lets people get to Horestone Point and Priory Bay even when the tide is high.
About Seagrove Bay
What Makes the Bay Special?
Seagrove Bay was formed between two rocky areas made of limestone. Over time, the softer clay rock between these harder points was worn away by the sea, creating the bay. Because of this, the bay used to have problems with landslides. The bottom of the sea here is sandy and gradually gets deeper, making it a nice place for swimming and boating.
Protecting the Coastline
To keep the shoreline safe, especially the properties and boathouses, a curved concrete seawall was built south of the slipway. There are also four long structures called groynes that stick out into the bay from the seawall. These groynes are made of rock piles and help to stop sand from being washed away. Each groyne has a red marker at its end. The beach area between these groynes is mostly sand, but it gets completely covered by water when the tide is high.
In the early 2000s, after some landslides happened around the island, special steps were taken to make the shoreline stronger. Also, strong coastal winds had caused the sandy beach to shrink. The sand levels dropped by about a metre (3 feet) in the ten years before 2007. This was a problem because it exposed the foundations of the seawall, so work was done to fix this and bring the beach levels back up.
Interesting Fact
The name of Seagrove Bay is used in the title of a special kind of politician called a life peer. This person is known as Baron Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, of Seagrove in the county of Isle of Wight. A life peer is someone who has been given a title by the King or Queen for their achievements, and they can sit in the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament.
