Gurnard

Gurnard is a village sitting on the northern tip of the Island next door to the neighbouring town of Cowes. The area is a good choice for a base for a stay on the Island with ferry links to the mainland and good public transport links to Newport. For photographers Gurnard is a gem with wonderful views down the Western Solent, it is a hot spot for sunsets with the green next to the esplanade and the beach huts featuring in many a sunset shot. There is a good pub in Gurnard (The Woodvale) and its terrace is a wonderful place to enjoy a meal whilst waiting for the sun to dip into the right spot. Gurnard works best from late Spring to Autumn when the sun is round towards the north east and setting behind the beach huts.

Getting there:

Gurnard is on the Northern Coast next door to Cowes. From Cowes its an easy walk or drive along Egypt Esplanade to reach Gurnard.

From Newport take the A3020 towards Cowes, pass through Northwood and go straight over at the Stag Lane Traffic Lights. At the second set of traffic lights by Northwood Garage take the left hand fork onto Place Road. Follow the road around until you reach a mini roundabout. Take the first exit and follow the road down and back up Tuttons Hill. Keep straight on Worsley Road until it starts to drop steeply through a series of sharp bends.

At the bottom of the hill there is roadside parking opposite the Woodvale pub, this area can get quite busy so if necessary continue along Egypt Esplanade towards Cowes to find a parking spot and then walk back towards Gurnard.

The Beach Huts will be immediately obvious on arrival sitting on the Esplanade at the bottom of the green opposite the Woodvale pub.

What to Shoot:

The Beach Huts are the star attraction here and the views across the Green to the Beach Huts and the Western Solent beyond captivate many a photographer. The view works best at Sunset especially during the Summer when the sun in setting over the Mainland shore. However the Green can be busy with people enjoying the Summer evenings at that time so finding a clear view on a nice evening will be a challenge. The Green has a few paths and Trees that can be used to add additional interest but really its a matter of findings as clear a patch as you can and shooting the Beach Huts.

Once the classic shot has been bagged there are a lot of other options to keep photographers interested. Mainly seascape shots from down on the beach. There are rock Groynes and Sea Defences on the shore for the classic Groyne out into the water shot. In addition the shoreline is very rocky so there are lots of options for interesting foregrounds, especially if you time the tide right and have water around the rocks.

Other Options:

The Esplanade around to Cowes has many options with stairs leading down to the beach for more seascape shots. Continue round to Cowes and you have the Green with two distinctive Shelters which can be a nice symmetrical addition to shots featuring the yachting activity on this part of the Solent, beyond the Green is the Royal Yacht Squadron and in Summer the lines of Golden Cannons used to start the yacht racing is an iconic sight, especially with a summers sunrise beyond.

Back at Gurnard and a short walk along the Esplanade in the opposite direction brings you to the Gurnard Sailing Club, just past the club house is a path way which leads to the right behind the sailing club and onto a secondary stretch of beach with nice woodland behind which provides more options for seascapes.