Newtown Creek

Newtown Creek is a National Trust owned nature reserve comprising of the Newtown Estuary and salt marshes and sits between Cowes and Newport on the northern Solent facing coast of the Island. During summer the moorings in the estuary are filled with visiting boats making use of the sheltered anchorage and through out the year there is a range of wildfowl, using the salt marshes. The Newtown area is large with a range of spots to explore. The most photogenic area is around the salt pans with the old boat house providing a nice subject in the area. Its an area that works for Sunrise, Sunset and Astrophotography throughout the year. Access is via a walkway which can be covered on spring high tides though so something to be aware of for visits.

Getting there:

Newtown is between Cowes and Yarmouth and easily accessible from Newport.

From Newport take the A3054 Forest Road towards Yarmouth. At Shalfleet just before the traffic lights there is a turning on the right towards Cowes, take this road and after about half a mile there is a turning on your left. Turn left and follow the road. The creek comes into view to your left as you cross a bridge.

Continue on the road up the hill to the Old Town Hall. (National Trust Property). On your left there is a National Trust car park. (Pay and Display, free for National Trust Members).

From the Car Park here and at the end of the road which takes you between two hedges. Once through the gate at the end of the path you can walk to either the right or left round the field and out onto the salt marshes to the salt pans and the old boathouse.

There is also a small parking area at the end of the road, turn left just past the National Trust car park and drive through the hamlet of Newtown. At the end of the road just before the Old Coastguard Cottages is a small area of gravel parking with room for 5 or 6 cars. If this is full there is no road side parking so the National Trust car park is the only other option. From this parking area the path is to the right of the parking.

What to Shoot:

The salt pans and the old boat house are the main attraction of the area, and there are numerous options for compositions around the edges of the salt pans using the wooden piles and posts as leading lines. The water level in the salt pan will vary with the tide and can be very high or quite low. When low it is possible to get down onto the edge of the salt pan to shoot from a lower perspective. The National Trust own the area and are often carrying out maintenance work on the habitats so it is possible you may find sections closed off.

The other obvious feature is the walkway that crosses the salt marsh and this can form a striking leading line up to the Boathouse. To the right of the Boathouse as you come off the walkway is an attractive channel that generally has water in at all states of the tide, although the amount will vary and this can provide an interesting foreground with the line of old posts.

The area isn’t all about the boat house though. The moored boats in the estuary can provide interesting subjects, particularly on a still day when reflections can be seen in the water. At low tide there are snaking channels where the water still runs which can make for attractive S Curves through the mud flats.

Other Options:

Back at the car park a short walk down the hill will bring you to the inland end of the Newtown Estuary and there are nice views across the Estuary from here. At Low tide there is a nice S Curve left by the main channel through the mud flats.

Opposite the National Trust car park there is a path that takes you through the Newtown Meadows and there are a range of wildflower meadows and trees here to provide compositions. At the end of the path you can turn left and walk along a short section of quiet road to enter a path into a section to woodland which brings you to another quiet section of the Newtown Estuary. Just before exiting the woods at the estuary you can take a path to the right which leads to the East Newtown Bird Hide which sits at the end of a long walk way and can provide an interesting subject for a photo.