Wheelers Bay is a small bay immediately to the east of Ventnor. The tide is usually right up against the sea wall with crashing waves during stormy weather, but a small amount of sand and shingle is exposed during a low tide. It's not really a swimmer's beach, but it's lovely to walk here.
The wide, flat, concrete esplanade (revetment) runs from Monks Bay in the east at Bonchurch, westwards to Ventnor Bay. The flat, level surface makes it ideal for wheelchair users and parents with kids pushchairs. There is a lovely cafe, The Seapot, which is open every day from Easter to October.
You will notice the boat dry-storage along the revetment, with a slipway close by.
This revetment is also home to Stokey's Solar Walk - see separate listing.
In the early 1990s, the old sea defences were improved at a cost of £1.6 million, to protect the cliff from erosion. The beach was replaced with 15,500 tonnes of large rocks and 23,000 tonnes of chalk fill-material.
DOGS ALLOWED: Yes, all year round
TOILETS: Further west at Ventnor, there are public toilets by the paddling pool, or east at Monks Bay
OTHER AMENITIES: The Seapot cafe
LIFEGUARDS: No
ACCESS ON FOOT: It's a flat walk along the concrete revetment from Ventnor to Bonchurch.
ACCESS BY CAR: Wheelers Bay Road carpark is very close, although it's quite a steep walk down to the revetment.
AS WITH ALL BAYS ON THE SOUTH OF THE WIGHT, CARE MUST BE TAKEN DUE TO UNSTABLE CLIFFS. LANDSLIPS ARE NOT UNCOMMON IN THIS AREA.
NATURE
The southern coastline of the Island is home to the quite rare Granville Fritillary butterfly, Ventnor being one of only a handful of breeding sites left in the south of England. It is a medium sized orange, black and white "checkerspot" butterfly. The slumping cliffs and annual landslips provide the perfect conditions for the caterpillars' prime food source - Ribwort Plantain. The butterflies enjoy the microclimate here so look for Glanvilles on warm, sunny days with little or no wind. There needs to be a good supply of their favourite flowers for nectar, like Thrift, Bird's-foot-trefoil, Kidney Vetch and Red Valerian.
HISTORY
Smuggling and wreaking was an Isle of Wight industry up to the 19th Century. Many families were involved and the bay took its name from 'the Wheelers', a notorious family known for their involvement in smuggling on the Island. In the 1800s Robert Wheeler had logged 70 wrecks and his father, James Wheeler, was said to have saved three souls from the sea when he entered the water tied only to a rope and carried the remaining survivors ashore.
In the 19th century, Wheelers Bay and Horseshoe Bay beaches were used for unloading provisions, particularly coal. Boats would beach at high tide and the cargo taken away on horse-drawn carts. At the next high tide, the boats would then be floated off again. The bay is famous for the looting of shipwrecks, where sometimes locals would kill survivors to claim the cargo. Many families in the area made their fortunes this way.
