Newtown Harbour on the Isle of Wight

I told a twitter friend I would write about my current favourite location on the Isle of Wight, so here I am blogging about Newtown harbour. I should also mention Newtown has a National Trust Nature Reserve.

It is possible Newtown has existed for over thousand years, but it is mainly known for being a medieval town that then went into decline. Most likely due to competing harbours, such as Newport which is nearby.

The first time I set eyes on Newtown harbour it was an extremely hot summer’s day, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We were thankful for the bottles of water we were carrying.

As we strolled from the car parking area, I wasn’t aware of its history, dating back over the centuries. Even as we walked along a grassed area heading towards the harbour, I wasn’t aware I was walking upon an old road! There was something about the location though, and when I gazed upon the silted harbour itself, I was glad we had made the effort to visit.

The salt marshes to one side, and the lovely harbour walls, with its thin path and of course the boats anchored in the distance, were wonderful to take in. I’m not a hot weather person, and I prefer colder times, but I didn’t want to be anywhere else that moment, and at the harbour master’s hut, we sat on wooden benches, absorbing the views.

Newtown town hall was restored in the early 19th and 20th century, and is a lovely structure. Alas as the local pub had shut in 1916 we had missed last orders, and we were soon heading onto our next destination, but thankful we had visited.