As usual we spent the holiday weekend on the Isle of Wight and taking advantage of the long weekend we decided to go over to Ventnor, with the aim of visiting Steephill Cove, a charming spot that can only be reached on foot via the coastal path or by boat. We had only been there once before out of season and were keen to see it in its summer glory.

As we rounded the bend we saw the cove was a hive of activity with kids digging on the beach, in the sea, and generally having a good time.

For grown ups there is the additional bonus of the Wheeler family’s foodie offerings in their restaurant the ‘Boat House’ and the ‘Crab Shack’. We hadn't booked for the Boat House but managed to get a seat at the Crab shack where we enjoyed delicious crab pasties which are the shack speciality, washed down with a glass of cold Muscadet.

Apparently the Wheeler family have been longshoremen at Steephill for 500 years. Nowadays they sell their fresh seafood, look after the beach and hire out deck chairs.

The cove itself was colonized as a resort in Victorian times and boasts a few pretty cottages together with sometimes dilapidated, but ultimately picturesque shacks and huts. Some of these have been turned into attractive holiday accommodation.

It is hard to describe the ambience of the cove which is an attractive jumble of flowers shacks, lobsterpots and cottages.

Don’t miss it if you take a trip to the Isle of Wight.