Hidden gem: Steephill Cove, Isle of Wight

I really shouldn’t do this, because it is a true secret, but the travel writer in me urges me to tell you about the most wonderful place I went to yesterday…. and it wasn’t even sunny at the time. Steep Hill Cove, with no access by car, only down steep steps or a gently winding path to the bottom of the cliff, is a small cove just along from Ventnor, in the south of the Isle of Wight with vegetation and mico climate (the Botanical Gardens are next door) that feels more Mediterranean than British. Most of it is owned by one family of fishermen who have been crab and lobster fishing from there for many generations; if you arrive early enough you’ll see your lunch brought ashore. 

 

The place is divine: a row of pretty houses, old fashioned deckchairs (put the money in a slot in the wall to hire them), a safe, secure environment for children with buckets and spades and prawn nets, and two places to eat, a crab pasty cafe and a wooden restaurant for platefuls of fresh crab and whole lobster and bottles of ice cold wine. Perfect. It’s all straight from the pages of an old fashioned book, and there are three lovely houses to rent too. Visit www. theboathouse-steephillcove.co.uk for full details. Has anyone else discovered this paradise?