Foreland, Isle of Wight

Foreland or Forelands, and the adjacent Foreland Fields (50°40′57″N 1°04′36″W / 50.68250°N 1.07667°W / 50.68250; -1.07667), is the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight, part of the village of Bembridge.^[1] It is located about 6.5 miles due south of the city of Portsmouth on the British mainland, separated by the eastern reaches of the Solent. It is characterised by a pub called the Crab and Lobster Inn and various beach huts plus a beach cafe and a coast guard lookout. In the sea are the reefs of Bembridge Ledge which is rich in edible crabs, lobsters and spider crabs and shoals of mackerel. In the Crab & Lobster Inn are photographs of the many shipwrecks, which included the submarine HMS Alliance, now a museum ship at Gosport^[2] and the First World War troopship the S.S. Mehndi carrying troops from South Africa, with great loss of life.^[3]

Foreland Fields includes Bembridge ledge, an area formerly popular with shipwrecks and smuggling, but also for crab and lobster fishing; there is a Coastguard Station. The channel through the interior of the Bembridge Ledges is known as "Dickie Dawes Gut" after a notorious local smuggler (and father of the courtesan Sophie Dawes) due to his feat of escaping the excise men by superior local navigational knowledge. There was a pillbox built in the Second World War, now subsumed in the sea defences.^[4] The beach is sandy with stones which contain Cretaceous fossils.^[5] The cliffs also feature Horsetails ferns.

50°41′10″N 1°04′12″W / 50.68611°N 1.07000°W / 50.68611; -1.07000

References

^ "Bembridge Ledge / Forelands Beach". Isle of Wight. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
^ "HMS Alliance". Isle of Wight Photo Gallery. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
^ Young, Lola. "The hidden history of the sinking of the SS Mendi". British Council. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
^ "Isle of Wight Historic Environment Record". Isle of Wight History. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
^ "Be,bridge Foreland". UK Fossil Collecting. Retrieved 27 September 2016.

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[1] "Bembridge Ledge / Forelands Beach". Isle of Wight. Retrieved 27 September 2016.

[2] "HMS Alliance". Isle of Wight Photo Gallery. Retrieved 27 September 2016.

[3] Young, Lola. "The hidden history of the sinking of the SS Mendi". British Council. Retrieved 27 September 2016.

[4] "Isle of Wight Historic Environment Record". Isle of Wight History. Retrieved 27 September 2016.

[5] "Be,bridge Foreland". UK Fossil Collecting. Retrieved 27 September 2016.

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v t e Settlements on the Isle of Wight
Towns	Brading Cowes East Cowes Newport Ryde Sandown Shanklin Ventnor Yarmouth
Other civil parishes	Arreton Bembridge Brighstone Calbourne, Newtown and Porchfield Chale Chillerton and Gatcombe Fishbourne Freshwater Godshill Gurnard Havenstreet and Ashey Lake Nettlestone and Seaview Newchurch Newport and Carisbrooke Niton and Whitwell Northwood Rookley Shalfleet Shorwell St Helens Totland Whippingham Wootton Bridge Wroxall
Other villages and hamlets	Adgestone Afton Afton Park Alum Bay Alverstone Alverstone Garden Village Apesdown Apse Heath Ashey Barton Bathingbourne Bierley Binfield Binstead Blackgang Blackwater Bonchurch Bouldnor Borthwood Bowcombe Branstone Brook Calbourne Carisbrooke Chale Green Chessell Chillerton Cranmore Cross Lane Culver Down Downend Easton Egypt Point Elmfield Fairlee Five Houses Foreland Fields Forest Side Freshwater Bay Great Thorness Gunville Hale Common Hamstead Havenstreet Haylands Hillway Horringford Hulverstone Hunny Hill King's Quay Kingston Knighton Limerstone Little Atherfield Little Thorness Littletown Locksgreen Lowtherville Luccombe Marks Corner Mersley Merstone Moortown Morton Mottistone Nettlecombe Newbridge Newtown Ningwood Ninham Niton Niton Undercliff Norton Norton Green Nunwell Oakfield Osborne Parkhurst Pondwell Porchfield Princelett Puckaster Puckpool Quarr Hill Queen's Bower Rew Street Rookley Green Roud Rowridge St Lawrence Sandford Seagrove Bay Shalcombe Shide Staplers Steephill Steyne Cross Thorley Thorley Street Thorncross Totland Bay Upper Ventnor Wellow Westridge Whiteley Bank Whitwell Winford Wootton Wootton Common Yafford Yarbridge Yaverland
See also	List of places on the Isle of Wight List of civil parishes on the Isle of Wight