The Esplanade, Sandown

Street guide, Isle of Wight

The seafront road running along Sandown Bay, with the beach on one side and a row of hotels, amusement arcades, cafes, fish and chip shops and seaside attractions on the other. The Esplanade is the heart of Sandown's tourism economy, busy with families, day-trippers and holidaymakers during the summer and quieter in winter. Dinosaur Isle, the island's geological museum, stands on the Esplanade, and the remains of Sandown Pier jut out into the bay. The beach is wide and sandy, popular for swimming, sandcastle building and paddling. The Esplanade connects Sandown to Shanklin along the clifftop, with a coastal path running between the two towns. The views across Sandown Bay to Culver Cliff and Bembridge Down are a constant backdrop.