August 13th 2018
Bembridge and St Helens Isle of Wight
Every year the Fort Walk attracts thousands of people to the beaches of St Helens and Bembridge when the tides are at their lowest. If you like an adventure and a surge of adrenilin when the tide comes in and you have to get back – this walk may be for you!
The lowest tide is predicted to be just before 7pm in the evening of August 13th 2018. The ideal start time will be just before 6.30pm from either Silver Sands or Old Church.
Thousands of people are expected to descend on Bembridge and St Helens for the annual fort walk .
The Fort Walk is an Isle of Wight Summer tradition. It is considered quite an adventure and is a good walk and not for the feint hearted! If you don’t want to end up carrying your toddler whilst wading waist deep in water this walk won’t be for you! But, each year crowds of people wade at low tide to St Helen’s Fort and back again. There is no official organiser and no set time or date for the event. but the tide timetables show that the best opportunity to complete the walk safely, as a mass crowd, will be on Monday 13th August – a date that has already been circulated on social media.
The popularity of the walk has grown thanks to social media. Messages on Facebook and Twitter encouraging turnout to be over 2,000 people.
The Bembridge Coastguard Rescue Team and Bembridge RNLI are expected to be in attendance in the interests of safety, but those taking part are warned that they do so at their own risk and that it is likely they will need to wade through water.
Please check the weather forecast before you go. Do not attempt the walk in high winds or poor visibility.
It takes approximately 30 minutes to walk from the shore at Bembridge Point or St Helens Old Church to St Helens Fort and 30 minutes to get back to the beach (i.e 1hr round trip).
Image from the Island Echo.
If this walk sounds like fun – consider coming to the Isle of Wight next year and stay at one of Farringfords Self Catering Cottages so that you can include the walk in your Isle of Wight Holiday itinery.