The Revetment: Binding Shanklin, Lake and Sandown
This article forms part of The Isle of Wight Project, a wider exploration of the island’s history, landscapes, and cultural memory. It sits within a connected cluster of pages that trace how local stories, sites, and traditions shape the character of the Isle of Wight, linking this topic to the project’s central pillar for context and depth.
The walk along the revetment from Shanklin to Sandown is one of the most familiar encounters tourists have with the Isle of Wight. For many visitors it’s the first time they see the majestic sweep of Sandown Bay, the chalk cliffs in the distance and the long curve of beach huts that line the route. It’s a simple two mile stretch of flat pavement, running beneath the cliffs and linking three communities that sit side by side on the east coast. The walk can be started from either end but for this walk we begin in Shanklin.
Behind the sea views and the bright colours there’s a more complicated story about the people who live here, the state of the local economy and the slow decline of the tourist offering that once sustained the area. This posting explores the walk along the bay from Shanklin, through Lake to Sandown along with some of the issues for the residents and Local Authorities.
The walk begins in Shanklin, near grid reference SZ581810 heading through the parish area of Lake and towards Sandown.
Shanklin itself still has pockets of old world charm, especially around Old Shanklin with its thatched cottages and cafés, but even here the signs of strain are visible. The resort has been losing long‑stay visitors for years.
Visitors walking along the revetment from the car park see the sea, but the people who live here know the other side of the picture. Shanklin’s population in 2023 was 8,273, with 23 per cent over the age of 65 and a rising number of households in fuel poverty. It’s a town that’s ageing and struggling to renew itself without leadership or funding.
Once on the revetment the path runs north beneath the cliffs. The sea is on the right and the cliffs rise sharply on the left. This stretch has had its own problems. For years there were reports of stones being thrown from the cliff top down onto the path below. It was never clear who was responsible, though some incidents were recorded around 2018 and 2019. The threat seems to have subsided, but the memory lingers among residents who still warn visitors to be aware.
The cliffs themselves are unstable in places and in 2010 a section of the path had to be closed due to erosion, with a diversion put in place. The geology of the bay, with its soft clay and sandstone, makes this an ongoing concern. The Island Council is slow to accept responsibility for fighting the issues presented and seems to have accepted the disintegration of the coastal footpaths and steps from the heights down to the beach.
As the path continues towards Sandown it enters the parish of Lake, though many walkers wouldn’t know it.
Lake is one of those places that seems to exist more on a Local Goverment map than in the minds of visitors. Lake has a population of around 13,822, but it lacks a clear centre and is often treated as a dormitory settlement between Shanklin and Sandown.
The revetment here is pleasant enough, with beach huts and access points from the road above to the sand, but the infrastructure behind it has been showing its age.
The public toilets at Lake managed by the parish council were closed for almost a full year while the council searched for a replacement pump for waste water. The original pump, which sends waste up the cliff to the main sewer line, failed in 2023. A suitable replacement had to be sourced from the United States, which meant long delays. Contractors finally arrived in early 2024 to install the new equipment, only for the toilets to be vandalised shortly after reopening. It was a catalogue of errors with the tourist offering suffering as a result.
Poor investment into the tourist offering shapes the entire experience of both residents and visitors. The revetment is the shop window of the Isle of Wight’s tourist economy, although the basics of the area are often poorly understood and neglected. The revetment, built in the 1930’s is itself failing and with rising sea levels it will need revision if it is to protect local residents from the storms running along the English Channel.
The Island council has been criticised for years for its lack of investment in the seafront areas.
As the revetment walk reaches Sandown the problems become harder to ignore. Sandown’s population in 2023 was 19,167, with 18 per cent of children living in poverty before housing costs and 25 per cent of older residents living alone. The town has some of the highest deprivation scores on the island and the built environment shows that.
The seafront, once lined with thriving hotels, now includes several derelict buildings. Some have been empty for years. Others are half‑converted or awaiting planning decisions that never seem to arrive. The fast food outlets and charity shops that fill the gaps tell their own story of urban decline. They’re signs of a local economy that’s shifted from long‑stay tourism to day visitors and low‑margin trade.
The revetment itself remains popular. On a sunny day the path is full of walkers, cyclists and families heading to the beach. The views across the bay are still impressive and the sea air still draws people in, but the contrast between the natural environment and the built environment is stark. The bay is beautiful, but the three towns behind the revetment are struggling. The walk gives visitors a glimpse of both sides. They see the sea, the cliffs and the beach huts, but they also pass the closed toilets, the worn‑out shelters sometimes filled with the homeless, the peeling paint and the empty hotels. Like the Ocean hotel which has a troubled past, is still derelict and sometimes the scene of vandalism and fires.
Beachfield Road, which runs parallel to the revetment in Sandown, is the end of walk. It’s where the walker leaves the revetment and enters Sandown on that road.
The road is frequently dug up for reasons that are never clearly explained. Residents complain about the disruption and visitors find themselves navigating temporary fencing and uneven pavements. It adds to the sense that the area is being patched up rather than renewed. If you’re driving through Sandown it causes concern as ‘Diversion’ signs appear and the motrorist is shunted around the back streets.
Many people living in the bay area work in tourism, hospitality or retail, sectors that offer low wages and seasonal employment. The average salary on the island remains below the national average and the cost of living continues to rise. Sandown, Shanklin and Lake as urban settlements all have significant numbers of households with no car and limited access to green space beyond the seafront.
Social isolation is a real issue, especially among older residents. The Social Isolation Index scores for the area are high, with Sandown at 45, Lake at 43 and Shanklin at 40.
The revetment walk is still one of the island’s best tourist assets, but it also exposes the challenges facing the communities it links together. It’s a walking, cycling, dog walking route that shows the Isle of Wight at its most attractive and its most vulnerable. Visitors come for the sea and the scenery, but the people who live on the Island walk the same path with different eyes. They see the missed opportunities, the lack of investment and the slow decline of towns that once thrived. The revetment is a beautiful walk, but it’s also a reminder that the island’s future depends on better planning, funding and cohesive oversight.
There’s always the chance of seeing dolphins in Sandown Bay