A quiet, undeveloped sand and shingle bay between Hanover Point and Brook Chine, best for fossil hunting, low-tide walks and dog owners, with dogs allowed all year and no facilities beyond a National Trust car park.
- fossils
- walking
- dogs
- quiet
- watersports
- scenery
What Brook Bay is like
Brook Bay is the stretch of coast between Hanover Point and Brook Chine, just east of Compton Bay on the Military Road. It is a mix of golden sand with pebbles towards the cliffs, and it feels wilder and emptier than Compton next door. There is no café, shop or toilet, just a National Trust car park on the clifftop, so it attracts walkers, fossil hunters, dog owners and kitesurfers rather than families spending a whole day on the sand.
The beach is not a designated bathing water, so the Environment Agency does not test it. Swimming is possible, but parts of the beach are rocky depending on the tide.
Fossil forest and dinosaur footprints
Brook is one of the best places on the island to look for fossils. At low tide, the remains of a fossil forest show on the foreshore off Hanover Point: dark, coal-like logs from trees that grew when dinosaurs lived here. Further out, a sandstone ledge carries dinosaur footprints. A guided walk is the easiest way to find them.
The National Trust recommends searching between Brook and Compton at low tide, in loose gravel the sea has just uncovered. Dinosaur bone is black and shiny with a honeycomb texture. Fossil wood is lighter and leaves a black streak if you scrape it on a stone. Stay off the cliffs, which are unstable.
Dogs, kitesurfing and walks
Dogs are allowed on Brook Bay all year. The council lists it as one of its year-round dog beaches, and the National Trust allows dogs between Hanover Point and Brook Chine in every month. That makes it the place to go in summer when the main part of Compton Bay is closed to dogs.
The National Trust recommends Brook rather than Compton for kitesurfing, to keep clear of swimmers and surfers, and says it suits intermediate windsurfers.
For a longer walk, follow the beach west to Compton at low tide and come back along the clifftop coast path, or head inland onto Brook Down and the Tennyson Trail.
Parking and getting there
The National Trust's Brook Chine car park is on the Military Road (A3055) above the beach. Pay through the JustPark app with location code 80526. National Trust members park free once their card is registered in the app. The Trust does not publish its prices online, so check the app or the signs. Coaches can park here, unlike at Compton.
The path down to the sand is short. The National Trust describes wooden steps with handrails, and Visit Isle of Wight a stony track. Storms have damaged the steps more than once, so look for closure notices.
By bus, Southern Vectis route 12 stops at Brook Chine. The nearest toilets are at Compton Bay's Hanover Point car park.
Dogs at Brook Bay
Allowed all year. The council lists Brook Bay among its year-round dog beaches for 2026, and the National Trust allows dogs between Hanover Point and Brook Chine all year. Keep dogs on a short lead around livestock on the downs behind.
- January: dogs allowed
- February: dogs allowed
- March: dogs allowed
- April: dogs allowed
- May: dogs allowed
- June: dogs allowed
- July: dogs allowed
- August: dogs allowed
- September: dogs allowed
- October: dogs allowed
- November: dogs allowed
- December: dogs allowed
Dogs allowedNo dogs
For every beach on one page, see our Isle of Wight beach dog ban dates.
Parking and buses
| Car park | Postcode | Prices | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brook Chine car park (National Trust)National Trust | PO30 4HF | Not confirmed | 2 minutes |
By bus: Southern Vectis route 12 to Brook Chine, then about 5 minutes on foot. Route 12 runs Newport to Alum Bay via Brighstone, Brook, Compton and Freshwater Bay, roughly every one to three hours.
Staying safe
There are no lifeguards. The cliffs are soft and fall without warning, so keep away from their base. The beach can be rocky underfoot at some states of the tide, so beach shoes help. If you walk out to the fossil forest or the footprint ledges at Hanover Point, go on a falling tide and keep an eye on the time so you are not cut off. Wet rock ledges are slippery.
Fossils
At low tide a fossil forest appears off Hanover Point, at the western end of the bay: black, coal-like logs that contain iron pyrites. Beyond it, a sandstone ledge holds dinosaur footprints. The National Trust says the best fossil hunting on this coast is between Brook and Compton at low tide, among loose stones recently covered by the sea, where you may find dinosaur bone (black, with a honeycomb texture), teeth and fossil wood. Collect only loose material from the beach, never use hammers or dig into the cliffs, and leave footprint casts where they are.
Local tips
- Check the tide table before you go: the fossil forest and footprints only show around low water.
- Bring water and use the toilets at Compton Bay's Hanover Point car park first; Brook has neither.
- In summer, Brook is the dog-friendly alternative to Compton Bay, which bans dogs west of its car park from mid-May to mid-September.
- Wear beach shoes; parts of the foreshore are rocky.
Sources
- Isle of Wight Council: 14 beaches where you can walk your dog all year round (30 April 2026) (checked 2026-10-16)
- National Trust: Visiting Compton Bay and Downs with your dog (checked 2026-10-16)
- National Trust: Compton Bay and Downs (access steps, facilities) (checked 2026-10-16)
- National Trust: Compton car park, more information (Brook Chine JustPark code, coach parking) (checked 2026-10-16)
- National Trust: Things to see and do at Compton Bay and Downs (kitesurfing at Brook, no lifeguards) (checked 2026-10-16)
- National Trust: Fossil hunting and geology at Compton Bay and Downs (checked 2026-10-16)
- Visit Isle of Wight: Brook Beach (checked 2026-10-16)
- GOV.UK: Bathing water classifications 2025 (Brook not a designated bathing water) (checked 2026-10-16)
- RNLI: Find my nearest lifeguarded beach (no Isle of Wight beaches listed) (checked 2026-10-16)
- Isle of Wight Radio: Steps replace unsafe handrail at Brook beach (checked 2026-10-16)
- bustimes.org: Southern Vectis route 12 stops (checked 2026-10-16)
- OpenStreetMap: beach outline and Brook Chine car park (coordinates check) (checked 2026-10-16)
