Protected sectors

What's the story here?

The Salt Mead Ledge is situated in a rural area on the northwestern shore of the Isle of Wight. It lies just east of the entrance to the Newtown River and is characterised by low cliffs, a narrow, shaded sand and pebble beach, and a valley floor that ascends into rural forestry and farmland. This privately owned inshore area grants access only to the beach and requires visitors to remain below the high-water mark.




The Salt Mead Ledge offers an open rural anchorage best suited for experienced mariners looking to escape a strong ebb tide in fair weather. With currents potentially reaching up to 3.5 knots on a spring ebb tide, it is a practical anchorage to avoid ploughing into the full run of it when eastward progress becomes frustratingly slow.

The anchoring area is located just west of the easternmost Salt Mead Ledge, which extends a ¼ of a mile from the shore. It features depths of 2 to 3 metres and can easily accommodate fin keel vessels at low water. Shallow draft vessels can proceed closer to the shore, where 0.5 metres can be found between the two ledges. Taking shelter behind this ridge during the ebb tide provides some protection from the full force of the tide, but also necessitates careful navigation to avoid the ledge itself.

How to get in?

Guidance and a tidal timer for a Western approach can be found in Western Approaches to The Solent and the run-up to Southampton . Salt Mead Ledges is about midway between Hampstead and Gurnard Ledges, off the eastern edge of a patch of darker conifers of Burnt Wood. The Salt Mead starboard can buoy Fl(G)10s, situated ½ out from the shoreline, positively identifies the location.

Be aware that the area from the western perimeter of Burnt Wood, extending as far west as Newtown Creek, is the SERFCA Newtown firing range. It features a 300-metre gallery and 25-metre pistol ranges. The safety protocols used during live firing include flag signals and a sentry posted on the crest of the 40-metre-high Shepherd's Hill, immediately adjacent to Hummer Wood on the hill's eastern flank. This is immediately west of the anchoring area, and a notice indicating its eastern extremity can be seen on a shoreline tree.




From the initial fix, situated 200 metres south of the Salt Meads Buoy, proceed in over the 5 metre contour and feel your way in, ideally crabbing in against the ebb tide. The eastern drying ledge is inclined toward Cowes, and its outer end is roughly midway between the buoy and the shore, near the Burnt Wood tree plantation.

It dries at low tide and poses a significant hazard for vessels cutting inshore. Shallow water extends from it, with less than a metre of depth over its outer extremity, then abruptly drops off to 10 metres and more beyond. This abrupt cut-off and funnelling effect of the ledge often causes a patch of turbulent water in this area just outside Salt Mead Ledge, which is over the deep water area, so don't be surprised if it is encountered.



Anchor according to conditions, getting the anchor well dug in and, ideally, being prepared for strong tidal swings. The best anchoring spot is west of the eastern ledge, approximately 400 metres from the shoreline. Shallow draft vessels can make the most of it by proceeding closer to the shore behind the inner drying ledge, where depths of 0.5 metres LAT are available.

The clay, sand, and shingle seabed provides good holding, but make sure the anchor is well dug in. Access the shore by tender. The remote area offers only a narrow beach below the high water mark.

Why visit here?

There is no direct evidence of a usage, specific historical event, or individual associated with the naming of Salt Mead Ledge. It appears to be a descriptive term rooted in the area's natural characteristics: salt meadows along the coast and the hazardous ledge offshore.




'Mead', in Old English, referred to a meadow or a low-lying field, often with a water presence such as salt marshes or meadows. The 'salt' referred to the proximity of a ledge in the sea and the presence of saltwater. This name suggests that the area behind the ledge may have historically been a flat, grassy area close to the shore or possibly a marshy area akin to the Newtown River estuary.




From a boating point of view, it provides a bolthole from those punching into the western Solent's ebb tides. The ebb streams can exceed 3.5 knots during a Spring ebb between Cowes and Yarmouth, allowing the ledge to provide some much-needed relief along the island shore. It is one of two Western Solent coastal anchorages with minimal tidal influence; the other is located just off the entrance to Newtown River to the west, which is the more sheltered of the two.

What facilities are available?

There are no direct amenities or services available at the anchorage itself. The shoreline is rural, privately owned and characterised by farmland and forestry.

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred to a vessel anchored here.

With thanks to:

eOceanic Research.