There have been a number of discussions on this site as to whether you can or cannot see the Isle of Wight from Brighton. I first mentioned it during my 10th Anniversary Tour, you can read about it here and if you look at the comments you will see that some people refused to believe it was possible!
Are doubters persuaded?
I was driving home from Brighton & Hove Golf Course on Christmas Eve and I noticed how clear it was, high above the horizon. I just had to stop and take these photos, if there are still any doubters out there, surely these will persuade them? The photos were taken with my old S6 phone, with a decent camera you could almost touch the Isle of Wight!
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Thanks Jennifer, perfect photo layout, just what I wanted!
As a professional geographer, I can say Great Images! I live up in Hollingbury and the Isle is certainly visible from the Ditchling Rd, especially in the evening in the summer, but I have seen it from the top of the twitten by BHASVIC on Dyke Rd and from the Racehill. Many years ago during a university geography field trip to Seaford beach on a bitterly cold, but bright Frebruary morning, you could clearly see it at virtually sea-level.
In the 1960’s/70’s we used to quite frequently see the IoW from my parents kitchen window at the top of Poplar Avenue in Hove.
I’ve seen it often from just up from the old Downsman Pub!
I use to live at South Woodingdean from mid ’50s to mid ’60s and several people said you can see the I of W from Race Hill on a clear day
I think I saw it once from the top deck of a 2a bus from Race Hill
It is also claimed that if you saw the Isle very clearly it would rain within 24hrs.
Very good pictures, Peter.
I have seen it often from the Race Hill and one afternoon I once saw the Downs behind Brighton and Beachy Head from St Boniface Down which is nearly 800 feet above sea level. From the Boniface viewpoint you can see over Selsey Bill and view the full size of the bay between Selsey and Beachy Head. I know there are some doubters but I can assure you the combined height from the Race Hill to the cliffs East of Ventnor and St Boniface is around 1200Ft so it is possible to see clearly over the horizon at both landmarks….
Michael,
I’m not quite sure what you mean by “the combined height from the Race Hill to the cliffs East of Ventnor and St Boniface is around 1200ft” However, according to Wikipedia:- “The highest point in the national park, Blackdown, at 280 m (919 ft) above sea level, is in fact situated in the Weald, on the Greensand Ridge, whereas the highest point on the chalk escarpment of the South Downs, Butser Hill, has an elevation of 271 m (889 ft) above sea level.”
I think Mick means that, taking both hills into account it’s no wonder you can see it. With one hill height advantage you might overcome curvature of the earth, however in this case we have the advantage of both hills easily overcoming earth’s curvature…….looking from a high point and seeing a high point!
Being at the old Grammar School on Dyke Road, we frequently used to see the Isle of Wight from the top of the playing fields on clear days, but the first time, and the most central location was from the top of Sussex Heights during an airshow. This would have been c.1972-3, and we had managed to blag the hall porter into letting us go up to the then unoccupied penthouse, and watch the fun. I can clearly remember seeing the distinctive hump of St Boniface Down beyond Selsey Bill, and being amazed that we could see so far from central Brighton.
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