CHECK ISLE OF WIGHT BEACHES FOR CROWDS BEFORE YOU GO – NEW APP REVEALED – Island Echo

The Isle of Wight has signed up for a smartphone app providing beachgoers with useful local information, including real-time updates on the busiest areas.

Since this week, the Free Beach Check UK will show real-time information for Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor, with plans to extend coverage to other beaches on the island.

The app, available for Apple or Android devices, allows users to check individual beaches or view a map showing red (crowded), orange (less crowded) and green (uncrowded) beaches.

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Beack Check UK was first launched in July 2020 by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to help bathers comply with social distancing after visitors flocked to the coast in their thousands. To date, it has had over 81,000 downloads.

The app allows visitors to choose less populated areas or less crowded beaches. Its maps can also locate public toilets, parking spaces, and even pubs, restaurants, and places of interest.

Isle of Wight Council worked closely with the app’s developers, the National Coastal Tourism Academy, to ensure some of the island’s most popular resorts featured in the latest edition.

Councilor Jonathan Bacon, Cabinet Member for Beaches, said:

“We are delighted to join this exciting new initiative. We are expecting a lot of visitors this summer and we want everyone to enjoy our beaches and do so safely.

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“With Beach Check UK, people will be able to see how busy our beaches are in real time.

“Residents and visitors can use this information to help them decide whether to go to these beaches or visit others along the island’s coastline.”

Will Myles, Managing Director of Visit Isle of Wight, said:

“The Beach Check app will be a great benefit to the many visitors to the island – and to businesses that operate nearby, providing beachgoers with useful information.

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“This is the result of the work of the National Academy of Coastal Tourism and the Isle of Wight Council to bring it all together.

“With so many beautiful beaches to choose from, the Beach Check app will be invaluable to visitors and residents alike!”

For more information, visit https://englandscoast.com/en/blog/beach-check-uk-app.