I used to go to Bembridge school and on June the 26th 1966 I was with a small group of friends when we decided to go to the Hermits Cave. There was a small ledge on the south west side of the cliff and if you edged down this perilous ledge that looked from above as if it petered out over a shear drop to the bottom when it actually went into the cliff into a very small cave known as the Hermits Cave. The boys that dared to go to the cave would leave their names in it. Sadly, Stephen Eldridge-Quick fell to his death that day and the Cliff was sensibly forever out of bounds after that. The cave seems to have disappeared.
I was there, (Bembridge School), mid 50s, I always wanted to walk or scramble round the end, I wanted flat calm sea, spring low tide & courage, some how they never all came together, now modern technology has bought this all together. Bembridge Fort is Now national trust, & open to the public one day a week during the season, I broke in there with Chris Church about 1958, no lights - scary ! Sorry about the young lad that lost his life, could have been me ! Dave Jones
My understanding is that it is long since disappeared in a previous cliff fall. The approximate location used to be at the southern end of the bay. Unfortunately that was where the last major fall occurred. I recall that there was a Brannon engraving which referred to the cave
Another excellent video.
I used to go to Bembridge school and on June the 26th 1966 I was with a small group of friends when we decided to go to the Hermits Cave. There was a small ledge on the south west side of the cliff and if you edged down this perilous ledge that looked from above as if it petered out over a shear drop to the bottom when it actually went into the cliff into a very small cave known as the Hermits Cave. The boys that dared to go to the cave would leave their names in it. Sadly, Stephen Eldridge-Quick fell to his death that day and the Cliff was sensibly forever out of bounds after that. The cave seems to have disappeared.
I was there, (Bembridge School), mid 50s, I always wanted to walk or scramble round the end, I wanted flat calm sea, spring low tide & courage, some how they never all came together, now modern technology has bought this all together.
Bembridge Fort is Now national trust, & open to the public one day a week during the season, I broke in there with Chris Church about 1958, no lights - scary !
Sorry about the young lad that lost his life, could have been me !
Dave Jones
What I wanted to see was the red cliffs to the left, (southwest), of the chalk cliffs ! It’s in there somewhere, it’s just I can’t find it !
My understanding is that it is long since disappeared in a previous cliff fall. The approximate location used to be at the southern end of the bay. Unfortunately that was where the last major fall occurred. I recall that there was a Brannon engraving which referred to the cave