Ventnor Western Cliffs

Ventnor tumbles down a sun-trap of terraced 'Undercliff' on the Isle of Wight's south coast, and it is one of the few good island viewpoints that is not National Trust land. Fly from Ventnor Park, the council-owned clifftop green at the western end of town, and you get clean sea horizons, the Victorian esplanade and cascade below, and the wooded Undercliff climbing behind, a very different, almost Mediterranean look compared with the island's chalk-cliff cliches. It is a proper town setting, so this is a fly-considerately spot: launch from the open park grass, keep clear of the beach crowds, seafront and gardens, and pick an early hour before the seafront wakes up. The park itself is public open space, but check for any local byelaw signage and keep well away from people. Airspace is refreshingly clean for the island: no FRZ overhead, with the licensed aerodromes at Sandown (about 7km) and Bembridge (about 9km) both comfortably to the northeast and well outside their zones. Winds along this coast can be gusty where the Undercliff funnels the air, so choose a settled morning. Golden hour lights the terraces and the Undercliff greenery beautifully; out of the summer peak the park is quiet and the flying relaxed.