It faces south-east towards the English Channel and its shoreline is approximately 100 yards (90 m) in length.

[1] It should not be confused with a similarly named Horseshoe Bay about 8 miles (13 km) southwest at Bonchurch.

[2] The seabed is rocky and the beach comprises a steep bank of flint pebbles.

These can be reached by scrambling over a small rocky outcrop and are partly submerged at high tide.

This entails some scrambling and a short traverse even at extreme low tide across the submerged base of the cliff between an old collapsed cave and the nostrils.