Brenton Point

Brenton Point is at the outer end of the Ocean Drive loop in Newport. It's a low, rocky point at the southwestern tip of Aquidneck Island, which is the largest island in Narragansett Bay.

There's a vertical seawall protecting the road from the ocean that curves around the point itself. The heavily foliated metamorphic rocks on the shore provide a nice source of shingle that piles up against the base of the wall. A groin on the west side allows for a small gravelly beach to form (I'm guessing that without the groin, these beach would not exist).

AERIAL VIEW

The Portuguese Discovery Monument at Brenton Point was an intriguing tribute to 15th and 16th century navigators. It's layout is based on an old navigation instrument and apparently it is supposed to reflect a similarity to Cape Sagres, at the southern tip of Portugal. I guess I'll have to go there and check for myself.