6 of the best reasons to visit the Isle of Wight
There are many reasons to visit this beautiful island, with amazing places to explore and perfect spots to relax.
With our Isle of Wight Sail & Stay offer you can get great deals on ferry crossings when you stay at our Southlands Club Campsite, just another great reason to visit.
If you do like to be beside the seaside…
The Isle of Wight has a 57-mile coastline and there’s a beach style to suit all tastes. If it’s traditional seaside fun you’re after, you’ll find an ice rink and bowling alley on the pier at Ryde; Sandown too is a real family favourite - you’ll find all the slots on the pier, along with crazy golf. Sandown’s golden beach holds a Blue Flag award for its high water quality and environmental standards, so it’s an ideal spot for a dip in the sea. For those who like their watersports a little wilder, Compton Bay provides great surfing. Take a stroll down the zig-zag approach to the Victorian splendour of Ventnor, where the little ones can dip their toes in the Isle of Wight shaped paddling pool on the seafront. Your four-legged friends will appreciate a run along the dog-friendly beach at Bembridge, or you can walk with the dinosaurs at Compton Beach, where you can search for relics of these ancient creatures.
When fossils are your thing
Yielding fossils from over 20 different species, the Isle of Wight is the richest source of dinosaur remains in Europe. Trophy hunters should head for the coastal stretch between Brook and Compton Bays, where you’ll find anything from fossilised bones and wood to actual dinosaur teeth! If you’d rather skip the digging, you can uncover everything you ever wanted to know about the big fellas at Dinosaur Isle in Sandown. Designed in the shape of a giant pterodactyl, the museum has around 40,000 specimens including insects, molluscs and the all-important dinosaurs.
Great days out for kids of all ages
Blackgang Chine is the UK’s oldest amusement park, at over 180-years young. Let your imagination run riot amongst the pirates, cowboys and fairy tale characters, all the while enjoying the beautiful natural parklands. The Needles is one of the island’s most iconic sights, and one that’s particularly stunning when seen from the chairlift travelling to the beach below. In the middle of the island you’ll find Robin Hill, which offers over 35 rides and attractions including a toboggan ride, Harold the Big Red Tractor and Jungle Heights net bridges, set up to 10 metres above the ground.
Eat, drink and be merry
It’s no surprise that, surrounded by water as it is, the island is home to some of the finest seafood in the UK - everything from fish and chips from The Blue Crab at Yarmouth to pan Asian delicacies at The Smoking Lobster in both Ventnor and Cowes . But it’s also chock-ful of pubs offering fabulous ‘grub’, such as The Spyglass Inn, which overlooks the bay at Ventnor, The Caulkheads at Sandown or The Highdown Inn at Totland Bay. Enjoy a cocktail at The Artisan Cocktail Bar & Grill in Ryde - did you know that the Isle of Wight is the birthplace of the espresso martini? Plus with the many coffee shops and cafes, Goddards, Yates’ and Wight Knuckle breweries to choose from, not to mention island-made Mermaid Gin, the Garlic Farm and local cheeses, meats and fruit and vegetables, you’ll never be short of a taste sensation!
All things bright and beautiful…
The Isle of Wight has a bit of everything, landscape-wise, with wide, rolling downs giving way to the deep, narrow valleys or ravines, known as the Chines. To the south west of the island is the dense woodland of Brighstone Forest, and the coastline is made up of chalk and sand cliffs of incredible colours. More than half the island is a designated National Landscape (precious enough to be safeguarded in the national interest) and the Isle of Wight was awarded UNESCO Biosphere Status in 2019, in recognition of its ecological and cultural diversity.
…all creatures great and small
Keen observers of wildlife will enjoy spotting deer, hare and badgers, as well as bottlenose dolphins, seals and otters. The island provides safe haven for native red squirrels (the greys having not yet mastered the ferry crossing!) and is the only place where you will see a Glanville Fritillary butterfly. Conservationists have been reintroducing white-tailed eagles - these are the UK’s largest birds of prey and boast a wingspan of up to 2.5 metres. As well as this array of free spirits, island visitors can meet owls, monkeys and meerkats at Monkey Haven, the rescued big cats at Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, marvel at the birds of prey on show at Appledurcumbe House, and get close up with the lemurs, armadillos and, everyone’s favourite, penguins at Amazon World Zoo Park.
