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We've got a couple of weeks off in September, and the options currently under consideration are a week on the IoW and week somewhere else (Devon/Dorset probably) or two weeks on the IoW.
The usual IHN/MrsIHN/DoggoIHN holiday activities are countryside/beach walks, pubs, cafes and generally poking around places or old stuff. I'm not convinced there's two weeks worth of that kind of stuff to do on the IoW though, am I right?
Two weeks or two hours?
Sorry, still bitter from IoW being our family holiday when I was a child!
If you get bored you have 3 mainland destinations for foot passenger day trips - Lymington with access to New Forest, Southampton, and Portsmouth where the Fastcat delivers you to the doorstep of the Historic Dockyard, the Hovercraft to Southsea.
We spent a week there in 2023 and nowhere near saw it all. We didn't even venture into Cowes or did much inland stuff. I'd go back especially if walking and mooching around is your thing.
Personally I'd recommend staying on the Eastern point as there's more around there. We stayed in Bembridge but Seaview is also a really nice seaside village.
The Needles was very much a "OK let's go" moment though. May be better from a boat, but from land it's a bit meh! 😀
If you are after exciting nightlife then no!
Bembridge...
Take bikes. Good XC MTB and well signed 65 mile road route
The usual IHN/MrsIHN/DoggoIHN holiday activities are countryside/beach walks, pubs, cafes and generally poking around places or old stuff. I'm not convinced there's two weeks worth of that kind of stuff to do on the IoW though, am I right?
Clearly you can find plenty to do on IOW - people retire there to spend their whole lives doing the sort of stuff you mention! Picking the right base is probably important so you don’t end up driving the same road every day to do those things.
Now whether I would choose to spend 2 weeks on IOW or 2 weeks in two places and have inconvenience that involves for the enhanced variety is difficult to say. Ferry fare is expensive and same for 1 week or 2. The suggestion that if you get bored on the island you day trip the mainland is bonkers to me - having paid extra to be on an island, paying more to get back off if seems mad.
Go and visit my aunt!
I remember visiting Blackgang Chine as a kid and loving it, a quick Google shows it's still a thing.
So between those things I think you'd be sorted for two weeks
I remember visiting Blackgang Chine as a kid and loving it, a quick Google shows it's still a thing.
We had that as a school trip.. I thought it had fallen into the sea a while back but I guess not!
Edit : ah, I see the Chine itself did get destroyed.
We've been going for years and still find new stuff to do/see. Loads of walking/cafes/pubs. Some decent riding, cracking beaches, nice towns/villages to wander around from kiss-me-quick type seaside places to quiet/quaint stuff. Would echo the comment above about the eastern side of the island - theres more there but on the flip side, the south coast/west side is stunningly beautiful/quiet as a result. Best thing is everything is no more than 30/40 minutes away...
I remember visiting Blackgang Chine
Crikey, that is a blast from the past. We went there with a primary school trip. we stayed at The Priory in Seaview. Legendary trip for the teachers getting pissed and us kids getting in trouble for blowing up condoms in the toilet of a restaurant. I loved all of the smuggling stories. I wonder how much has changed since those memories of 40 years ago!
We've happily spent 2 weeks on the IoW several times on camping family hols.
I've taken my mountain bike and the dawgie. With those 2 things I can entertain myself for ever !
There's a heritage railway if that floats your boat (as well as the ex- LUL 'mainline' railway from Ryde). Roman stuff, the Needles, blah blah blah. Think we had some vino from the local vineyard there too. Speedway one eve too (though subject to whether they race this year - Covid broke the finances of some teams completely and they're still in a mess from it)
I did a week last year on the iow, it hasn't changed since I worked there 40 years ago. Some good recommendations on here re where to eat, walk, coffee etc. Despite some massive storms I really liked it, it is after all v mild weather there v the mainland.
The buses are fab, go everywhere and only 2 quid or so a journey.
Sandown and Shanklin are best avoided, make blackpool look like ibiza. The rest of the island is lovely, walks, disused railways, cafes.
The walk round seaview to bembridge is indeed lovely.
Nice boat trip from ventnor to a neighbouring cove, I heard alan titchmarsh once saying said cove was his favourite place, he has a house near cowes.
We went last year. My boys were 8 and 14, and they asked to go back again this year! 800ish for 8 nights in a nice cottage. Taking the van this year, so we'll have more of a base for spending days at the beach. Our boys love the water, and would spend all week in it if they could!
Went for a couple of days to Cowes Week years ago, and, booking late, me and the future Mrs Epic ended up staying at the convent on the top above Cowes. The beds were singles and mattresses so concave they immobilised you and there was no chance of any hanky panky. And the following morning had to write a cheque out to The Sisters of Christ.
There is plenty to do for two weeks if you’re happy to be out and about and explore different parts of the island.
As others have suggested, I’d avoid Sandown, Shanklin and Ryde but there are some lovely places immediately around them.
Classic itinerary stuff includes Carisbrooke castle and Osborne House and the Needles. During the summer there are often extra things going on around those, although the tourist stuff at the Needles is a bit of a rip off and not great. Going up on the to headland is better than the beach.
One thing to note is that most of this sort of stuff is under English Heritage and not much National Trust of you happen to already have some sort of membership.
Some good foodie places in and around Ventnor, plus others scattered around the coast e.g. The Hut; Thompson’s bar and grill etc. Yarmouth also has some good food options, Cowes a mix of places.
For cafes there are places like the Dell Cafe, Seaview; Blueberry Cafe, Shanklin; Cafe Isola in Newport; Chessell Pottery. Garlic Farm is a bit touristy but okay.
Have a look at the lifeinthesaddle.cc website for lots of different biking options and routes around the island.
We spent about ten days there, staying in Seaview when our boys were little, and we had a great time. Highlights included the garlic farm and just pootling around. It was a very relaxed place. There was a musical fountain place which just about kept them entertained while I was waiting for the AA to come and fix our car. A bit random but part of the charm.
I'd actively visit Ryde especially. Some nice shops on the main drag down the hill plus a walk down the pier and get the train back is a must-do, watch the hovercraft and then wander along the beach to Puckpool (nice cafe on the front, another nice cafe around the back near the crazy golf).
Sandown is a bit of a nothing place but Shanklin too is worth a trip but I'd say go on an evening. Decent chippy at the top of the Chine and then a walk down the Chine with the fairy lights etc is great and end up on the beach.
Other places... Ventnor is pretty but not at awful lot there. Nice beach for swimming though. From there though its a nice walk to Steephill Cove which is an absolute must do. One of my favourite places ever... tiny cove, no car access so its not usually too busy (but there is a wheelchair/buggy accessible route from near the park at the top of the hill and then down the sea wall). Must visit the cafe at the far end for cream tea and pints of fresh prawns.
The Duver and St Helens beach another must do. Brilliant, safe paddling/swimming/SUP beach, cafe, toilets etc but then the dunes (think its an old golf course) behind the beach and the breakwater across the harbour, walk past the caravan site and up into St Helens village, through the green and then back to the beach. Decent pub on the village green too. Nice little circular walk...
Bembridge is nice. Some nice little shops in the centre and the lifeboat station/rockpools on the beach are worth an explore.
Steam railway is right up my street and well worth some time there.
Go karting near Tesco in Ryde is good.
Park at Gurnard by the beach and walk down the sea front into Cowes. Loads of interesting shops/cafes and boaty stuff to see.
Yarmouth again, beautiful. Pier, watch the ferry come and go plus can walk along the old railway line (station is now a good cafe) all the way through to Freshwater alongside the river.
Colwell beach brilliant (park on the village green which is a nice place to sit and chill too). Totland just down the coast has two good cafes (rocky/shingle beach though).
Give the Needles a swerve. Someone else has said but the walk on the tops is better. Park at the little car park underneath the Tennyson Down and walk up and along from there. Views from the Tennyson monument are epic on a good day.
Godshill is a must do as well. Not an awful lot there - some nice tea shops, walk up the hill to the church, miniature village etc but its one of those things you have to do if you're there. There is also my favourite pub there, the Taverners and a brilliant walk up to an obelisk on the top of Appuldurcombe Down...
Not been for a couple of years and writing this down has made me want to try and squeeze a trip in this year for a few days!
I remember visiting Blackgang Chine as a kid and loving it
My favourite place in the world as a kid 😀
Personally I'd do a week on the IoW and a week in Dorset/Devon/Somerset for variety.
i cant stand the IOW. My bro and parents moved there and love it though.
the nice places get very busy in season and most of the attaractions (and the island in general) are actually quite run down. If you are just after a relax a stroll and a pint its a decent place. I prefer a bit more going on.
that said i could sit at the cafe on the seafront at the duvver and watch the world go by for ages - so much going on in the solent. but not in summer. my mum recently (after about 20yrs there!) found, as a non yachtee, you can get the marina boat taxi around bembridge harbour which is great on a nice day.
noticed they do gig rowing out of bembridge so might see if i can get a cheeky row next time i`m over for a bit (i row out of newhaven)
you can surf at compton when there is swell. not all th time - not much else there though.
Re: The Taverners in Godshill. It was brilliant, nice beer and good food but the previous owners didn’t renew the lease after last autumn, someone else took it on but ended up closing it before Easter. They’re expecting someone else to step in to take it back to something like it was before - it was a good one (although nothing special from the outside).
Re: The Taverners in Godshill. It was brilliant, nice beer and good food but the previous owners didn’t renew the lease after last autumn, someone else took it on but ended up closing it before Easter. They’re expecting someone else to step in to take it back to something like it was before - it was a good one (although nothing special from the outside).
Balls. We had some epic meals there...
Thanks folks, useful stuff
I was going to suggest looking at a 4-night stay at Longleat Center Parcs, if you're concerned about two weeks at IOW, but dog-friendly villas are all gone there in September when prices drop after the kids go back to school (there's a 4-bed villa w/c 6th Oct).