Destinations on the Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight has some wonderful resorts, historical towns and villages to visit and with the island only being 23 miles wide by 13 miles deep, they are all easily accessible.

Newport

The town of Newport is located right in the centre of the island and is the "capital" of the island. Built around the River Medina (an old english word meaning "middle") Newport was founded in 1180 originally as a port to the then capital town of Carisbrooke. However easty access to the sea meant Newport soon became the main area of settlement.

Newport is a busy town full of popular high street shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants. One of the architectural highlights of the town is the Town Hall which was designed by John Nash in 1816 and features a classical collonaded portico and a bell tower which was later added in 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.

Ryde

Ryde is the Isle of Wight's biggest town and is located on the North East Coast. This popular seaside resort offers the most connected gateway to the island with the Wightlink's FastCat service linking up with the mainland railway station in Portsmouth Harbour which offers direct routes to London Waterloo, Brighton, Southampton and Bristol. A Hovercraft provides regular services throughout the day for passengers between Southsea and literally drops you off on Ryde beach. The small Island Railway line provides a service between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin, calling also at Brading and Sandown. Recently voted as being in the top 10 Railway services in the country and being the "cutest".

The town of Ryde is dominated by a wide sandy beach that stretches for an incredible 6 miles. A wide promenade follows the beach and provides a wonderful "flat" walk for you to take in the sea air.

Sandown

Sandown, the Island's largest and most popular seaside resort, is located in the South East of the Island and boasts stunning views of the English Channel and a beautiful long, wide sandy beach ever popular with families.

A wide promenade runs adjacent to the beach and stretches all the way to the neighbouring resort of Shanklin, passing through Lake on the way. As an alternative there is a stunning cliff top walk that links between Sandown and Shanklin and offers a more panoramic view of the sea.

Running adjacent to the seafront you'll find Sandown's quaint town where you'll find one or two High Street brands but also a number of small independent shops and cafes.

On the seafront soak up the sun and hire a deck chair or take to the sea on one of the many pedaloes on offer.

Sandown Pier is a very popular location and provides a wonderful place to take a break from the sunshine. Here you will find crazy golf, ten pin bowling, a cafe and amusements.

Further along Sandown seafront heading towards the stunning fossil rich Yaverland Beach you'll find the Isle of Wight Zoo, Dinosaur Isle and Browns Golf.

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Shanklin

Shanklin is located in the South East of the Island and along with Sandown is one of the most popular holiday destinations on the Isle of Wight. Boasting stunning seaviews out to the English Channel and a beautiful safe, long and wide sandy beach. Shanklin is a little quieter than neigbouring Sandown but along the seafront front you'll find crazy golf, putting, deckchair hire, a childrens play area and numerous gift shops and cafes.

Shanklin Old Village is a place you must visit, with pretty thatched cottages, cream tea shops, parks and gardens as well as the popular Shanklin Chine with its stunning waterfall, lush plants, woodland and wildlife.

At the top of the cliff you'll find Shanklin Town Centre with it's High Street shops, popular restaurants and cafes as well as Shanklin Theatre which hosts a wonderful range of entertaining shows.

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