26 Jul How to Reach and Enjoy Isle of Wight: Weekend Travel Guide
When the weather is good in England, I love to go for a weekend getaway and explore the country. Isle of Wight is the perfect UK weekend break destination.
This is a short guide on how to spend a weekend at Isle of Wight.
How to get to Isle of Wight from mainland
You reach the isle by a quick ferry ride from one of the ports (Portsmouth, Yarmouth, Lymington).
You can book the ferry in advance with WIGHTLINK.
We took a train from London Waterloo station until Portsmouth and then the ferry to Ryde. The whole journey took us about two hours and the ferry ride was under thirty minutes.
Another option is to take the hovercraft it’s quicker than the ferry- it takes only 10 minutes.
Things to do in the island
Explore the ports
Since we got off at Ryde we decided to explore the town.
We wandered through the town centre, checked the independent shops and had lunch before taking the train to the next destination.
Visit the Royal Victoria Arcade
This shopping arcade in Ryde is full of character and charm, it was built between 1835 and 1836 and restored in 2001. It has some quirky and unique shops, a themed restaurant and an underground museum.
In my opinion, this is a must visit in Ryde.
Play Mini-golf
I was surprised by how many mini golf courses they had on the island. I had no idea they enjoyed it so much.
It’s a great way to spend an afternoon. I surely had plenty of fun even though I am awful at it. The prices are very reasonable as well, it only costs us 14£ per game for 2 people.
Relax at the beach
After a fun day playing mini golf and exploring the towns, we decided to buy food and sit down at the beach have a picnic and relax.
The sand on some of the beaches is soft and the water isn’t very cold, so you can also swim too.
Visit the needles
The Island’s most famous landmark attraction- has so much to do. We spend half of our day here, but you can easily spend the whole day.
It’s best to get here in the morning because it gets full of tourists as the day goes by. There are plenty of activities for adults and kids.
You can go down to the beach either on foot using the stairs or you can take the chairlift ride and enjoy the views and the coloured sands cliffs.
There are buses that take you to the old and new battery and to the viewpoints. You can also explore the wild western tip of the Isle of Wight, and Walk or hike through the Tennyson Down circular walk and soak up the stunning panoramic views.
Explore Shanklin
This is a seaside town with an old-fashioned charm. We spent most of our time as our B&B was in this town.
The town is very picturesque and has a lot of things to do. We enjoyed playing games at the arcade, relaxing at the beach and wandering through Shanklin chine- the island’s oldest tourist attraction.
Where to eat in Isle of Wight
Wights and Tony’s in Ryde are great for the classic fish and chips. For more seafood you can try Fisherman’s Cottage in Shanklin- it has great views of the sea.
For a fancier meal, I recommend the restaurant Smoking Lobster.
Where to stay In Isle of Wight
The island is full of lovely and unique cottages/ hotels where you can stay.
Number 29 – is a lovely B&B run by a mother and her son. The location is perfect- it’s only a few minutes from the town centre, the beach and the station. The rooms are cosy and comfy, and the staff is lovely.
The Clifton Hotel in Shanklin and the Premier Inn Isle Of Wight (Newport) hotel are also very good options.
No Comments