Isle of Wight

Coincidentally, ten minutes before seeing this question, I read this article by Paul Theroux who walked part of the King Charles III Coastal Path on the Isle of Wight; I will gift it to you; it's mainly about walking the path, here and in two other locations, though, not much on the Isle itself:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/travel/paul-theroux-king-charles-england-coast-path.html?unlocked_article_code=1.5lA.TuEN.9h8bveiNe6_6&smid=url-share

Thank you for the article.

Yes it is! We went for a weekend once and saw the two things you mention. Osbourne house in particular is excellent. There's lots more to do on the island as well, in addition to the coast path mentioned, there is an historic castle (Carisbrooke), beaches, nice food, etc. It's easy to get to on the ferry from Portsmouth or Southampton. We rented a car but the island does have public transport including a train line, tho the train only covers part of the island.

Rough Guides has an excellent book https://amzn.to/4g1s2sn.

I enjoyed a movie that was filmed at Osbourne House on the Isle of Wight. It was a biographical film called Victoria and Abdul issued in 2017. It was about Queen Victoria and her friend and teacher Abdul who was from India.

Another positive yes. The Isle of Wight feels completely different to the south coast of England and has a much more laid back, old fashioned hospitality.

Osbourne house is excellent and with the grounds can easily fill a whole day. I also like Carisbrooke CAstle and agin there is lots to see and do there - don't miss the donkeys... Ventnor Botanic Gardens are also nice and there are small 'honey pot ' villages to discover, whiuch are the equal of any you might find in the Cotswolds - Godshill in particular stands out, with its thatched cottages and tea shops.

I found the Needles Landmark Attraction with all its visitor attractions (tourist tat) at Alum Bay very over rated, expensive and very tourisity. There is though a nice easy walk down to the Old and New Battery at the poin, for even better views of the Needles. (These are in the car of the National Trust.) If feeling energetic, externd this into a circular walk.

The Isle of Wight is one of the many hidden gems that Brits know about, but the vast majority of visitors who stick to the well trodden London, Bath, Cotswolds, York, Edinburgh and Skye, will miss out on. I heartily recommend a trip there, others have noted some of the logistics around driving there.

I was there in April for 3 nights and could easily have stayed a week. I had a long list of interesting places ready - and only made it to Osbourne House and Shanklin (plus Ryde, where we stayed). It’s lovely and relaxing and yes, the bus network is great.

yes, I've really enjoyed chilling out in the 1950s and 1960s on the Isle. Love it there. Such a step back in time. So convenient from Portsmouth and Southsea. Slower and more expensive yet lots af Navy views from Southampton.

boats, ships or hovercraft to trains or buses - no flights.

Hi sandyA -

We walked the Isle of Wight Coastal Path back in June and thoroughly enjoyed our trip. We didn’t get to The Needles due to bad weather (rain and wind so strong the buses were cancelled and the National Trust closed down their properties overlooking The Needles). As we’d all been to The Needles before and as the cliffs there have far too much ‘plummet potential’, discretion proved the better part of valour and we we found a lower more sheltered route through to Freshwater Bay.

The Coastal Path isn’t a National Trail and unfortunately doesn’t get maintained as frequently as it might. This means that because of the unequal struggle between Mother Nature and the path, large parts of the route have fallen into the sea, resulting in lots of diversions, some better signed than others. The day after our aborted Needles trip the weather hadn’t markedly improved and the route from Freshwater Bay onwards had a plethora of diversions, so we improvised a route using some of the Tennyson Trail, which as far as Shorewell at least, was a lovely alternative walk.

The rest of the time we were in shorts and t-shirts, which only goes to prove the vagaries of the British weather, especially near the coast. We visited Osborne House before we set off walking and it was an interesting visit. I should add that I find Victorian interiors dark, cluttered and slightly oppressive in the main and Osborne House, for me at least, and despite its outward appearance, was no exception. Worth visiting as nearby, are the unusual church at Whippingham, the parish church for Osborne House, which Prince Albert had a hand in the design of, hence its ‘alpine’ look, and the modern Quarr Abbey which is entirely brick built, unusual for a building that size. Good cafe at Quarr Abbey.

We rolled two days walking into one, aided by route diversions and used our ‘day off’ to take the bus to Carisbrooke Castle, which was much more entertaining and absorbing than we were expecting. The donkeys are fun and are the only donkeys I know of that have employment contracts!

We enjoyed alfresco dining at beach cafes at Steephill Cove just outside Ventnor and again at The Beach Hut on the shore near Bembridge. Best meal of the trip was universally agreed to be at Pendletons in Shanklin. Small, so pre booking a must. We also enjoyed The Albion Hotel at Freshwater Bay, good restaurant, and it also has a terrace overlooking the sea. A friend recommended a drink here but it really wasn’t the weather for it, grey skies and heavy seas driven by strong wind and rain. We were just there on the wrong day!

We enjoyed nearly all the coastal resorts we stayed at or passed through, with the possible exception of Sandown which, despite its best efforts, was let down buy a couple of large former hotels which are closed and falling into huge disrepair, a real shame (and eyesore). And it must be noted that everywhere looks better with the sun on it. Do feel free to ask if you would like details of where we stayed - it’s better done in a direct/personal message rather than on the forum pages if you ask me.

Ian

The Isle of Wight is an absolute gem and definitely worth a visit, the longer the better.

As others have noted, the vibe is much more relaxed and feels like a step back in time.

The last time I stayed we booked a cottage from cottages.com and it was a perfect stay. The Co-Op convenience stores stock a lot of local produce so it was great to sample some IOW beers that don't make it to the mainland along with exceptional tomatoes and tomato based products from the IOW Tomato farm.

The only downside is the prohibitive cost of the ferries however if you travel light then the hovercraft may prove to be the cheapest and fastest option to travel to the island.

Thank you all for the great information. I feel good about this trip!
I have so much to see and do now with your recommendations I may need to stay longer than planned.

To add to the ease (or process) of getting there, I went from London and bought my ticket all the way to the closest station in Ryde to my cottage. Easy with no car. In Portsmouth I literally got off the train & walked straight ahead to the ferry terminal.

An important point about booking through rail tickets on the hovercraft is that you need to book a seat on the hovercraft at least 48 hours before travel.
There have been a couple of recent cases where through rail ticket holders have been denied travel, on a flight which has been booked full with non rail passengers (so people who have paid more, basically).
I know there is nothing in rail retail systems to indicate that, and it seems to be a fairly new requirement- https://www.hovertravel.co.uk/connections/national-rail/

The denied passengers have had to book new ferry only tickets.

In Ryde I can recommend Ristorante Michelangelo — don’t be put off (as I was, initially) by the somewhat trite name. Authentic Italian food, owned and run by lovely Italian expats from Emilia-Romagna.

https://www.ristorantemichelangelo.co.uk/index.php

I will be flying into Heathrow and staying a few days in London. I plan to get a train from Victoria station to Portsmouth Harbour, spend a couple of days in Portsmouth and passenger ferry to the Island. I reserved three days for sight seeing on the Isle but may need to increase the days. Then return to London by the same route unless someone has a better option.

if you're going Victoria to Portsmouth & Southsea be sure you have a direct service. Portsmouth is getting to the edge of the Southern railway patch - most services from London to Portsmouth would default to Waterloo which is where SWR is based and the fastest trains go from. Careful that you aren't routed onto SWR via Clapham Junction or strange tube connection like Victoria - Embankment - Waterloo or Victoria - Westminster - Waterloo.

Nothing wrong with the Southern out of Victoria to Portsmouth - it is that little bit cheaper and slower - just be aware