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15 activities for an Isle of Wight stag do
A stag do used to mean a couple of pints down at the Crown and Anchor with Dave and Steve. Nowadays, it involves a long weekend dressed as a chicken in a former Soviet city followed by a brawl at 2am outside a nightclub and a two-year battle against extradition for the best man.
If you fancy something in between, consider a day or two on the Isle of Wight for your stag do. After all, it was good enough for Prince William, who was 'rebuked by senior officers for using a training flight in an RAF Chinook helicopter to travel to a stag party on the Isle of Wight' in 2008.
If you fancy something in between, consider a day or two on the Isle of Wight for your stag do. After all, it was good enough for Prince William, who was 'rebuked by senior officers for using a training flight in an RAF Chinook helicopter to travel to a stag party on the Isle of Wight' in 2008.
1. Bars and clubs
Sleepy towns come alive during festival season
The Isle of Wight is generally not the place to come for wild nightlife. A large proportion of the Island goes to bed before dark, so if you are the kind of person who wants to drink Jägerbombs for 72 hours then you might be better to look elsewhere.
Having said that, there are a modest selection of places to go at night in some towns. Cowes, Newport and Ryde are your best options (personally I'd pick Cowes, but I'm a parent with a toddler so I rarely leave the house after dark).
The other exception is festival season (Cowes Week and Isle of Wight Festival) when sales of plastic pint glasses go into orbit.
Having said that, there are a modest selection of places to go at night in some towns. Cowes, Newport and Ryde are your best options (personally I'd pick Cowes, but I'm a parent with a toddler so I rarely leave the house after dark).
The other exception is festival season (Cowes Week and Isle of Wight Festival) when sales of plastic pint glasses go into orbit.
2. Beach Barbecues
Burning things at Compton Bay
Our favourite Isle of Wight spot for a beach barbecue is Compton Bay just as the sun is setting and the crowds are going home. A couple of warnings for you though:
- Don't start a huge great BBQ and suffocate the rest of the people on the beach or you'll soon have some burly dad coming over and putting your fire out with a bucket full of sea water.
- Either bring your mother to tidy up or bring a bin bag and take your own rubbish home. Burying a disposable barbecue in the sand doesn't actually get rid of the problem, and if you are caught leaving it behind a coastal volunteer will hunt you down and poo on your car bonnet.
3. Beach Football
Compton at low tide is good for football
Jumpers for goalposts? Skins v Shirts? What could be more manly than a kickabout on the beach with laddish lads shouting things like "If you want, mate", "Line it, line it, LINE IT!" and "Come on!" (a useful phrase for sharing either frustration or joy).
Appley at Ryde is probably your best bet for beach football on the Isle of Wight. If it is low tide and not too busy then several other beaches would also be good, including Yaverland, Shanklin, Sandown, Priory Bay and Compton Bay.
See our guide to which is the best beach for... or our interactive beach map
Appley at Ryde is probably your best bet for beach football on the Isle of Wight. If it is low tide and not too busy then several other beaches would also be good, including Yaverland, Shanklin, Sandown, Priory Bay and Compton Bay.
See our guide to which is the best beach for... or our interactive beach map
4. Coasteering
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There are two ways to try coasteering on the Isle of Wight - which is basically scrambling around the coastline.
The first option is to do it yourself, which will almost certainly lead to the coastguard being called out and your group being described on the local news as 'irresponsible timewasters'. |
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The second option is to take instruction from professionals who actually know what they are doing. I saw the coasteering people whilst on a kayaking trip around Freshwater Bay. It looked great fun, and also rather cold...
It costs about £40 for a couple of hours and includes some cave exploration and a beach called Watcombe Bay which is only accessible from the water.
It costs about £40 for a couple of hours and includes some cave exploration and a beach called Watcombe Bay which is only accessible from the water.
5. Kayaking
Bobbing along at Freshwater Bay
You'd be a bit potty to come all the way to the Isle of Wight for a stag do and not do something water-related.
If you fancy kayaking, there are a few options. Over at Freshwater Bay you can explore caves and the rocky coastline for about £40 per person. On the more tranquil waters of St Helen's you can play some games on kayaks with Tackt Isle for about £20 a person. Or you can just hire a few kayaks and pedalos around Shanklin or Sandown for about £5 or £10 and spend a bit of time larking around on the water. Please try to avoid ending up in France.
Read the blog about our kayaking adventure.
If you fancy kayaking, there are a few options. Over at Freshwater Bay you can explore caves and the rocky coastline for about £40 per person. On the more tranquil waters of St Helen's you can play some games on kayaks with Tackt Isle for about £20 a person. Or you can just hire a few kayaks and pedalos around Shanklin or Sandown for about £5 or £10 and spend a bit of time larking around on the water. Please try to avoid ending up in France.
Read the blog about our kayaking adventure.
6. Surfing or bodyboarding
Bodyboarding is somewhat easier than surfing
Surf lessons are a reasonably good idea for a stag do, but it is very dependent on the weather so you will want to have a plan B ready. If the waves aren't big enough you'll get nowhere (see our surf forecast). Group lessons are £20 each with iSurf, plus the cost of hiring a board and wetsuit.
Bodyboarding requires zero ability and is good fun, although you may not consider it macho enough when you see small children boarding alongside you. I've not yet come across anywhere which hires bodyboards on the Isle of Wight, although bodyboards are only about £20- £30 to buy.
Compton Bay is our favourite spot for surf (see our beaches map). The Isle of Wight generally doesn't get as big waves as parts of Cornwall, but it is still decent on the right day.
Bodyboarding requires zero ability and is good fun, although you may not consider it macho enough when you see small children boarding alongside you. I've not yet come across anywhere which hires bodyboards on the Isle of Wight, although bodyboards are only about £20- £30 to buy.
Compton Bay is our favourite spot for surf (see our beaches map). The Isle of Wight generally doesn't get as big waves as parts of Cornwall, but it is still decent on the right day.
7. Paintball / Laser quest
There's always one guy at paintball or laser tag who is taking it all a bit too seriously. He is the one who has brought his own camouflage face paint and has an apocalypse survival kit around his waist. He wanted to join the army but his mum wouldn't let him.
If there's anyone in your stag party like this I would give it a miss as they will spend the whole time bellowing instructions about formations and strategies.
If you don't mind a bit of bruising, try Island Paintballing which takes place near Ryde and starts at about £15. A cheaper option is Headhunters Laser Combat which takes place in woodland just outside Newport, and was about £7 for two hours last time I checked.
If there's anyone in your stag party like this I would give it a miss as they will spend the whole time bellowing instructions about formations and strategies.
If you don't mind a bit of bruising, try Island Paintballing which takes place near Ryde and starts at about £15. A cheaper option is Headhunters Laser Combat which takes place in woodland just outside Newport, and was about £7 for two hours last time I checked.
8. Tree climbing
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If there was one thing that I loved as a young teenage boy it was treeclimbing. Well, that and bazoombas. Anyway, you might consider organised treeclimbing with Goodleaf which takes place over towards Ryde. It is one of the pricier stag do options at about £40 for 2 hours, but it does get very good reviews.
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9. Clay pigeon shooting
I can't stand Clay Pigeons. Coming over here, killing off our native pigeons, stealing their jobs and destroying their natural habitats. Do your bit by spending a couple of hours shooting at them on farmland with Bowcombe View Shooting (West Wightish area near Carisbrooke).
A couple of hours costs about £35.
A couple of hours costs about £35.
10. Go Karting
If you are a David Essex fan and you are planning a stag do I'd say you rarer than a Guardian reader in a Conservative club.
Anyway, I digress. The Isle of Wight's go kart track is now home to the pavilion which featured in a David Essex and Ringo Star 1970s film called 'That'll Be The Day'. No? Me neither (it features in our Isle of Wight Film and TV tour).
Stag do packages are from about £40.
Anyway, I digress. The Isle of Wight's go kart track is now home to the pavilion which featured in a David Essex and Ringo Star 1970s film called 'That'll Be The Day'. No? Me neither (it features in our Isle of Wight Film and TV tour).
Stag do packages are from about £40.
11. Zorbing
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Zorbing involves climbing inside a big hamster wheel and rolling down a hill whilst trying to avoid throwing up.
Needless to say I would certainly fail with the puking part so I've not tried it. Zorbing is run by Isle of Wight Adventure Activities. |
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12. Rib Rides
Another one for those with a strong stomach, so not to be attempted the morning after a raucous night. RIBs - rigid inflatable boats - usually hurtle around the Solent rather the south of the Isle of Wight. There is lots to see on the Solent, such as the Victorian era forts and modern cruise ships crammed full of people called Sue and Alan.
At the time of writing, Buy A Gift is offering a one hour RIB ride for £26 which leaves from Portsmouth.
At the time of writing, Buy A Gift is offering a one hour RIB ride for £26 which leaves from Portsmouth.
13. Mountain Boarding
Mountain boarding is an alternative to snowboarding, which offers the same downhill thrills and bruised bottoms that you get with the real thing.
I guess the main downside is that there is no chairlift or gondola to take you back up the hill so it will be about 25% mountain boarding and 75% hill climbing.
It costs £40 for a two hour mountain boarding session.
I guess the main downside is that there is no chairlift or gondola to take you back up the hill so it will be about 25% mountain boarding and 75% hill climbing.
It costs £40 for a two hour mountain boarding session.
14. Paragliding
Paragliding over Compton Bay
Stag parties with deep pockets and plenty of bottle might consider paragliding with High Adventure Paragliding. From the beach below it looks both graceful and thrilling, although you can be pretty sure that first timers have looser bowels than a pigeon full of blackberries.
A two to three hour session which includes a 20ish minute tandem flight costs £80.
A two to three hour session which includes a 20ish minute tandem flight costs £80.
15. Golf
The Isle of Wight has got the whole range of golfing related activities. Well, there isn't anything that comes under the PGA Tour but there are 18 hole courses, as well as pitch and putt, driving ranges and plenty of mini golf/ crazy golf courses.
Red Funnel has produced a golf guide. I'm no expert, but Brown's Golf Course is the pitch and putt type course so you won't have so many middle aged businessmen tutting at you for larking around. Freshwater Bay Golf Club has great scenery, although I would imagine it gets windy up on the cliffs. There's an undercover driving range at Westridge Golf Course near Ryde (£3 for 25 balls at the time of writing).
If you'd rather attempt some kind of minigolf tournament ("LADS!") then there are a few to choose from:
There is more on these in our guide for activities for children...
Red Funnel has produced a golf guide. I'm no expert, but Brown's Golf Course is the pitch and putt type course so you won't have so many middle aged businessmen tutting at you for larking around. Freshwater Bay Golf Club has great scenery, although I would imagine it gets windy up on the cliffs. There's an undercover driving range at Westridge Golf Course near Ryde (£3 for 25 balls at the time of writing).
If you'd rather attempt some kind of minigolf tournament ("LADS!") then there are a few to choose from:
- Jurassic Golf at The Needles Park near Alum Bay
- Crazy Golf and Pirates Cove Adventure Golf in Shanklin
- Lost World Adventure Golf in Sandown
- Mini golf at Puckpool in Ryde
- Crazy golf at Sandham Gardens in Sandown
- Rylstone Gardens in Shanklin
There is more on these in our guide for activities for children...
Prices checked August 2015.
So, what would I do on an Isle of Wight stag do?
I've now organised a couple of stag parties on the Isle of Wight and I'd recommend it as a good choice if your friends are more interested in outdoor type things and less interested in a whole stag weekend of drinking yards of ale. There are bars and pubs (I favour Cowes), but certainly not as many that will stay open until the wee hours as you would find in a big city.
The ferry cost is pretty cheap if you can get organised and fill a car full of people. A car costs anywhere from £50 to £180 but that includes up to 6 or 7 passengers, so it will be more like £20 each. See our discount Isle of Wight ferry travel guide before you book.
I would personally only consider the Isle of Wight as a stag do option in the summer (well, Easter to September). There is plenty to do in winter but not so much that would fit well with a group of laddish lads - unless you fancy the dancing water fountains of Waltzing Waters. Having said that, if it rains there is a big cinema, bowling alley, amusement arcades and some other options.
My idea of a good stag do involves a beach barbecue, football and sea swimming (all nice and cheap and laddish), alongside one or two outdoor activities - I like kayaking, laser tag, surf lessons but there are plenty of options listed above. Pick a beach that isn't full of children (see our guide to which is the best Isle of Wight beach for... to get some ideas). I'd go for somewhere cheap to eat out.
For accommodation, I would camp along a cliff edge (there are a few campsites in the West Wight which are worth a look in our camping guide), or you could rent a self catering place for something more civilised (bear in mind that some places don't want stag parties staying with them). See our accommodation guides for starters.
The ferry cost is pretty cheap if you can get organised and fill a car full of people. A car costs anywhere from £50 to £180 but that includes up to 6 or 7 passengers, so it will be more like £20 each. See our discount Isle of Wight ferry travel guide before you book.
I would personally only consider the Isle of Wight as a stag do option in the summer (well, Easter to September). There is plenty to do in winter but not so much that would fit well with a group of laddish lads - unless you fancy the dancing water fountains of Waltzing Waters. Having said that, if it rains there is a big cinema, bowling alley, amusement arcades and some other options.
My idea of a good stag do involves a beach barbecue, football and sea swimming (all nice and cheap and laddish), alongside one or two outdoor activities - I like kayaking, laser tag, surf lessons but there are plenty of options listed above. Pick a beach that isn't full of children (see our guide to which is the best Isle of Wight beach for... to get some ideas). I'd go for somewhere cheap to eat out.
For accommodation, I would camp along a cliff edge (there are a few campsites in the West Wight which are worth a look in our camping guide), or you could rent a self catering place for something more civilised (bear in mind that some places don't want stag parties staying with them). See our accommodation guides for starters.
The-Isle-of-Wight-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer™ The information on this website is correct, as far as we know, but please do check opening times and details with attractions directly if you are planning a long journey - and please contact us if you find anything inaccurate.
