I recently spotted a change to what happens when you are late for the Wightlink Isle of Wight car ferry. I'm not sure when this change happened, but I think it was in the last few months (please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it was probably when they also changed the terms of the Multilink passes).

The old Wightlink policy was that if you were less than two hours late for your ferry, then it wouldn't count as a 'revised booking'. In other words, your booking would still be valid if were only slightly late.

They would wave you into the naughty line and then you would wait for a space on a ferry. If it was a busy day then you might be waiting a while, but if it was quiet then you would get on the next sailing and could breathe a sigh of relief.

The new policy has got rid of that two hour grace period. If you miss your sailing then you have to: "amend to an alternative sailing time". You also have to cough up "payment for any resulting increase in costs, and any amendment fees" before they'll let you on the ferry. 

If you bought an economy ticket and change your booking in the ticket office then the policy says they will charge you a £25 amendment fee. If you use the Wightlink app it will cost you £15. If you paid for a 'standard' ticket then you don't pay the £25.

Whichever type of ticket you've booked, you will also have to pay "any increase in cost" between your original ticket and the current price of the next sailing.  

There might not be any increase in cost, particularly if you missed a lunchtime crossing and are now sailing in an evening (Isle of Wight car ferry prices are higher towards the middle of the day).

However, the increase could be a lot as prices tend to increase as you get closer to the date of the sailing.

And no, you don't get a refund if your new sailing costs less than your original sailing.

See our other ferry guides for more advice:

• beginners' guide to the Isle of Wight ferry
• discounts and offers on the Isle of Wight ferry
• 5 holidays including ferry travel 

It is much simpler if you booked on a Wightlink ferry as a foot passenger. As long as it's the same day, there is no extra fee for getting a later crossing. Here's the policy:

"Late arrivals travelling by foot can still travel on an alternate sailing if it’s on the same route and same day subject to availability".

If you are looking for the best price for a foot passenger with Wightlink, see this guide.

May is an excellent time to visit the Isle of Wight. The evenings are long, the sun is (usually) shining and there are events galore.

Here are some highlights for May half term 2024.

It's a good time to visit Blackgang Chine. The admission price has dropped, after increasing over the last few years. You'll pay about £25 for a standard admission this half term, whereas last year the price peaked at £35. 

There are also some new things to see. Robin Hill's Ripple has re-appeared as Blackgang Beach on the former site of the Cliffhanger rollercoaster. Meanwhile, Robin Hill's Colossus will soon be the Jolly Robin at Blackgang (although I don't think it will be open by half term - comment below if you know otherwise).

At half term, it's Wild West Week and there's a fireworks display on Wednesday evening.

For first time visitors, my advice is this - visit once on Saturday, Sunday or Monday and then use your free return on the Wednesday evening. You can have a second wander round the park (the dinosaurs look good in the dark) and you can also watch the fireworks. 

Osborne is always a pleasant day out, but it's particularly appealing when they put on special events. This half term there's some Victorian themed jollity including "old-fashioned thrills and spills on traditional fairground rides like swing boats and the helter-skelter."

According to the blurb, this will cause you to "Giggle and gasp at the silly antics of the palace Jester and marvel at mesmerising illusions by our skilled magicians!" 

Members pay an extra couple of pounds for the event. Non-members pay a slightly higher than usual admission price. Still, what price can you put on a giggle and a gasp?

We enjoyed our previous visit to the Chillerton and Gatcombe Scarecrow Festival. The children liked the Disney characters and I enjoyed the satirical scarecrows created by sarcastic dads. The only challenge is that it takes place in two villages which don't have a lot of pavement, so you need to keep an eye out for cars.

If scarecrows sound a bit too tame, how about arming your children with weapons this May half term? Carisbrooke Castle offers this opportunity at its Kids Rule week.

Visitors can "Embark on a noble journey at our Knight School where aspiring warriors can master their knightly skills at our sword school and junior jousting. Once they've sharpened their abilities, they'll have the chance to go for glory at the thrilling kid's battle." 

My mother lives near Carisbrooke Castle, so I shall listen out for the distant cries of parents telling their children to stop attacking other children.

For the uninitiated, Shanklin Chine is a bit like a coastal garden on a hill. You wander down from near to Shanklin's old village to the esplanade via a waterfall, a tea rooms and some displays about the area's wartime history. Admission is about £10 and you can return for the rest of the week. At night, it is illuminated, so you may want to visit a couple of times. 

At half term, you can meet some famous villains, or dress up as one. I plan to dress up as Piers Morgan or that woman from the Post Office.

Bembridge is a lovely village, which has a good atmosphere at its street fair. We went a couple of years ago and enjoyed a magic show. I seem to remember one of the children was doing their best to ruin the day, but that probably shouldn't put you off visiting. 

The blurb on Facebook says "We have magic shows;  fire breathing; Disney Characters; 20 Vintage Classic Cars; Food stalls; Shooting Stalls; and much much more all for Monday 27/05/24 12-4pm"

​I read a request recently for advice on public toilets on the Isle of Wight. The question-asker had incontinence issues and wanted to know whether the Isle of Wight's public toilets were generally open or if they would be caught short.

I imagine this is a fairly common issue that stops a lot of people daring to have a day out (e.g. people with Crohn's disease or colitis). It's also an issue for parents with children who decide they are suddenly 'desperate' despite not needing the toilet when you left the house ten minutes ago.

The reality is that no Isle of Wight public toilet will always be open. Even a brand new million pound bog with golden toilet seats could be shut if some oik decides to block the toilets and flood the place.

However, you can relax a little if you find an Isle of Wight beach with public toilets, plus a café or pub nearby as a plan B. Of course, you'd need to buy something but it's a useful backup in case of a toilet emergency.

Here's our bog standard beach-by-beach guide to finding a toilet when you really need it on the Isle of Wight. There's also a short section about disabled toilets at the end of the guide.

There's a toilet within the Needles Landmark Attraction (the bit with the teacups and chairlift). It's always been open when I've been there. There is also a café onsite so that would be your plan B. However there isn't a toilet on the beach, and it's a long way back up to the toilet (i.e. about 100 steps or a chairlift ride).

The other attraction at The Needles is the Old Battery. You have to walk half a mile along the headland to get to this (or get a bus), so I would avoid this if you need to be within a short distance of a toilet at all times. 

The main beach at Bembridge is the one with the lifeboat station. When we last visited there was a decent toilet and it was open. It was separate cubicles but wasn't one you paid for. However, there isn't a big café or pub at the beach so you'd be searching a bit further if those toilets were out of action. Your best bet would be the Warner Leisure Bembridge Coast Hotel's Coffee Nest bar, which is open to non-residents if you buy a coffee or a slice of lemon drizzle cake. It's about a quarter of a mile from the beach car park.​

For years the toilets at Compton bay have been grim metal things with a puddle on the floor. You couldn't rely on them being open and there is nothing else nearby for miles (Freshwater Bay's toilets are five minutes away by car). I've had a few wild wees there as a result. However, they've now added some new toilets that are free. 

It also has a water bottle filling point, which makes it a good stopping point if you're on a walk or cycle ride.

East Cowes tarted up its esplanade toilets in 2025. They are free to use. The upgrades even included a wheelchair-accessible talking telescope. I should clarify that this is for looking at the sea rather than for staring at the toilets.

The Esplanade in East Cowes has a decent playground and you can wander along until it runs out, but it's not really a beach for days out.

Freshwater Bay recently unveiled new toilets. I was so excited I took a photo of it being built each time I walked past, as if I was going to create a time lapse video.

​The downside is that there isn't much of a reliable plan B. Most of the food and drink places round there are either mobile or a bit inconsistent with opening hours. Dimbola Museum and café is a five minute walk away but you'd need to dine in or develop a sudden interest in Victorian photography.

This was a pay-as-you-pee toilet when we last needed it. I can see why they need these things but they can be frustrating if you don't have the right change or if the card reader won't work (I can't remember how the Gurnard one works). However, there is a large pub on the seafront so if all else fails, pop in to The Woodvale and buy a bowl of chips so you can use their toilet guilt-free.​

You should be fine for toilets on Ryde seafront, with a bit of planning. There are three public toilet blocks to choose from including one near the Waterside swimming pool, one about half way along the main stretch of sandy beach and another in Puckpool Park (accessed via a footpath near the Dell Café).

My advice is to do a quick reconnaissance trip before you actually need to go. Ryde is a large town rather than an idyllic rural backwater so there are several news stories about public toilets including the phrase 'mindless vandalism'.

Once you've figured out which toilet is open, you can position yourself within a short walk away.

As an aside, why do reporters point out that it is 'mindless' vandalism? Is there such a thing as thoughtful vandalism?

Sandown is a bit like Ryde of terms of toilet facilities. I wouldn't offer you a guarantee that every toilet block will be open (reviews and my experience says otherwise). However, there is more than one public toilet, so you can do a little research trip and then position yourself on the beach near to one that's open.

On recent visits, I've found the Sandham Gardens public toilets to be open whilst the toilet block near the Sandown Pier was closed. However, that is just based on a couple of outings, so you may find the opposite is true as I know there is work to update the more centrally located toilets. The Sandham Gardens toilets are set back from the beach a little. 
​
There are also quite a few cafes and some other facilities on the seafront so with a bit of planning you'll be fine.

Shanklin Seafront is generally fine for toilets. We have used the toilets near the Small Hope Beach car park a few times and found them to be open and slightly better than average (let's not raise expectations too high). There are also toilets further along the esplanade near to the cliff lift and lots of cafes and pubs in Shanklin. As with Ryde and Sandown, the toilets are busy so there is a bigger chance of them being closed because of a problem. Do a quick research trip when you arrive if you want to be near to an open toilets.​

There's only one toilet block on Ventnor seafront and there was a story in 2023 about them being closed at night due to 'persistent vandalism'. That doesn't bode well and fits with my experience of them being closed one time when we needed them. I should point out that they were open on our last visit, but the nearest public alternative is a long walk up a steep hill.

The good news is that there are several cafes and pubs on Ventnor seafront which have toilets for customers. As long as you are willing to buy something then you should be fine. 

​As an aside, the toilets in Ventnor's car park opposite Tesco were the best public toilets I've used in years - but they aren't near to the beach. These will certainly feature in my long-planned guide to the Isle of Wight's best toilets...

Yarmouth isn't really a beach resort, but it's a nice place to potter about and look at trinkets or buy a croissant. There are two public toilets - one on the outskirts of town in the direction of Newport and another near Yarmouth bus station. The one near the bus station costs 20p (cash or card).

I can't guarantee either will be open, but Yarmouth is quiet and posh so vandalised toilets would be met with gasps and clutching of pearl necklaces rather than people saying 'oh no, not again'.

There are also some pubs and cafes in Yarmouth with toilets for customers. Some of them are a bit posh so you couldn't really casually wander in and spend a couple of pounds (after you've spent a penny). You may end up in an awkward situation where you feel obliged to eat a six-course taster menu with wine pairings just because you wanted to use the toilet.

​If you are specifically looking for disabled toilets then the Isle of Wight Council has a list on its website. I am not entirely clear if you need a radar key for all of these places.

The gist of it - at the time of writing - is that the following beaches have disabled toilets near the beach: 

• Colwell​ (on the only road approaching the beach)
• Cowes (near the main section of green, overlooking the shingle beach)
• Gurnard (the pay as you pee toilets overlooking the beach huts)
• Ryde (two toilets, including one near the swimming pool and another on the way towards Appley Tower from the town)
• Sandown (near to the Pier)
• Shanklin (near to the dinosaur minigolf)
• Ventnor (near to the seafront paddling pool)
• Yaverland (in the car park)

Of course, I can't guarantee which of these will be open when you need it but it's a good start. 

Some of the Isle of Wight's Supermarkets are also good for disabled toilets.