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Cheap Camping, Motorhome and Touring Holidays on the Isle of Wight
You may be under the impression that taking your caravan or motorhome on the Isle of Wight ferry is going to cost you an arm and a leg. Perhaps you've heard someone complaining on Facebook about some enormous quote they've been given.
The good news is that with a bit of planning and flexibility you can have a family holiday on the Isle of Wight during peak times including ferry travel and accommodation for about £200-£300 rather than two or three times that.
We've also got guides for lodges, hotels and cottages including the ferry, but this one is just for those people who know that Elsan is a type of toilet rather than Anna's sister in Frozen.
These three deals cover a big chunk of the different campsites and touring parks on the Isle of Wight, as well as featuring both Wightlink and Red Funnel (the two car ferry companies serving the Island).
The good news is that with a bit of planning and flexibility you can have a family holiday on the Isle of Wight during peak times including ferry travel and accommodation for about £200-£300 rather than two or three times that.
We've also got guides for lodges, hotels and cottages including the ferry, but this one is just for those people who know that Elsan is a type of toilet rather than Anna's sister in Frozen.
These three deals cover a big chunk of the different campsites and touring parks on the Isle of Wight, as well as featuring both Wightlink and Red Funnel (the two car ferry companies serving the Island).
Deal 1 - Red Funnel's ferry + Pitch bundle
This ferry + pitch deal from Red Funnel is so good that I had to check the numbers twice when I first stumbled across it. I may have even run through to tell Mrs Guru.
It gets you a camping, touring or motorhome holiday for less than half price (based on the price comparisons I've done). You have to jump through a couple of hoops like an enthusiast spaniel, but I'm happy to oblige to save hundreds of pounds.
First you choose from one of the four touring parks that works with Red Funnel. You might assume these are four absolute stinkers with grubby toilets and terrible locations - but they certainly aren't.
In fact, they are four of the best family-owned touring and camping sites on the Isle of Wight.
They all score 4.5/5 or 5/5 on TripAdvisor and most of them have a swimming pool. I'll give you a bit of waffle about them all in a minute. Thankyou for your patience.
You then need to choose whether you want to stay for three, five or ten nights. Why can't you stay for a week? Honestly, I don't know but I suspect it's to do with filling up ferries during the quieter days of the week.
Finally, you need to pick from a list of fixed start dates for your holiday. Again, you might assume these are all random days in the middle of winter - but they aren't.
In fact, you can use the offer during the summer school holidays as long as you are flexible.
I admit that this offer isn't great if you can't pick and choose your annual leave but it's a total bargain if you can be flexible.
It gets you a camping, touring or motorhome holiday for less than half price (based on the price comparisons I've done). You have to jump through a couple of hoops like an enthusiast spaniel, but I'm happy to oblige to save hundreds of pounds.
First you choose from one of the four touring parks that works with Red Funnel. You might assume these are four absolute stinkers with grubby toilets and terrible locations - but they certainly aren't.
In fact, they are four of the best family-owned touring and camping sites on the Isle of Wight.
They all score 4.5/5 or 5/5 on TripAdvisor and most of them have a swimming pool. I'll give you a bit of waffle about them all in a minute. Thankyou for your patience.
You then need to choose whether you want to stay for three, five or ten nights. Why can't you stay for a week? Honestly, I don't know but I suspect it's to do with filling up ferries during the quieter days of the week.
Finally, you need to pick from a list of fixed start dates for your holiday. Again, you might assume these are all random days in the middle of winter - but they aren't.
In fact, you can use the offer during the summer school holidays as long as you are flexible.
I admit that this offer isn't great if you can't pick and choose your annual leave but it's a total bargain if you can be flexible.
How much will this ferry + pitch bundle cost me?
Prices for 2024 range from £124 to £448, depending on how long you stay for, what time of year you visit and whether you bring a car or caravan/motorhome.
That includes the cost of your ferry, a pitch with an electric hook-up (generally) and up to four people.
In our guide to cheap ferry travel for caravans we found that at peak times you will often pay £400-£500 to take your car + caravan on the Isle of Wight ferry. Meanwhile, in our camping and touring guide, we found that the four parks featured charge about £250 - £450 for a week's holiday for a pitch with an electric hook-up at peak times.
In other words, by booking the ferry and accommodation separately you could well pay more than £800. By booking the bundle, you will pay a maximum of £448.
That includes the cost of your ferry, a pitch with an electric hook-up (generally) and up to four people.
In our guide to cheap ferry travel for caravans we found that at peak times you will often pay £400-£500 to take your car + caravan on the Isle of Wight ferry. Meanwhile, in our camping and touring guide, we found that the four parks featured charge about £250 - £450 for a week's holiday for a pitch with an electric hook-up at peak times.
In other words, by booking the ferry and accommodation separately you could well pay more than £800. By booking the bundle, you will pay a maximum of £448.
Which of the four camping and touring parks is best?
That depends on what you want.
The four touring and camping parks you can choose from are nicely spread out across the Isle of Wight and they all offer something slightly different.
I've labelled them as A, B, C and D to try to make it less confusing but this isn't intended as a ranking.
The four touring and camping parks you can choose from are nicely spread out across the Isle of Wight and they all offer something slightly different.
I've labelled them as A, B, C and D to try to make it less confusing but this isn't intended as a ranking.
a) Whitefield Forest Touring Park, East Wight
Whitefield is the winner on customer reviews. It scores 5/5 on TripAdvisor, which is rarer than a one-armed skydiving vicar.
It doesn't have a swimming pool and it isn't right by the beach but it is in a genuinely leafy spot - rather than just rows and rows of dull pitches.
It's in the east Wight and is about 10 minutes' drive or 20 minutes' cycle from several outstanding beaches including family friendly ones like Appley, Yaverland and St Helens as well as some quieter beaches such as Priory Bay and Whitecliff Bay (two of my favourites).
The East Wight is a little more developed than the West Wight but the coastline is really lovely and there are some classy villages full of yachty sorts (Bembridge, Seaview, St Helens).
It doesn't have a swimming pool and it isn't right by the beach but it is in a genuinely leafy spot - rather than just rows and rows of dull pitches.
It's in the east Wight and is about 10 minutes' drive or 20 minutes' cycle from several outstanding beaches including family friendly ones like Appley, Yaverland and St Helens as well as some quieter beaches such as Priory Bay and Whitecliff Bay (two of my favourites).
The East Wight is a little more developed than the West Wight but the coastline is really lovely and there are some classy villages full of yachty sorts (Bembridge, Seaview, St Helens).
Whitefield Forest is a 5/5 touring park in the East Wight...
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...with modern facilities and a bargain ferry deal
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B) Waverley Park holiday Centre, East Cowes
Waverley Park has an outdoor swimming pool and a great reputation, with reviews of 4.5/5.
It's next to a beach in East Cowes but it isn't really the sort of beach that you will be stripping down to your microkini. It's really just a scrubby bit of shingle with a decent playground on the seafront. On the plus side, you do get sea views from some parts of the park whereas the other three in this comparison aren't quite so coastal.
For sandy beach days, you will want to drive about 25 minutes to Appley, Sandown, Shanklin and the East Wight beaches.
East Cowes itself is not the most touristy or thrilling place on the Isle of Wight. It's got a Waitrose and a couple of nice places to eat but the list of big attractions in East Cowes starts and ends with Osborne House.
The other good thing about Waverley Park is that it's only a two minute drive from the Red Funnel car ferry.
It's next to a beach in East Cowes but it isn't really the sort of beach that you will be stripping down to your microkini. It's really just a scrubby bit of shingle with a decent playground on the seafront. On the plus side, you do get sea views from some parts of the park whereas the other three in this comparison aren't quite so coastal.
For sandy beach days, you will want to drive about 25 minutes to Appley, Sandown, Shanklin and the East Wight beaches.
East Cowes itself is not the most touristy or thrilling place on the Isle of Wight. It's got a Waitrose and a couple of nice places to eat but the list of big attractions in East Cowes starts and ends with Osborne House.
The other good thing about Waverley Park is that it's only a two minute drive from the Red Funnel car ferry.
Waverley Park has an outdoor swimming pool...
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...and a clubhouse for guests
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c) Appuldurcombe Gardens Holiday Park, South Wight
Appuldurcombe Gardens is in the South Wight, at the opposite end to Waverley Park. It's got an outdoor swimming pool, as well as a café, playground and football pitch.
The South Wight is the more remote and hilliest part of the Isle of Wight. It has a lovely feeling that you are a zillion miles away from a Poundland. Most of the beaches are the rocky and isolated sort that you can have to yourself, but it's also got Ventnor, which is a charming and traditional seaside resort.
Appuldurcombe Gardens is a few miles inland so you can't walk to the beach but you still get a nice rural feel. There's the ruin of a big manor house nearby that is free to visit and a donkey sanctuary just down the road.
Your nearest beaches for a proper beach day out will be Shanklin and Ventnor. Both are 10 minutes by car.
Appuldurcombe Gardens is a particularly good choice if you are bringing bicycles, as it is close to the Red Squirrel Trail. This is a mostly traffic free route that covers about 30 miles and links up with Shanklin, Sandown, Newport and Cowes. You could cycle to Shanklin seafront in about 25 minutes.
It's not a tarmacked car-free paradise for the whole thing, but it's a good way to see the Island and some sections are former railway lines that are flat and fairly smooth. See our Red Squirrel Trail guide for more detailed advice.
The South Wight is the more remote and hilliest part of the Isle of Wight. It has a lovely feeling that you are a zillion miles away from a Poundland. Most of the beaches are the rocky and isolated sort that you can have to yourself, but it's also got Ventnor, which is a charming and traditional seaside resort.
Appuldurcombe Gardens is a few miles inland so you can't walk to the beach but you still get a nice rural feel. There's the ruin of a big manor house nearby that is free to visit and a donkey sanctuary just down the road.
Your nearest beaches for a proper beach day out will be Shanklin and Ventnor. Both are 10 minutes by car.
Appuldurcombe Gardens is a particularly good choice if you are bringing bicycles, as it is close to the Red Squirrel Trail. This is a mostly traffic free route that covers about 30 miles and links up with Shanklin, Sandown, Newport and Cowes. You could cycle to Shanklin seafront in about 25 minutes.
It's not a tarmacked car-free paradise for the whole thing, but it's a good way to see the Island and some sections are former railway lines that are flat and fairly smooth. See our Red Squirrel Trail guide for more detailed advice.
Appuldurcombe Gardens is a touring park in the South Wight...
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...with a café, playground and outdoor swimming pool
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D) The Orchards Holiday Park, West Wight
The Orchards Holiday Park is your final choice if you go for the Red Funnel bundle. Its trump card is its indoor and outdoor swimming pools. None of the others in this offer have an indoor pool.
There are also a couple of playgrounds at The Orchards Holiday Park.
It's in the West Wight, which is my favourite part of the Isle of Wight (don't just listen to me though, there are lots of nice bits). The West Wight is the least built up part of the Island with a coastline that is gradually disappearing into the sea, some hilly bits and a good range of places to eat. Attractions are a bit more spread out but there are some favourites including Tapnell Farm Park and The Needles/Alum Bay.
There isn't a beach within walking distance, but you can get to Freshwater Bay or Compton Bay in about 10 minutes. Both of those are in my top five Isle of Wight beaches (subject to change based on my mood and the weather). The small but pretty town of Yarmouth is a similar distance and is a nice place to potter about or slurp a latte.
The more touristy part of the Isle of Wight, including Sandown and Shanklin, is about half an hour's drive away. You might consider that to be a short journey, but many Islanders wouldn't dare to venture that far unless there was some absolutely catastrophic event.
There are also a couple of playgrounds at The Orchards Holiday Park.
It's in the West Wight, which is my favourite part of the Isle of Wight (don't just listen to me though, there are lots of nice bits). The West Wight is the least built up part of the Island with a coastline that is gradually disappearing into the sea, some hilly bits and a good range of places to eat. Attractions are a bit more spread out but there are some favourites including Tapnell Farm Park and The Needles/Alum Bay.
There isn't a beach within walking distance, but you can get to Freshwater Bay or Compton Bay in about 10 minutes. Both of those are in my top five Isle of Wight beaches (subject to change based on my mood and the weather). The small but pretty town of Yarmouth is a similar distance and is a nice place to potter about or slurp a latte.
The more touristy part of the Isle of Wight, including Sandown and Shanklin, is about half an hour's drive away. You might consider that to be a short journey, but many Islanders wouldn't dare to venture that far unless there was some absolutely catastrophic event.
The Orchards has camping and touring in the West Wight...
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...and is the only park with indoor and outdoor swimming pools
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Deal 2 - Camping and touring with Parkdean Resort
Our second great deal for a cheap camping, touring or motorhome holiday on the Isle of Wight is to stay at one of four Parkdean Resorts holiday parks.
Thorness Bay, Nodes Point, Lower Hyde and Landguard all offer camping and touring pitches.
So, why are they any better than the other independent campsites on the Isle of Wight, I hear you cry?
Well, for some people they won't be very appealing. If you want a rural and silent campsite where you can have a campfire and experience life in the wild...then I probably wouldn't go for Parkdean Resorts.
However, Parkdean Resorts offers two things:
The ferry discount varies depending when you visit, but we've found that you can often save 50-70% compared to the cost of standard ferry fare. They work with Wightlink, so that's more convenient if you would rather travel to Portsmouth or Lymington rather than Southampton.
Thorness Bay, Nodes Point, Lower Hyde and Landguard all offer camping and touring pitches.
So, why are they any better than the other independent campsites on the Isle of Wight, I hear you cry?
Well, for some people they won't be very appealing. If you want a rural and silent campsite where you can have a campfire and experience life in the wild...then I probably wouldn't go for Parkdean Resorts.
However, Parkdean Resorts offers two things:
- A whopping great discount on the Wightlink Isle of Wight ferry
- Swimming pools, family friendly entertainment, playgrounds and onsite activities
The ferry discount varies depending when you visit, but we've found that you can often save 50-70% compared to the cost of standard ferry fare. They work with Wightlink, so that's more convenient if you would rather travel to Portsmouth or Lymington rather than Southampton.
Which Parkdean Resorts is best for camping, touring and motorhomes?
If you've got a lot of time on your hands, you can read our more detailed comparison of the four Parkdean Resorts on the Isle of Wight. If that's not enough waffle for you, read our guides to Lower Hyde and Landguard or about our visit to Nodes Point.
Here's the summary, for those of you who have better things to do with your time:
Here's the summary, for those of you who have better things to do with your time:
- Nodes Point is our top pick and it has the most spaces for camping and touring. You are walking distance to a quiet but family friendly and dog friendly beach called St Helens. It's got an indoor swimming pool with a slide and it gets the joint best reviews of the four parks. It tends to be one of the more expensive Parkdean Resorts holiday parks on the Isle of Wight but also gets the joint best reviews (4/5 on TripAdvisor).
Nodes Point has camping near to the beach at St Helens
- Lower Hyde and Landguard are sister parks in Shanklin. They get similar reviews to Nodes Point but they are in a busier and more touristy resort. The seafront entertainment is more abundant, as is the choice of places to eat. They are also the best connected, as you can easily get from Portsmouth to Shanklin using trains (and a ferry). However, neither of them are right by the beach so you'll need to walk about 20 minutes or drive down to the seafront and fight for a parking space. Landguard has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, whilst Lower Hyde just has an outdoor pool.
Lower Hyde is one of two Parkdean Resorts in Shanklin...
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...along with Landguard Holiday Park
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- Thorness Bay lags behind the other three Parkdean touring parks on the Isle of Wight on review scores (3.5/5 rather than 4/5). It's in a very remote part of the Island and has easy access to a beach. The beach is the sort of place you will want to go for a walk or a bit of fishing rather than somewhere you can build sandcastles or go for a swim. Thorness Bay has its own indoor swimming pool. In most of our price comparisons, it is the cheapest of the four Parkdean Resorts.
Thorness Bay is often the cheapest Parkdean Resorts for camping and touring
Deal 3 - Motorhome, Caravan and Camping Clubs
Your third option for a good value touring or camping holiday on the Isle of Wight is to use the discounts provided by caravan clubs.
The two deals that I know about are:
If you know of any other good ferry deals for caravanners or campers, please get in touch.
The two deals that I know about are:
- 20% off ferry travel with the Camping and Caravanning Club. There are eight Camping and Caravanning Club sites on the Isle of Wight. They are well spread out.
- 20% off Wightlink caravan ferry travel with the Caravan Club, or 50% off motorhome fares. They also do a (somewhat less generous) 6% off Red Funnel discount. The Caravan Club site on the Isle of Wight is called Southland. It's about 10 minutes inland, between Sandown and Shanklin.
If you know of any other good ferry deals for caravanners or campers, please get in touch.
