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Cycling Holidays On The Isle Of Wight 2024
A few years ago, Lonely Planet wrote an entertaining feature which declared the Isle of Wight as number one in their list of the 'world's best cycling routes' ahead of Australia's West Coast and Provence in France.
I've never been quite sure if their top 10 was meant to be ranked 1-10, but let's not look a gift horse in the mouth and embrace this opportunity to get a few more planet-saving cyclists over to the Isle of Wight.
Here's our guide to cycling on the Isle of Wight with advice on taking a bike on the ferry, bike friendly places to stay, popular routes and cycling facilities.
Jump to the relevant section:
I've never been quite sure if their top 10 was meant to be ranked 1-10, but let's not look a gift horse in the mouth and embrace this opportunity to get a few more planet-saving cyclists over to the Isle of Wight.
Here's our guide to cycling on the Isle of Wight with advice on taking a bike on the ferry, bike friendly places to stay, popular routes and cycling facilities.
Jump to the relevant section:
Several former railways lines are now traffic-free cycle tracks (this is Yarmouth - Freshwater)
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The Chalk Ridge Extreme is suitable for mountain bikers with firm buttocks
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Getting to the Isle of Wight with a bicycle
If you are new to Isle of Wight ferry travel, then you might like to trawl your way through our ferry beginners' guide. However, if you have better things to do - such as renewing your home insurance or re-grouting your shower - then here's the gist of it:
It is always worth having a look at our ferry discounts code page or take a look at the 'official' offers pages for the three ferry companies yourself:
- Bringing a bike is free for foot passengers. Cars are charged depending on how much space they use up, so longer cars cost more.
- There are six ferry routes to the Isle of Wight. At the time of writing, four of them are properly geared up for taking lots of bicycles (Ed: is this page going to be full of bicycle puns?) whilst two of them have limited space and run a 'first come, first served policy'. You might end up in a fist fight to decide who gets to catch the next ferry.
- So, if you're arriving by bicycle then I'd get a ferry from Lymington Pier to Yarmouth (40 minute car ferry), Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head (20 minute foot passenger ferry), Portsmouth to Fishbourne (40 minute car ferry) or Southampton to East Cowes (55 minute car ferry).
The Hovercraft has a limited amount of space for bikes and doesn't allow them during a couple of peak crossings each day. It only takes 10 minutes and travels from Southsea to Ryde Esplanade. They describe trips on the Hovercraft as a 'flight' because technically it hovers above the water...
Red Funnel's foot passenger service - the Red Jet - does have space for bicycles but it is 'first come, first served' and isn't as large as the car ferries. It takes 28 minutes. - Car ferry return prices range from about £50 - £300 depending on time of year, whilst foot passengers cost about £15-£30 return regardless of the time of year. There are discount codes and deals regularly and a general rule is that travelling as a foot passenger on a car ferry is cheaper than travelling on a faster foot passenger ferry. See our guides to saving money as a foot passenger with Wightlink or Red Funnel.
- Broadly speaking, if you are travelling in winter as a group of four then you will probably find that it is cheaper to bring a car with bikes on the back. In summer, if you're travelling alone you'll find it is a lot cheaper to travel as a foot passenger.
It is always worth having a look at our ferry discounts code page or take a look at the 'official' offers pages for the three ferry companies yourself:
Taking your bike on public transport on the Isle of Wight
There is space for four bicycles on the 'Island Lane' trainline, which starts at Ryde Pierhead (next to the Wightlink foot passenger ferry). The train travels south via Brading, Sandown, Lake and Shanklin.
You can't reserve a space for your bike onboard.
You generally can't take bicycles onboard the Isle of Wight's buses. A few years ago, there was a bus with special space for buses but that stopped running. See the official policy.
You can't reserve a space for your bike onboard.
You generally can't take bicycles onboard the Isle of Wight's buses. A few years ago, there was a bus with special space for buses but that stopped running. See the official policy.
Bike hire on the ISle of WIght
If you're not bringing your own bike, then bike hire options on the Isle of Wight include:
You can expect to pay about £15-£20 to hire a bike for the day from most of these places. Electric bikes tend to be more expensive.
Tapnell Farm is also worth a mention as it offers bike hire for its guests. There are several different types of accommodation at the site in the West Wight including Tom's Eco Lodges (safari tents, sleeps 8), modulogs (sleeps 6), log cabins (sleeps 8), pods (sleeps 4) and geodomes (sleeps 6). They've also got a 16 person manor house on the site.
- Wight Cycle Hire (10 minute walk from the Yarmouth ferry port)
- South Island Cycle Hire (Freshwater, about 3 miles from the Yarmouth ferry port)
- Tav Cycles (15-20 minutes walk from the Ryde ferry ports)
- RouteFifty7 (two bases in Shanklin, 10-15 minutes from the railway station)
- Wight Bike (Merstone, near Arreton - middle of nowhere!)
- Zoom E-Bike hire (Niton, South Wight)
- Beryl e-bikes (various locations, part of a scheme which hires bikes and electric scooters)
You can expect to pay about £15-£20 to hire a bike for the day from most of these places. Electric bikes tend to be more expensive.
Tapnell Farm is also worth a mention as it offers bike hire for its guests. There are several different types of accommodation at the site in the West Wight including Tom's Eco Lodges (safari tents, sleeps 8), modulogs (sleeps 6), log cabins (sleeps 8), pods (sleeps 4) and geodomes (sleeps 6). They've also got a 16 person manor house on the site.
biCycle-friendly accommodation on the Isle of Wight
This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but I've dug out a few Isle of Wight places to stay that describe themselves as being cycling-friendly, which generally means you won't have to leave your £5000 bike chained up to a lamp-post overnight. Some options include:
- The Clifton in Shanklin is a guest house with sea views and 4.5/5 review scores. It has 'safe storage for bikes' according to a couple of reviewers. The Clifton was 'Commended' at a South East tourism in 2022/2023 called the Beautiful South Awards.
- Luccombe Hall Country House Hotel in Shanklin has 'secure under cover bicycle storage' according to their website. It scores 4/5 from reviewers.
- The Caledon in Cowes is a B&B with 'secure cycle storage' according to their website. It scores 5/5 on TripAdvisor.
- Boniface Cliff Villa in Shanklin is a self catering house which sleeps eight people. The owners have built a lockable bicycle storage shed on the side of the building which has space for eight bikes.
Sea views from the Clifton Hotel in Shanklin
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The Caledon is a highly rated B&B in Cowes with cycle storage
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Getting around the Isle of Wight with a bicycle
There are obviously countless routes you could take around the Isle of Wight on bicycle, but you don't really want to spend a weekend touring the Island's industrial estates. We've picked out a handful of the more popular routes and split them into routes for hardcore cyclists (my definition is someone wearing lycra shorts and a brightly coloured top) and those looking for more of a gentle holiday with stops every five minutes to have a drink and pretend you're admiring the view.
Isle of Wight Cycling routes for keen cyclists
Does your bicycle cost more than your car? Do you wear lycra shorts? Do you wear those funny shoes which clip into your bicycle? Do you find yourself saying 'epic' a lot?
If so, I'd consider you a keen cyclist who will probably want to take on one of the Isle of Wight's two tougher cycle routes.
If so, I'd consider you a keen cyclist who will probably want to take on one of the Isle of Wight's two tougher cycle routes.
1. Round the Island Cycle route
Keen cyclists often attempt the Round the Island cycle route, which is about 64 miles/103km. You can join 3000 other people for the annual Randonee in May or attempt it yourself on a quieter day or two. It isn't an entirely coastal route, so don't expect endless sea views but it has some lovely sections. The prettiest bit is probably the West Wight section around Compton Bay and Freshwater Bay. The Randonee goes in a clockwise direction.
Here's a nice video of someone attempting the Round The Island cycle route whilst making me feel bad about the big slice of chocolate fudge cake I ate last night.
If you're not bringing a car and want to attempt the Round The Island Cycle Route in two days (about 30-35 miles a day) then I would go for one of these options (in no particular order):
1. Catch a Wightlink ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne (check here for offers). It's a car ferry which takes 40 minutes and is round the corner from the railway station at Portsmouth Harbour. At the time of writing, you can bring a bike on the train to Portsmouth Harbour, with some restrictions. You can also take a bike on the ferry. Alternatively, you could get the foot passenger ferry from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head. It's a quicker crossing (20 minutes) and has the nice novelty of arriving at the UK's oldest pier. However, it's a detour to get onto the Round The Island Cycle Route so will add a couple of miles onto your journey.
If you want somewhere to stop halfway then you'll end up along the Isle of Wight's Military Road on the South West Coastline. The good news is that it's a beautiful stretch of coastline with unspoilt beaches and dark skies for stargazing. We've had many happy evenings sat on the beach at Compton Bay watching the sunset.
The bad news is that there's not much accommodation around there apart from several campsites (Grange Farm, Compton Farm). If you want accommodation with actual walls then I start with The Three Bishops in Brighstone). There aren't hotels around that part of the Isle of Wight and there aren't many places for eating out, apart from a lone pub in Brighstone. You could stop off in Ventnor or Niton en route if you don't mind cycling a few more miles on top of your fish and chips.
1. Catch a Wightlink ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne (check here for offers). It's a car ferry which takes 40 minutes and is round the corner from the railway station at Portsmouth Harbour. At the time of writing, you can bring a bike on the train to Portsmouth Harbour, with some restrictions. You can also take a bike on the ferry. Alternatively, you could get the foot passenger ferry from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head. It's a quicker crossing (20 minutes) and has the nice novelty of arriving at the UK's oldest pier. However, it's a detour to get onto the Round The Island Cycle Route so will add a couple of miles onto your journey.
If you want somewhere to stop halfway then you'll end up along the Isle of Wight's Military Road on the South West Coastline. The good news is that it's a beautiful stretch of coastline with unspoilt beaches and dark skies for stargazing. We've had many happy evenings sat on the beach at Compton Bay watching the sunset.
The bad news is that there's not much accommodation around there apart from several campsites (Grange Farm, Compton Farm). If you want accommodation with actual walls then I start with The Three Bishops in Brighstone). There aren't hotels around that part of the Isle of Wight and there aren't many places for eating out, apart from a lone pub in Brighstone. You could stop off in Ventnor or Niton en route if you don't mind cycling a few more miles on top of your fish and chips.
There are some campsites near to Compton Bay to split up a two day cycle
2. A second option is to get the Red Funnel car ferry from Southampton to East Cowes which takes about an hour (check here for offers). The bad news is that the ferry journey is longer than the Portsmouth ferry (55 minutes compared to 40) and the ferry port isn't right by Southampton Central Railway Station. The good news is that you have more options of places to stay, which are about half way round the route. There aren't many campsites around the South Wight but there is accommodation at The Wight Mouse pub in Chale and there are some hotels in Ventnor.
Ventnor is probably a bit less than half way but has a much better choice of places to sleep and eat than Niton or St Lawrence. It's a decent sized town with a nice esplanade and seafront pubs/restaurants.
Ventnor is probably a bit less than half way but has a much better choice of places to sleep and eat than Niton or St Lawrence. It's a decent sized town with a nice esplanade and seafront pubs/restaurants.
Ventnor is a Victorian resort with lots of hotels
3. A third option is to get the Wightlink ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth which takes about 40 minutes (check here for offers). It's a quieter ferry crossing than the other two but it is pretty and is a good one if you want to cycle through the New Forest on the mainland.
Sandown and Shanklin are about halfway round and are probably your best bet for an overnight stay, although it's worth realising that it is a notable detour from the official route. The towns have lots of places to stay including several hotels and some campsites which are a bit inland. Shanklin seafront has a good choice of places to eat.
As mentioned earlier, a couple of Shanklin's hotels mention in their adverts that they have secure places to keep bikes so I would start with The Clifton and Luccombe Hall Country House Hotel in Shanklin. However, I would double-check with them that nothing has changed since I wrote this!
Sandown and Shanklin are about halfway round and are probably your best bet for an overnight stay, although it's worth realising that it is a notable detour from the official route. The towns have lots of places to stay including several hotels and some campsites which are a bit inland. Shanklin seafront has a good choice of places to eat.
As mentioned earlier, a couple of Shanklin's hotels mention in their adverts that they have secure places to keep bikes so I would start with The Clifton and Luccombe Hall Country House Hotel in Shanklin. However, I would double-check with them that nothing has changed since I wrote this!
Average views at cycle-friendly Luccombe Hall Country House Hotel
Why does the Round The Island Cycle Route go inland?
You may have noticed that the coastal cycle route isn't all that coastal in places. The walking route certainly hugs the coastline more closely. I am not completely sure on all the reasons for this but my thoughts are:
- The section along the South West coastline is on the Military Road. Some drivers have a habit of racing along here at dangerous speeds as it's a long and straight-ish road. Cycling on the quieter roads slightly inland is probably safer if you're in a group.
- Between East Cowes and Ryde, a lot of the coastal section is inaccessible and privately owned. There aren't public roads or paths in a lot of places. Even the walking route misses out a lot of this section of coastline.
- The section between Yarmouth and Shalfleet jumps inland. Again, I think this is to avoid the main road between Yarmouth and Newport. The section around Newtown is marshy so you couldn't cycle through there anyway.
- Sandown and Shanklin are missed off the cycle route altogether. They are both popular places which get a large number of visitors and the roads get a little slow in summer. The official route follows much quieter roads.
2. Chalk Ridge Extreme
Another popular Isle of Wight route for hardcore cyclists is the Chalk Ridge Extreme which is about 53 miles/85 km. It's a hilly route - by Isle of Wight standards - and is considered a more difficult cycle than the Round The Island route.
I'd say those are the two most famous, challenging cycle routes on the Isle of Wight, but other routes for keen cyclists are offered by Wightlink, Visit Isle of Wight and The National Trust.
Whilst planning your routes, it's worth knowing that the West Wight (Yarmouth, Freshwater, Brighstone) is much quieter and less developed than the East Wight (Sandown, Shanklin, Ryde). I reckon that animals outnumber people in the West Wight. The South Wight (Ventnor, Niton) is very steep in places and there's also a hilly band across the middle of the Island.
Whilst planning your routes, it's worth knowing that the West Wight (Yarmouth, Freshwater, Brighstone) is much quieter and less developed than the East Wight (Sandown, Shanklin, Ryde). I reckon that animals outnumber people in the West Wight. The South Wight (Ventnor, Niton) is very steep in places and there's also a hilly band across the middle of the Island.
Easy and traffic-free Isle of Wight Cycling routes for families and occasional cyclists
If your bicycles have pictures of Elsa and Anna on the saddle then you will probably want to stick to one of the more family-friendly routes. Equally, you might prefer these routes if you are like me and quite enjoy a short bike ride followed by a large lunch in a café.
The full Red Squirrel Trail is 32 miles, but you can attempt a shorter section or do it in two or three days. A lot of the trail is along former railway lines, but there are some sections which go through towns. Detailed advice on these easier cycle routes is offered by the Red Squirrel Trail website. It gives a detailed guide to the Red Squirrel Trail itself, as well as other quiet cycle tracks and easy routes.
The full Red Squirrel Trail is 32 miles, but you can attempt a shorter section or do it in two or three days. A lot of the trail is along former railway lines, but there are some sections which go through towns. Detailed advice on these easier cycle routes is offered by the Red Squirrel Trail website. It gives a detailed guide to the Red Squirrel Trail itself, as well as other quiet cycle tracks and easy routes.
This leg of the Red Squirrel Trail can be founded near a trading estate in Newport...
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This part of trail leads to Cowes and is car free
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Where can I hire bikes near to a traffic free cycle track?
For a family bike ride on holiday you need a) somewhere to hire bikes near to a traffic free cycle track and b) somewhere to buy a Frappuccino. If no-one falls off, that is even better.
For this scenario, I would recommend the former railway line which is now the Yarmouth to Freshwater cycle track. You can park at Yarmouth's Long Stay Car Park and walk for seven minutes to Wight Cycle Hire (there is also free parking about 20 minutes' walk away at Bouldnor Viewpoint).
You can then cycle for 1.8 miles towards Freshwater Causeway along the River Yar. It's a scenic ride and is mostly quite wide. The risk of falling in the river is minimal, apart from a little bit at the end where you meet the road.
Once you get to the Causeway, you can either turn round or carry on to Freshwater Bay. The latter requires cycling on a road for about a mile.
If you carry on to the beach then you can get lunch at Dimbola or get an ice cream from the lifeboat shop at the beach.
If you turn around and cycle back then you can get lunch at Off The Rails, which is the former railway station (it's a lovely café, but it's quite pricey).
Read the blog about our idyllic cycle along this track.
For this scenario, I would recommend the former railway line which is now the Yarmouth to Freshwater cycle track. You can park at Yarmouth's Long Stay Car Park and walk for seven minutes to Wight Cycle Hire (there is also free parking about 20 minutes' walk away at Bouldnor Viewpoint).
You can then cycle for 1.8 miles towards Freshwater Causeway along the River Yar. It's a scenic ride and is mostly quite wide. The risk of falling in the river is minimal, apart from a little bit at the end where you meet the road.
Once you get to the Causeway, you can either turn round or carry on to Freshwater Bay. The latter requires cycling on a road for about a mile.
If you carry on to the beach then you can get lunch at Dimbola or get an ice cream from the lifeboat shop at the beach.
If you turn around and cycle back then you can get lunch at Off The Rails, which is the former railway station (it's a lovely café, but it's quite pricey).
Read the blog about our idyllic cycle along this track.
We completed the Freshwater to Yarmouth bike ride without any disasters
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We enjoyed our Frappuccino at Off The Rails
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There are some other bike hire places near to off-road cycle tracks on the Isle of Wight.
I would look at doing the circular part of the Red Squirrel Trail by starting from routefifty7 in Shanklin or Wight Bike in Merstone.
If you're looking for things to do along the route, we've got guides to things to do in Cowes, Newport, Shanklin and Sandown, which will blow your socks off (Ed: think you might be overselling).
Here's a video of someone cycling along the coastal part of the Red Squirrel Trail. At times they come precariously close to falling off the sea wall whilst admiring the view...
I would look at doing the circular part of the Red Squirrel Trail by starting from routefifty7 in Shanklin or Wight Bike in Merstone.
If you're looking for things to do along the route, we've got guides to things to do in Cowes, Newport, Shanklin and Sandown, which will blow your socks off (Ed: think you might be overselling).
Here's a video of someone cycling along the coastal part of the Red Squirrel Trail. At times they come precariously close to falling off the sea wall whilst admiring the view...
The people behind the Red Squirrel Trail also recommend a number of other places for car-free or quiet cycle routes for families:
- Parkhurst Forest which is near to Newport is a good sized woodland with lots of walking and cycling routes.
- Brading to St Helens is a route in the East Wight which goes along a former railway line and includes a nature reserve.
- Newport to Wootton Bridge is an inland section which meets up with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, which is a nice family day out (i.e. a nice day out for families, rather than a day out for nice families).
- Ryde to St Helens is another East Wight route which is mostly coastal. There are bike hire places in the area including TAV Cycles in Ryde.
The Newport to Wootton Bridge cycle route joins up with the Isle of Wight Steam
Useful facilities for cycling on the Isle of Wight
Cowes Cycle Hub and Newport Cycle Hub
A couple of 'cycle hubs' opened on the Isle of Wight in 2017 to encourage people like me to stop driving around in their massive cars whilst complaining about traffic.
The Cowes cycle hub is by the Cowes Red Jet ferry at PO31 7RS. It provides a shelter for locking up your bike and there are tools to help with repairs.
A Newport hub also opened at PO30 2QR, but Google reckons it is closed and I've not got round to checking in person yet. For some reason, the map on the news article launching the hubs showed the Newport hub as being at 'Andy's Disco and Karaoke' on the other side of Newport. I'm sure Andy's a lovely guy but I doubt he'd take kindly to you repairing your bike in his lounge.
The Cowes cycle hub is by the Cowes Red Jet ferry at PO31 7RS. It provides a shelter for locking up your bike and there are tools to help with repairs.
A Newport hub also opened at PO30 2QR, but Google reckons it is closed and I've not got round to checking in person yet. For some reason, the map on the news article launching the hubs showed the Newport hub as being at 'Andy's Disco and Karaoke' on the other side of Newport. I'm sure Andy's a lovely guy but I doubt he'd take kindly to you repairing your bike in his lounge.
Bag carrying services for Isle of WIght cycling holidays
My mother has not let me forget the childhood cycling holiday when I smuggled 26 Mr Men books into her panniers. Upon arrival at the B&B she was not amused to find that she had been carrying extra weight all day and that she didn't have any spare pants.
If you want to avoid such calamities, you could use Move My Bag. I've not used it myself so I can't offer a lot of guidance.
If you want to avoid such calamities, you could use Move My Bag. I've not used it myself so I can't offer a lot of guidance.
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