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Dog friendly Isle of Wight holidays 2021

As a non-dog owner I’d struggle to tell the difference between a spaniel and a terrier, quite frankly. However, I can give some useful advice on dog friendly holidays, beaches, ferries and accommodation on the Isle of Wight.

As a general summary, you'll find there are plenty of places to stay and eat which welcome dogs (and the Isle of Wight ferries are dog friendly), but you're a bit limited when it comes to dog walking on Isle of Wight beaches during the busy summer months.
Small terrier dog
Definitely a dog, though I'm no expert

Dog friendly accommodation on the Isle of Wight

From what I’ve heard, dog kennels can cost as much as your own accommodation so I’m not surprised that many owners choose to bring their pets. ​Some options to consider:
​

Dog Friendly Beaches on the Isle of Wight

Are the Isle of Wight's beaches dog friendly? Well, yes and no.

During the summer months (May to September) lots of the Isle of Wight's most popular beaches have a ban on dogs and you can expect to endure some pretty serious stares and tuts if you're the one person ignoring the signs (and they might fine you £75 as well).

However, several beaches either allow dogs completely in summer or just in certain sections.
Recommended Isle of Wight beaches for dog walking all year round:
  • Bembridge - shallow beach in the East Wight popular with rockpoolers, easy parking, toilets
  • Chilton Chine - isolated beach with crumbling cliffs in the West Wight, free parking next door to Isle of Wight Pearl, no facilities. Bit of a clamber down.
  • Brook Chine - unspoilt beach near to Chilton Chine, with dinosaur bones for your dog to chew on (perhaps not), free parking for National Trust members, no facilities
  • Colwell Bay (only the section right of the slipway) - pretty beach with only a small amount of sand but nice views towards Hurst Castle, toilets and pay and display parking.
  • Yaverland (only the section to the left of the car park as you look out to sea) - plenty of sand, a bit windy (just like me after sprouts), pay and display parking, toilets and ice cream shop.
  • Luccombe Chine end of Shanklin Beach (only the section starting from the bottom of Shanklin Chine heading right as you look out to sea) - big sandy area at low tide, toilets and parking at the Esplanade (thanks to Moira for recommending that one via Facebook)
  • Whitecliff Bay (there's a bit of a caveat to this one, which is managed by Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park. When I checked, the Isle of Wight Council website was saying that dogs aren't allowed on this beach at all whilst some other websites said dogs were only allowed on the beach during winter. I phoned Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park in September 2020 who said dogs were allowed on the beach all year, but please check with them yourself before planning a holiday and let me know if you have an update).

No dogs from May to September
  • Compton Bay (ban on the whole beach)
  • Colwell Bay (ban at about half of the beach, dog walkers need to turn right at the slipway)
  • Cowes (ban at the main section of beach)
  • East Cowes (complete ban on the small section of beach)
  • Appley at Ryde (ban on the main section of beach up to the Appley Tower, with a dog friendly section at the Seaview end)
  • Springvale Beach and Seaview (ban on the main section of beach which stretches from The Boathouse pub down to the junction of Springvale Road, Oakhill Road and Duver Road, with a bit of dog friendly space either side)
  • Yaverland (no dogs allowed in the section in front of the car park, but dogs are allowed in the section to your left as you look out to sea from the car park)
  • Sandown (dog bans on nearly all of the beach, apart from sections at the far ends near Yaverland and Dunroamin beach)
  • Totland (ban at most of the beach, the whole section in front of the car park spaces is dog-free)
  • Freshwater Bay (ban on a small section of the beach in front of the benches)
  • Shanklin (ban on the whole beach, apart from a section at the far end where it turns into Dunroamin Beach at Lake)

Dogs allowed, but only on leads
  • Steephill Cove - secluded Cornish fishing village style cove in the South Wight with thatched cottages and a fairly small beach. Nice walk through to Ventnor.

Check our lovely clickable beaches map for more information. Here's a link to the official Isle of Wight council map.

​Also, bear in mind that you can always walk your dog on a lead along the esplanades at Shanklin, Sandown, Ventnor, Appley, Cowes and other resorts. It is just the beaches which have dog exclusion zones.

Dog friendly Isle of Wight ferries

You can catch any of the Isle of Wight ferries with dogs on leads, although there are some variations:
  • Wightlink (which runs ferries from Lymington and Portsmouth) prefer dogs to stay in cars during the crossing, so you’ll be apart for about 40 minutes. However, if your dog can’t cope with that there is a designated dog section on the ferry and there’s a request on the Wightlink website that dogs are ‘relieved’ first and stay off the seats.
  • Red Funnel (which runs ferries from Southampton) says you can keep dogs in cars with the option of a pet area if you’d rather not leave them alone for the hour long crossing. There’s a £50 fine if your dog poops on the ferry. Pets can also go on the Red Jet foot passenger ferry.
  • Hovertravel also allows dogs on leads, and they also have a fine if they relieve themselves during the 10 minute crossing.

There's more detail in our beginners' guide to Isle of Wight ferries.

Dog friendly attractions on the Isle of Wight

If I were a dog, I'd be a little miffed if I had to spend my entire holiday stuck inside a caravan whilst the family larked about and ate ice cream. 

Thankfully there are quite a few Isle of Wight attractions which allow dogs on leads, including:
  • Isle of Wight Steam Railway (dogs need a doggie ticket to ride the train, apparently) - old fashioned day out with trains which are lovingly maintained by volunteers in boiler suits
  • Ventnor Botanic Garden - big gardens with plants from around the world, thanks to it being a warm and sheltered spot
  • Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary - free day out and you might even see the odd horse if you look carefully
  • Godshill Model Village - twee gardens and thatched models in the twee village
  • Blackgang Chine - quirky theme park, although beware that it's a noisy place with screaming children on the rollercoaster and talking bins
  • Osborne - Queen Victoria's former home, although dogs are only allowed in the grounds, just in case they decide to relieve themselves by her majesty's death bed
  • Carisbrooke Castle - impressive hilltop castle with great views from the highpoint. Dogs aren't allowed in the museum, although that's quite a small part of the whole attraction and it would only appeal to more well-read dogs anyway.
  • Robin Hill Country Park - sister park to Blackgang Chine with rides, woodland stuff and playgrounds.
  • Shanklin Chine - pretty gorge (much like my wife). Lit up at night if you fancy a stroll down to the beach.
  • The Needles - kiss-me-quick amusements at the famous colourful cliffs and lighthouse at Alum Bay. Before you ask, I'm afraid to report that dogs aren't allowed on the chairlift despite the hilarious photographs this would produce. They're also not allowed inside the buildings.
  • Appuldurcombe House - ruin of an old house with grounds which are free to wander round

Please note that this is just a selection. Don't assume an attraction doesn't allow dogs if it's not on this list. 

Dog Friendly Pubs and Restaurants on the Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight has more than 500 pubs, cafes, restaurants and bars but thankfully there is also plenty of outdoor space to avoid the whole Island looking like fat camp.

​It seems a bit unfair to pick out only a few dog friendly eating places when there are dozens, but here are a few to get you started.

In no particular order:
Folly Inn on the River Medina
The dog-friendly Folly Inn is on the River Medina
  • Culver Haven is in a dramatic location at the top of Culver Down with views out to sea. I'd suggest you reserve a seat with a view.
  • The Crab and Lobster is a decent but not especially posh pub in the posh village of Bembridge.
  • The Spyglass Inn in Ventnor is a big pub in a top-notch location overlooking crashing waves. It offers fairly standard pub grub (loads of chips etc).
  • Fisherman’s Cottage in Shanklin is an historic thatched pub right on the beach at the bottom of Shanklin Chine. Good fish and chips.
  • The Steamer Inn in Shanklin is a nice esplanade bar with sea views.
  • The Folly Inn in Whippingham, near East Cowes is a large riverside pub. At one point they had dancing on the tables on certain nights. I don't think dogs were allowed to dance on the tables, but I never actually asked.
  • The Buddle in Niton - historic pub with real ales
  • The Yachtsman in Cowes - seafront location in a busy spot
  • Sun Inn in Hulverstone - thatched pub in the sleepy West Wight
  • The Bugle in Brading - family pub with play area
  • The Bargeman’s Rest in Newport is alongside a river and offers pub grub. It also has live music fairly regularly, which is ideal for dogs with a strong sense of rhythm.
  • Caulkheads in Sandown - another family pub with playground
  • The Crown in Shorwell - West Wight pub with trout stream in the garden
  • Off the Rails in Yarmouth - quirky cafe/restaurant in former railway station
  • Seaview Hotel in, er, Seaview - quite posh restaurant with good reputation
  • Moocow in Cowes - modern dining for people who are cooler than me
  • The Hideaway in Shanklin - quirky restaurants with sea views
  • The Taverners in Godshill - cosy pub in twee village
  • The Red Lion in Freshwater - traditional pub in a nice rural spot
  • The Pointer Inn in Newchurch - old style pub with good reviews
  • The Bonchurch Inn in (you guessed it...) Bonchurch - Italian food in the South Wight

(Please note that we only get round to checking this list once in a blue moon, so please call ahead and let us know if you hear that a pub is no longer dog friendly).

Other dog friendly resources on the Isle of Wight

  • The best directory of Isle of Wight Vets that I've found is on the RCVS website.
  • NutsAboutDogs.uk is a team of dog lovers on a mission to establish the first European type public dog school on the Isle of Wight. They offer things like agility courses and quick refresh-classes of basic obedience for visitors. 
  • The National Trust has a list of dog friendly walks on the Isle of Wight (do I get a discount off my membership for giving them a plug?)
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. 

Related guides from Isle of Wight Guru: