10 reasons to visit the Isle of Wight

Did you ever play that game called Outburst where you shout out '10 things that are red' or '10 Eastenders characters'? Our copy is ancient so you have to shout things like Beppe Di Marco and Matthew Rose.

Anyway, here are ten things I'd suggest for a category of 10 reasons to come to the Isle of Wight for a holiday.

1. Sailing

Cowes considers itself as the UK's home of sailing in the same way that Wembley is the home of football and ITV2 is the home of mindless drivel which makes you question whether we ever evolved beyond apes.

Cowes Week in early August is the town's main sailing event with about 8000 sailors and another 90000 people who just fancy a nosey. The Round the Island Race in late June/early July is also worth watching with 1500 yachts competing in various classes. It's a bit like sports day for posh people.

Lots of yachts and bags of flags at Cowes Week

2. Sandy beaches

Coachloads of holidaymakers come to the Isle of Wight for the sandy beaches of Shanklin, Sandown and Ryde. I'm certainly a fan of such places on the right day, but I always encourage visitors to explore a bit further than the obvious beaches.

We like bodyboarding at Compton Bay, rockpooling in Bembridge, swimming at Whitecliff Bay, kitesurfing at Brook Chine (OK, I don't do that, but other people do) or fossil hunting at Yaverland.

You won't get that view in Bedfordshire

We enjoy kayaking in Freshwater or St Helen's, eating out on Ventnor seafront and watching the yachts sailing past from Gurnard.

There are also harder to reach beaches such as Steephill Cove and Whale Chine or secluded spots like Binnels Bay or Castlehaven in the South Wight.

See our guide to 'which is the best Isle of Wight beach for...'

3. Dinosaurs and red squirrels

The Isle of Wight's entrepreneurs have done a thorough job of flogging a dead dinosaur with numerous prehistoric themed attractions and oddities. There's a dinosaur museum, dinosaur minigolf, dinosaur-shaped biscuits, fossil hunting tours, dinosaur poo in gift shops (I'm afraid it is just chocolate covered raisins) and a few carbon fibre and animatronic dinosaurs hanging on a cliff edge.

Brook Chine is one location for fossil hunting

Meanwhile, red squirrels love a game of hide and seek on the Isle of Wight, to the extent that seeing one becomes something you mention to nearby strangers. Try doing the same thing when you spot a grey squirrel in London and see what reaction you get...

4. Music festivals

I may be overstating things here, but my view is that the revival of the Isle of Wight Festival in 2002 had a hugely positive impact on the Island's culture.

When I was growing up in the 1990s, your best chance of live music without boarding a ferry was a husband and wife pub band doing Supertramp covers.

After the Isle of Wight Festival returned, Bestival soon followed and then others had a go at putting on a decent event which would attract mainlanders. Some events failed, others succeeded for a while before disappearing or retiring to Dorset.

As I write this, your options include the Fringe Festival in Ventnor, Jack Up The 80s, VDub Isle, the Fairweather Festival and Eklectika.

5. Queen Victoria and King Charles I

The Isle of Wight has a fine history of royalty enjoying the sunshine and frolicking with red squirrels. Admittedly King Charles I was a prisoner at the time and Queen Victoria was mostly in mourning, but that doesn't stop us from squeezing a few quid out of foreigners who love our royal family.

The history doesn't stop there - there are still a few piers which haven't fallen into the sea, three lighthouses (including one which isn't really near the sea and isn't still a lighthouse), seaside forts, weird mini-Stonehenge things, a 17th town hall which has lost its town, a creaky windmill and rocket testing sites.

See our historic days out guide for more details

A wonky hedge at Osborne House

6. Cycling

Lonely planet went a bit mad for IsIe of Wight cycling, declaring it "the greatest place in the universe for a bit of lycra clad bottom wiggling" or something like that. There's a Round the Island route (62 miles) which you do with 3000 others as part of the annual randonee. There are also some more serene routes along old railway lines.

7. Doughnuts

What do you mean you've never heard of Isle of Wight doughnuts? According to some slightly flakey history, the whole industry started here and anyone who denies such things is offering nothing but Fake News.

Anyway, here's my plan to exploit it for my own gains.

8. Sunshine

Several English seaside resorts claim to be the sunniest, in much the same way that six newspapers claim they've got an exclusive with the same story.

It turns out you can measure sunshine is different ways (hours, intensity, days with at least some sun). Shanklin has a half decent claim to be the sunniest place in the UK.

Perhaps more impressive is that the Isle of Wight gets about 500 hours a year more sunshine than London, despite not being all that far away.

All the same, I'd bring a woolly jumper on holiday, just in case.

9. Multicoloured sand

Selling sand to tourists on a sandy Island has got to rank as one of the greatest marketing blags of all time. Nonetheless, it's hard to resist the little glass teddy bears and guitars at Alum Bay. The chairlift is fun and only slightly terrifying.

The little boat ride towards the lighthouse is pleasant or the National Trust's Old Battery has splendid views and a quirky little tearoom.

A fine bench for admiring Alum Bay

10. Blackgang Chine

Here's how the conversation goes when you meet a mainlander.

Mainlander: "You're from the Isle of Wight? I went there on a school trip when I was 11"
Islander: "Oh really?"
Mainlander: "Yes, we went to..."
Islander: "Blackgang Chine?"
Mainlander: "Yes, with the..."
Islander: "Carbon fibre dinosaurs and giant smuggler?"
Mainlander: "Yes, and we also went to..."
Islander: "Alum Bay to fill up a glass jar with multicoloured sand?"
Mainlander: "Yes, how did you know? Now tell me, how many people live on the Isle of Wight..."

That's either a very large man or a very small shop

Mainlanders who visited when they were 11 will be pleased to know that Blackgang Chine is still there and is still quite odd. Old favourites like the Crooked House and Maze are still there, whilst new things have been added including an Underwater Kingdom and animatronic dinosaurs (sorry, you can't climb on the moving ones).

It's a bit pricey in my opinion, but it is good fun and the location is hard to beat.

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.