10 things to do in Cowes and East Cowes

Cowes is a pretty little town which enjoys an invasion of yachts, upturned collars and Pimms during Cowes Week. During the rest of the year there is still a fair amount to see and do.

On the other side of the River Medina is East Cowes, home to Osborne House. If you see a road sign pointing towards 'Cowes', it will be referring to the West side of the river. Simple eh?

Here are 10 things to do in Cowes and East Cowes.

Cowes Week jollity

1. Beaches

Generally, I wouldn't head to the Cowes area for a day out at the beach, but it's a nice spot for a wander (see our beaches guide for family beach trip ideas)

The beach at Cowes is shingly with some bus-shelter type structures which are ideal for watching the world sail past. East Cowes has a small scrubby beach, which overlooks the Red Funnel ferry ports.

The adjacent village of Gurnard is a little bit sandier, though only at low tide. My personal favourite beach in the area is a 'hidden' beach in Gurnard, which is accessible if you follow a footpath behind Gurnard Sailing Club. Osborne Bay is idyllic but is only accessible if you pay the Osborne House entrance fee.

If you’d prefer an indoor swim, there is a pool at ‘Fitness at Gurnard’ (part of Gurnard Pines - PO31 8QE) which at the time of writing is open to non-members who want to pay for a one-off swimming session.

2. Shopping

Cowes is the kind of place which mostly avoids grotty pound shops and the like. Instead, there are quite a few posh yachty retailers as well as some independent shops selling pretty things you didn’t realise you needed.

It’s got a decent sized M&S Food Hall and quite a few pleasant pubs and restaurants considering it’s only a small town.

3. Osborne House

Queen Victoria’s home is on the outskirts of East Cowes, so you will need to catch the floating bridge across if you’re in (West) Cowes or drive back towards Newport for a few miles.

I’d say the impressive house will be more appealing to grown-ups with an attention span of more than five seconds, but the beach and Swiss cottage are popular with younger visitors.

It’s owned by English Heritage. If you also plan to visit Carisbrooke Castle during your holiday then it’s worth considering membership rather than paying two entrance fees.

The Queen Vic

A free alternative is St Mildred's Church in Whippingham, where Queen Victoria sat in her own pew regularly. Parp.

4. Sir Max Aitken Museum

There’s a free museum in the centre of Cowes, which is a collection of stuff belonging to a local character who was an MP, a newspaper magnate, a fighter pilot, a yacht racer and the founder of the London Boat Show.

It’s open in the summer months.

5. Walk to Gurnard

The Esplanade walk from Cowes to Gurnard is a simple one to attempt with a pushchair. It’ll take you about 20-30 minutes (or about 4-5 hours if you want your children to walk the whole way).

Once you get to Gurnard there’s a mid-sized playground which is good for younger children. Mind your head on the world’s shortest swing.

The sun setting over Gurnard's beach huts

There’s free parking in Gurnard and along the Esplanade, so thrifty visitors may prefer to do the walk in the opposite direction.

Gurnard is also one of the Isle of Wight’s best spots for watching the sun set, so we often park up in an evening with a flask of decaf Earl Grey (note to self: stop behaving like an old man).

Read our blog about a sunset chasing trip to Gurnard (unless you've got something better to do with your time, like cleaning the gutters or emptying the bins).

6. Classic Boat Museum and Cowes Maritime Museum

The main boat museum in Cowes is the Classic Boat Museum which has a display of yachts and lifeboats, as well as a gallery. It costs a couple of pounds.

There’s also a small museum in Cowes Library called Cowes Maritime Museum, which is free.

7. The Wight Military and Heritage Museum

The Isle of Wight’s military museum is a volunteer-led thing, with ex-service volunteers offering tours and talks. There are tanks and armoured vehicles and it’s got quite a bit indoors so it’s one to consider on a rainy day. They also do vehicle rides, though it is a bit dependent on staff being available. It’s in Northwood, on the road linking Newport and Cowes.

8. Trinity Theatre

The small theatre in Cowes has been going for more than a century and seats 200 people. The local Cowes Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society put on regular shows and it’s also used for cinema showings.

9. Cowes to Newport cycle track

The former railway line linking Cowes and Newport is now a cycle track which goes alongside the River Medina. It’s generally pretty flat and is a good one to attempt with children. There's a bike hire place in Cowes called Isle Cycle (geddit?) and another called Top Gear Hire.

It's not hard to follow but there's a download and GPS thing on the Red Squirrel Trail website.

10. East Cowes Esplanade playground

There’s a reasonable playground in the grounds of Northwood House in (West) Cowes but the bigger and better one is in East Cowes. It’s right on the Esplanade and has something for most ages, including a big paddling pool.

On the day we last visited it was overrun with unsupervised children whose parents were staring at smartphones and working on their tans. There was also an awful stench coming from the sea.

A terrible picture of a decent playground in East Cowes

Despite such things I could tell that it was an excellent playground, so we’ll be returning on a quieter and less odorous day.

11. Cowes Treasure Trail

Treasure Trails have hundreds of routes around the UK, which are a good way to trick children into going on a walk.

At the time of writing, there's one in Cowes which takes about three hours and costs about £7 for a sheet of clues.

You can text for extra help if you get stuck.

The-Isle-of-Wight-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer™ All the information on this website is correct, as far as we know, but please do check details directly - and please contact us if you find anything inaccurate.