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Walking the Isle of Wight coastal path (2022 guide)

Walking the Isle of Wight coastal path is worth considering if a) you're fit enough to manage 70 miles over a few days and b) you're old enough to appreciate scenery.

Perhaps I'm being unfair, but I had absolutely no interest in views, scenery and picturesque landscapes until I was at least 20, so I personally wouldn't waste your time dragging a reluctant teenager on a week long walk (are you reading this, mother?)

The walking route hugs the coastline more closely than the official round the Isle of Wight cycling route so two legs do tend to offer better views than two wheels.

The Isle of Wight Coastal Path is about 70 miles

How long does it take to walk the Isle of Wight coastal path?

The Isle of Wight coastal path is about 70 miles. You can obviously walk it in a couple of days if you're a lunatic, or you can take a month doing it if you really want to, but bear in mind that some parts of the route are very rural so don't have many accommodation options.

OPTION 1: THE ISLE OF WIGHT COASTAL PATH OVER FOUR DAYS

One company, Contours, suggests a route over 4 days, with walks of 17 - 20 miles. This is an ideal option if you fancy a challenge rather than a sauntering holiday. The Isle of Wight coastline is not especially hilly apart from some bits around the West and South points.

The four day anticlockwise option stops at:

Ryde starting from the ferry port on Ryde Pierhead or the Hovercraft on Ryde Esplanade. If you're just staying for a night then a Ryde hotel on Expedia is an option or Travelodge Ryde.
Shalfleet. (It's very hard to find one-night accommodation in Shalfleet, but your best bet is to look for nearby properties on Airbnb.)
Freshwater Bay. (There's a small number of hotels and B&Bs in Freshwater Bay.)
Ventnor. (There are quite a few Ventnor hotels and B&Bs to choose from.)

Option 2: The Isle of Wight coastal path over six days

The Official Tourism people have produced handy PDFs with walking routes with a route over 6 days, with daily walks ranging from 8 to 16 miles in an anticlockwise route. This is closer to a holiday kind of pace, with some long days and some short days.

You can start from Cowes, Yarmouth or Ryde as they all have ferry ports.

It includes stops in:

Cowes (Plenty of choice. Search for Cowes accommodation on Expedia)

Yarmouth (A little bit of choice. Search for Yarmouth accommodation on Expedia)
Brighstone (Hardly any choice for places that will let you stay for one night, but there is this property on Airbnb or The Three Bishops does accommodation)

Niton (Again, not much choice but the The Wight Mouse pub in nearby Chale is an option)
Sandown (Lots of choices of hotels and guest houses on Expedia)

Ryde (Lots of hotels on Expedia or Travelodge Ryde)

The only slight snag is that there isn't very much one-night accommodation in Brighstone or Niton as they are very sleepy (but pretty) places. So you can either camp, or take what's available.

Option 3: The Isle of Wight coastal path over 7 days

This is a more leisurely option for those who want to have the time to sit on benches with sea views eating squashed sandwiches for hours on end.

You can start from the ferry port on Ryde Pierhead or from Cowes.

This one is also anticlockwise and includes walks ranging from 8 to 11 miles with stops at:

Ryde (plenty of choice. Search for Ryde accommodation at Expedia or Travelodge Ryde)
Cowes (plenty of choice. Search for Cowes accommodation at Expedia)
Shalfleet (very few places offering one-night accommodation but try Airbnb.)

Totland (not much choice but The Highdown Inn offers one night stays)
Brighstone (not much choice. Try this property on Airbnb or The Three Bishops)

Chale (not much choice. The Wight Mouse is the main one)
Sandown (plenty of choice. Search for Sandown hotels and guest houses on Expedia)

Guide Books and maps about the Isle of Wight coastal path

Besides the official anticlockwise route from Visit Isle of Wight there are a couple of books which tackle the Isle of Wight coastal path in a clockwise direction. They're by Brian G Smailes and Paul Curtis and they get similar review scores. I can't help feeling that Brian looks like he's lost on the front of his own book.

Walking the Isle of Wight coastal path by Brian G Smailes

Walking the Isle of Wight coastal path by Paul Curtis

If you want a map for walking the coastal path then I’d either go for the OS Explorer map or the A-Z Adventure Atlas. The latter uses the same scale but is a little easier to handle whilst on a windy cliff edge. It uses OS maps in a book format and highlights the Isle of Wight coastal path. If the weather forecast is for seven days of rain then I’d get the all weather version of the OS Explorer map (or just postpone your holiday).

Day by Day guide to the Isle of Wight Coastal Path

Here's my summary of the 6 day Isle of Wight coastal path guide from the Official Tourism people. I'll link directly to them along with my advice on what to expect. This route is anticlockwise.

Day 1 - Cowes to Yarmouth (16 miles)

This leg tackles the North West coast of the Isle of Wight which is pretty sleepy, even by Isle of Wight standards of snooziness. There are very few houses or substantial roads and there are also not that many accessible beaches. Ask an Islander to talk about the last time they went to the area and most of them will give you a blank look.

It is, however, very pretty. A big chunk of it is Newtown Creek with its weird Town Hall despite not having a town (see our guide to historic attractions for more details).

Yarmouth Pier is worth a peer

Yarmouth itself is a lovely little sailing town (and quite posh). There are enough places to sleep and eat to give you a choice and there's a little castle by the pier.

Cowes accommodation (from Expedia) or see our guide to places to stay in Cowes

Yarmouth accommodation (from Expedia)
West Wight campsites (see our camping guide)

Download the official PDF route from Visit Isle of Wight

Day 2 - Yarmouth to Brighstone (14 miles)

This is probably my favourite section of the Isle of Wight as it is largely 'unspoilt' by which I mean that your peace and quiet won't be broken by clanging amusement arcades. Well, that's not quite true - the section around Alum Bay and The Needles is full of such things, but the walk from the Needles towards Brook and Brighstone is gorgeous with really nice high cliffs looking down on sandy beaches.

It's a very rural area, so there isn't a great deal of choice of places to stay or eat, and there's zero nightlife. You'll find a pub inland a little bit at Brighstone but the choice is limited.

Take a look at some of the campsites in the West Wight. There's also this Airbnb very close to the coastal path or The Three Bishops

Download the official PDF route from Visit Isle of Wight

Fun and games at Compton Bay

Crashing waves at Freshwater Bay

Day 3 - Brighstone to Niton (8 miles)

The planners of this route decide to give you a nice easy day today. It's another lovely stretch of unspoilt coastline without a great deal of people to get in the way. Some of the coastline - like Whale Chine - is difficult to get to thanks to landslides and the like.

Again, you'll find that there isn't a huge amount of choice of where to stay or eat in Niton (which makes me wonder why it's a suggested stop off point), but it is a lovely area with an olde worlde feeling.

There aren't many places to stay but The Wight Mouse in Chale isn't far off course.

Download the official PDF route from Visit Isle of Wight

Whale Chine is one of the hardest to reach beaches

Day 4 - Niton to Sandown (9 miles)

This is a busy stretch of coastline which takes in three of the Isle of Wight's most famous seaside resorts - Ventnor, Sandown and Shanklin.

The first half of the walk wanders through the olde worlde South Wight which has the feeling that time stopped about a century ago. Ventnor Esplanade is a good spot to stop for something to eat. You'll pass St. Catherine's Lighthouse, which is closed to the public now but is impressive nonetheless.

Sandown and Shanklin are pleasant bucket and spade-type resorts with lots of hotels, guest houses and counters selling chips and ice cream.

Your best bet is a Sandown hotel (search Expedia) or try our camping guide.

Download the official PDF route from Visit Isle of Wight

The coastal walk from Ventnor to Steephill Cove (pictured) is one of my favourites

The coastal walk along Sandown seafront is a good place to pick up a cone of chips

Day 5 - Sandown to Ryde (12 miles)

There are some really attractive beaches along the Sandown to Ryde route, most of which have shallower water than the West Wight.

St Helens, Bembridge, Whitecliff Bay and Priory Bay are all popular spots with holidaymakers although not quite as hectic as Sandown and Shanklin.

Bembridge has a huge great lifeboat station on stilts which is free to visit if you have time.

Search for Ryde one-night accommodation on Expedia or Travelodge Ryde.

Download the official PDF route from Visit Isle of Wight

Bembridge lifeboat station is a nice detour on the coastal path

Appley Tower on the seafront in Ryde is hard to miss

Day 6 - Ryde to Cowes (8 miles)

Considering it's called a 'Coastal Walk' this day does spend a curiously long time away from the coast. My suspicion is that this is because some of the coastline is privately owned by people who would shout things like 'Gerofff my land!' at you whilst waving a musket.

Queen Victoria's Osborne Bay is en route and is a pretty little beach where her madge used to be wheeled into the sea in her bathing hut. However - it's only accessible if you pay the entrance fee for Osborne House (free for English Heritage members).

You can also see from the ferry as you approach the north east coastline that there often isn't a great deal of beach available to walk along.

The Ryde to Cowes route does have some nice features though, passing over Wootton Bridge, near Quarr Abbey and Osborne House and through some woodland.

Personally, I'd say this is the least interesting section, but I'm sure others would disagree. One option is to arrive at the ferry at Cowes and depart from the ferry at Ryde, which would miss out this part altogether. This option is not recommended for anyone with vaguely completest tendencies...

You can find one night accommodation in Cowes with Expedia or Best Western Cowes. There are also Cowes (ish) camping and caravans from Parkdean Resorts or in our camping guide.

Download the official PDF route from Visit Isle of Wight

A couple of lovebirds on Cowes seafront

Osborne House is a prominent feature in this part of the Isle of Wight

public transport on the Isle of Wight Coastal Path

You may prefer to base yourself in one part of the Island and then walk a section each day.

If so, there is a bus called the Island Coaster which is rather useful as it closely follows the coastline all the way from Yarmouth to Ryde via Ventnor.

You can buy a week long pass, which also covers other bus routes. It'll cost you about £25 for a week.

However, it only runs during warmer months and it only covers about three quarters of the Island.

It isn't an open top bus unfortunately, but there are open top buses which cover some parts of the coastline. You might be able to combine the two with a bit of timetable juggling.

Books of walks on the Isle of Wight

If you've gone off the idea of the coastal path, there are several books with suggestions for short and not so short walks which don't stick to the coastal path:

Isle of Wight Short Walks (Pathfinder guide) - 20 walks split into three different lengths including eight under three miles. Includes a bit of history, some small OS maps and suggestions of pubs en route. This is a good one for people who go on walks whilst on holiday, rather than one for people who go on walking holidays.

Isle of Wight short walks pathfinder guide

Walk! The Isle of Wight - 40 walks mostly between 5 and 10 miles. The exclamation mark makes it sound like an instruction but it's completely optional, unlike the walks I went on as a child. This one includes some sections of OS maps too.

50 Walks in Hampshire and Isle of Wight - Islanders don't like being bundled in with Hampshire, so including this one might cause a bit of a kerfuffle. By my count only 9 out of the 50 walks are Isle of Wight ones, just to make matters worse. However, it does get good reviews and you could use the Hampshire pages for doodling on or lighting a fire.