Heading to Isle of Wight - any tips?? (1 Viewer)

RogerThat

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May 20, 2016
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Hi everyone,

We're heading to Isle of Wight in June, this will be our first trip 'abroad' (well, its across the ocean, right??) and I'm looking for some tips from others who have made the trip before please :)

Due to living in the north west and the south coast being more than a few miles away, we plan to spend one day just travelling south, so there's no pressure with traffic and clock watching etc.

The plan is to drive south on a Sunday and stay on a site in Fareham for the night which looking at a map, is about 30mins away from the Portsmouth ferry terminal. We set sail at 10am Monday morning.

Got a site booked on IoW for five nights, and our ferry departs 6pm on Friday night. From there the plan is to travel the short distance to the Fareham site again, rest up for the night, then tackle the drive back north on the Saturday (again, with no time pressures).

So!

Any travelling tips for us??

Never been on a ferry before (ever, never mind with a motorhome and a dog!), anything I need to be aware of with bringing a motorhome and a dog on to a Portsmouth / Fishbourne Wightlink ferry? Do they have any odd rules about dogs? Do we stay in our van? Or can we take the dog for a walk around the 'ship'?

What about the gas bottles? I've got a 6KG and a 3.9 spare, do they need to be disconnected or just switched off?

Can you tell I'm new to all this? :oops:

Any recommendations on places to visit or things to see while we're there?

Can we drive a lap of the island in a day?

Our trusty 1999 Swift has been off road for a few months with major gearbox troubles which have now been resolved (recon gearbox, horrendous cost) and we've been fully serviced and hab-checked recently. Due to being the non-turbo version, we struggle to get to 60mph and motorway overtakes have to be planned several miles in advance (hence allowing a whole day to leisurely drive south).

Will this be a problem on IoW? Is it a hilly place?

More questions as I think of them and thanks in advance for any tips, suggestions and pointers (y)
 

Khizzie

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If you google the IOW council you will get loads of places for motorhome parking.. Really good as welcoming us to the lovely. Island.. So much to der especially at the southern end. ..enjoy. Roy
 
May 8, 2016
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I have never been to the IOW in a M/H, but I fly there a great deal in a light aircraft as well as having driven cars there from time to time

Yes, you can do a circuit of the Island in a day. Nice people, great pubs, and lovely scenery. My fave spot is a small port called Bembridge (airport there), loads of sites around there, and an exceptionally good pub called the Crab and Lobster. Good food, amazing views, nice beaches, good cliff walk and nearby parking

Blackgang Chine near Ventnor (south of the island) has a great little prehistoric theme park, great for kids and a bit of fun for grown ups. Cowes is good for pubs and eating out

As for the dreadfully overpriced ferry, it's a short crossing, no particular rules or quirks that I can remember

Watch out on the country roads, not the widest in the world

Hope the weather stays good for you, have a really wonderful time
 
Dec 11, 2011
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A couple of other places to go:
a) Puckpool Park - it's between Ryde & Seaview. You should be able to drive into the park and park your MH there. You can then walk along the sea wall from Puckpool to Appley. I used to live a few hundred yards from the top of Puckpool Hill.
b) Steephill Cove - drive down the hill to the Esplanade at Ventnor (yes, you'll be able to get back up it!). Drive along the Esplanade past the Spyglass and up the other side and you'll see the entrance to car park on the left hand side. From there you can walk to Steephill Cove. It's a nice little bay with a small cafe there. My wife is from Ventnor and we really like Steephill. When you leave the car park do not turn left! Go back the way you came!
c) Totland Bay - if you like the simple life then this is a nicer place to visit than the commercialism of Alum Bay. Not much to do there but it's a nice walk and view across to the mainland.
Give the Island my regards please!

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May 7, 2011
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Hi @RogerThat ,
We live on the island, but we are away in Cornwall at the moment , so when we get back mid April ,we will sort out the info you need.
Wightlink ferry , you can not stay in your vehicle but you can leave your dog if you wish , or you can take your dog up to the lounge area but away from the food serving section or you can go on the top deck great views .
No problem with gas on ferry ,but should be turned off, I never bother and not had a problem, the other thing that they are quite hot on is vehicle length, they might measure your moho at the terminal. Yes you can drive around the island in one day also some parts are a bit hilly, but I will explain about some suggestions later, I personally wouldn't go down in to ventnor seafront as previously suggested but I can suggest a better option.
Terry
 
Mar 31, 2015
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Been to iow many times because we have friends over there we use limington to Yarmouth ferry ( very pretty crossing )
We always travel down late and stop in the over flow car park that's 100 yards past ferry port on left , just a field with a bit of a track around it.
But don't tell anyone:lipssealed:
If you go down to the needle there are a family of foxs that you can feed by hand.
Been useing Compton farm camp site basic but so beautiful, on downs and close to beech.
Could go on about iow all day but discover it for yourselves enjoy.

Andy
 
Aug 21, 2014
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Hi we live on the Island but are in France til June. Echo what Fidget says. You can drive round the island in a day but you'll miss lots of lovely places. PM us if you need anything while you're over. We're back on 1st June. Have a lovely time, it's a beautiful Island.

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Dave K

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Mar 24, 2015
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I know you've said you have booked already but the one time we went there we used red funnel, they did a ferry and site package which was really good value, I think we went from Southampton though ;).
You'll have no trouble with the ferry and your dog, we sat outside with ours and he was fine, only issue we had was the wind on the IOW, I don't think we had a day when it wasn't blowing a gale, we went to see the needles and it was like having your face sandblasted :(, however if you were into kite surfing you'd have ended up in France in quick time
 
Sep 3, 2013
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We took Udo there a few years ago and had a lovely time.

The one place you MUST visit, and it has excellent motorhome parking, is The Garlic Farm.

They have a fabulous restaurant there that serves excellent food, so go for that if nothing else.

Osbourne House, near east Cowes, is well worth a day's visit and also offers excellent free motorhome parking. It has some lovely walks around the grounds and a private shingle beach.

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Nov 30, 2009
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We've been with the kids a long time ago when we were shed draggers. We had a nice enough time. But stayed put on a site and used the car to tour. The kids loved the Needles on the chair lift. We had lovely weather and there was a great beach near the campsite.
I'm sure we will do it again at some point , in Pug , now there's just the two of us.
But as we are smack bang in the middle of the country , we prefer to go North and ferry across to the Outer Hebredise. Amazing.
 
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RogerThat

RogerThat

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May 20, 2016
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Wow, thanks for all the replies everyone, that's great info!

Yes, you can do a circuit of the Island in a day. Nice people, great pubs, and lovely scenery. My fave spot is a small port called Bembridge (airport there), loads of sites around there, and an exceptionally good pub called the Crab and Lobster. Good food, amazing views, nice beaches, good cliff walk and nearby parking

Sounds like one not to be missed (y)

b) Steephill Cove - drive down the hill to the Esplanade at Ventnor (yes, you'll be able to get back up it!). Drive along the Esplanade past the Spyglass and up the other side and you'll see the entrance to car park on the left hand side. From there you can walk to Steephill Cove. It's a nice little bay with a small cafe there. My wife is from Ventnor and we really like Steephill. When you leave the car park do not turn left! Go back the way you came!

Thanks for the heads up! I think I'll print this page out before we go :)

you can leave your dog if you wish , or you can take your dog up to the lounge area but away from the food serving section or you can go on the top deck great views .

Thanks Terry! I'd rather not leave the dog, she'd be quite happy up on deck I'm sure. As would I probably too :LOL:

Thanks again everyone, I'm going to check out all the other suggests you made over the next day or two (y)
 
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RogerThat

RogerThat

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We took Udo there a few years ago and had a lovely time.

The one place you MUST visit, and it has excellent motorhome parking, is The Garlic Farm.

They have a fabulous restaurant there that serves excellent food, so go for that if nothing else.

Osbourne House, near east Cowes, is well worth a day's visit and also offers excellent free motorhome parking. It has some lovely walks around the grounds and a private shingle beach.

Sorry, not a fan of garlic at all :eek:

But the restaurant and Osbourne House sound ideal, thanks (y)

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Sep 21, 2013
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I also live on the Island and there's no probs for the ferry etc. If you're a member of the camping and caravan club and book through their website you get about 50% discount.
There are numerous places to visit and depends upon your likes, walking and wildlife places are numerous with places where you can feed red squirrels by hand.
Where to visit depends where you are staying and if you intend to take the mo ho off site every day.
Enjoy our lovely island and if you need any more info just ask on here.
 

Popeye

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Sep 5, 2011
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Heading to Isle of Wight - any tips??

I was going to say bring night-vision goggles and keep an eye out for @FIDGET , but reading through it looks like his people have already tipped him off that you're going over so have a zip sewn in to your wallet pocket and keep yer wits about you at all times, he might bring reinforcements in the shape of @2spritelyislanders .

Oh yes that reminds me how come you come all this way and avoid the New Forest and all it has to offer.

Have a great trip, and travel safe.
 
Apr 21, 2009
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As you have already booked (with the wrong company) my only tip if you decide to drive round the coast, about 50 miles, is to ensure that you go clockwise or else you will be looking at all the best views in your mirror.

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May 7, 2011
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No problem, as we (that is the Fidgets) are off to Brittany for most of June, but I believe the @2spritelyislanders will be back from their trip.
Avoid the new forest like the plaque !!!!
Lurking somewhere in the deep & dark confines of the forest is the @Popeye
 
Oct 17, 2013
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We went to IoW a few years ago, stayed at Whitefield Forest touring park on Red Funnel deal, left van on site and used 48 hour hop on hop off bus tickets to explore island

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