Sandown

Sandown is the best place to have fun beside the sea safely with gently sloping beaches. The beach is sandy and there are good toilet facilities available. The Esplanade is packed full of cafes, restaurants, bars, hotels and gift shops. The area is particularly popular with families as there is so much to keep the children occupied.

Dunroamin Beach

Located between Sandown and Shanklin, it shares the same gently sloping golden sands and clear swimming waters. Because this beach is tucked away and not as straightforward to reach as its resort neighbours it is very often quieter during the busier months, making it a peaceful alternative for a day on the beach. A seawall and tarmac promenade connects Shanklin & Sandown, which is ideal for both walkers and cyclists.

Yaverland

Easily accessible by car or foot. There is ample parking and it is about a mile from Sandown itself. Yaverland, like the rest of Sandown Bay, has gently sloping beaches and safe bathing. There is a kiosk and toilet facilities as well as a yacht club and plentiful parking. The area is great for families, walkers, water sport enthusiasts and dog walkers alike. Culver Cliff shelters the beach at Yaverland.

Shanklin Beach

One of the Isle of Wight’s best known stretches of golden sands, which backs onto a traditional English seafront promenade. A traditional ‘bucket and spade’ family beach holiday destination, choose your spot on one of the safest sandy family beaches. Beach huts line the sea wall here, and further along you will discover the cute thatched Fisherman’s Cottage pub at the foot of Shanklin Chine

Luccombe Beach

Accessible now only on low tide if you walk south from Shanklin beach past the ‘Fishermans Cottage’, you will soon leave the hustle and be greeted with empty sandy beaches & dramatic cliffs. Some good fishing is had on the ledges & a great place to take the dog for a walk.

Bonchurch

Bonchurch Beach is a quiet and peaceful beach, made up of shingle with patches of sand. There are also rock promontories which extend out into the sea at low tide and reveal rock pools which are interesting to explore. There are few facilities at Bonchurch so you will have to bring a picnic if you wish to spend the day there.

Totland Bay

A picturesque sandy beach, ideal for swimming, with clear turquoise waters and far reaching views to the mainland. The beach has public toilets and a small car park adjacent but better parking at the top. Walk along the seafront and there is a pub on the sea wall at the eastern end of the road. With large picture windows on the sun room side of this pub and restaurant, this is a great place to eat as you watch the sun sink below the horizon.

STAY SAFE ! CHECK TIDE TIMES AND WEATHER FORECAST.

Don a wetsuit and hop onto a paddleboard to explore the coastline where you’ll discover hidden caves, inlets and the Island’s breathtaking coastal areas. There are several watersports companies that offer the hiring of equipment and lessons with a trained instructor.

There are plenty of places to explore by kayak, too. Freshwater Bay is one of the most popular kayaking beaches, boasting some of the Island’s finest coastal scenery. Or if surfing’s more your thing, head to Compton Bay, where you’ll find miles of sandy shores and crashing waves big enough to test your mettle. Once you’ve put yourself through your paces, why not see if you can find a dinosaur footprint or fossil before you head back home? Please check tide times.

Dinosaur Isle, Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, Tapnell Farm, Isle of Wight Bus and Coach Museum, Brading Roman Villa, Amazon World, JR Zone, Fort Victoria with its Reptilarium and Butterfly World, to name but a few.

The Beach Shack

Western Esplanade (bottom of cliff ‘below us’ walk left). Perfect spot for snack and beer

Sandown Cliffs Cookhouse & Pub
1-9 Esplanade Modern dining with open kitchen

The Old Comical
15 St John’s Rd Great for live music, no food

The Castle Inn
12-14 Fitzroy St Lively traditional pub with regular DJs

Caulkheads
42-44 Avenue Rd Food served all day with indoor/outdoor play area

Driftwood Beach Bar
37 Culver Parade Live music and right on the beach

Culver Haven Inn
Culver Down Rd, Sandown Spectacular views adj Yarborough Monument

Goddards Brewery
Hale Common, Branstone, Sandown Brewery tours & great food in contemporary setting.

The Island’s only gin distillery Mermaid Gin, or visit an art exhibition at Quarr Abbey, Brading Roman Villa, Dimbola Museum & Galleries or the Quay Arts Centre. Isle of Wight Pearl, Isle of Wight Glass Museum at Arreton Barns.

Sandham Gardens Sandown has lots of activities including Skynets, The Big Bounce, Sandham Karts and Dino Islands, playground and skate park.

Dinosaur Isle in Sandown with life sized Dinosaurs is perfect for learning about the thousands of fossils that have been found up and down our shores.

Wildheart Animal Sanctuary will charm and amaze you with their pocket sized primates to their powerful predators.

Blackgang Chine is home to life-sized Pirate Ships, Fairy Villages and Castles and Dinosaurs and the original Cowboy Town as well as a whole host of magical surprises around every corner. Fantastic firework displays and DJ events.

Tapnell Farm Park for go-karts, jumping pillows, trim trails, sledge slides and straw barn fun, plus cute animals to meet in the paddocks and animal barn.

Amazon Jungle at Amazon World, take an alpaca or llama for a walk at West Wight Alpacas & Llamas, and visit the 100+ rescue donkeys and Shetland ponies that call the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary their home.

Monkey Haven – the award-winning primate rescue centre where you can learn all about the monkeys and other rescued animals.

Some of the best spots on the Island are Gurnard beach, Colwell Bay, Totland Beach, Headon Warren, Yarmouth, across the harbour from The Terrace, and looking west from the Pepperpot.

With very little light pollution, the Island is a great spot to admire the stunning performance.

The Island boasts over 70 miles of stunning coastal paths, rugged cliffs, ancient woodland, golden beaches and lush green forests, meaning there’s no shortage of breathtaking natural beauty just waiting to be discovered.

Situated overlooking Sandown Bay on the Isle of Wight, Brading Roman Villa is one of the finest Roman sites in the UK. Visitor Centre and Museum offer unique insights into Roman life in Britain from beautifully preserved mosaic floors to an extensive collection of Roman archaeology.

Enjoy the splendour of Shanklin Chine by day … then wonder at its mystical beauty on summer nights during the Chine Lumière illuminations when hundreds of lights illuminate the narrow paths, streams and waterfalls held within.

National Trust’s Mottistone Gardens or the unique climate of Ventnor Botanic Gardens.

Combine history and culture at Farringford, the former home of Alfred, Lord Tennyson where the stunning gardens and house have been painstakingly restored to their former Victorian glory.

Be a queen for a day with a visit to Osborne, the holiday home of Queen Victoria and enjoy an afternoon tea at Osborne’s Terrace Restaurant!

If it’s the classic freshly made scones and cakes you are after, why not enjoy them against the backdrop of history – the National Trust’s Needles Battery offers spectacular views of the Island within a traditional 1940s setting.

Head to the Isle of Wight Pearl, where you can pick your own pearl. Watch as your chosen oyster is opened to reveal a beautiful pearl to cherish forever. Make sure to take in the unmissable cliff-top views over the English Channel whilst enjoying a light lunch in the café.

The Isle of Wight is the richest source of dinosaur remains in Europe. Around 125 million years ago, this coast was a series of muddy lagoons. Dinosaurs left their footprints in the mud and sometimes, when they died, their bones became fossilised.

When the sea water and strong waves erode the soft cliffs around Compton Bay, dinosaur remains often fall down onto the beach. So far, fossils from over 20 different species of dinosaur have been found, some of them unique to this area.

Where to spot fossils

The best place to search for fossils is between Brook Bay and Compton Bay at low tide. Look in loose gravel and stones on parts of the beach recently covered by the sea. You may find:

• Fossilised dinosaur bones – they’re usually black and shiny, with a honeycomb texture.
• Dinosaur teeth – these look like huge black teeth.
• Fossilised wood – this is also black but less dense, without the honeycomb pattern. If it leaves a black mark when you scrape it on a stone, it’s fossilised wood, not a dinosaur fossil.

There are large three-toed iguanodon foot casts at the base of the cliffs just to the east of Compton Bay car park at Hanover Point. At 30-60cm across, they’re hard to miss but MUST BE LOW TIDE. Also spot fossilised oyster shells, ammonites, flint made from ancient sponges and even modern-day shipwrecks.