Isle of Wight

[rusholmeruffians]

Going to the IOW this summer for 6 days. Can anyone recommend things to do? Looking for slightly more obscure things rather than usual touristy things.

Quarr Abbey is a nice place.

Thank you - that does look lovely. Added it to my list!

Mottistone garden national trust, there is a lovely walk starting at the steps in the carpark up the hill great views. The garden is small but pretty.

If you have kids Robin Hill is fun. The steam railway is nice too

The Garlic Farm has farm walks and a fab farm shop and restaurant.

We found the Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum quirky and more internet than we'd expected.

Fossil hunt at Fort Victoria, it is touristy but Tapnell Farm if you have young-ish dc, geocaching at Golden Hill country park.

Thank you all. Some great suggestions here. Keep them coming!

Interesting, not internet! It was definitely not very internet.

The donkey sanctuary is lovely. Free ( donation) parking, cafe and loads of grass to run about and picnic on.

Organised fossil hunts around Compton.
Walking bits of the Tennyson Trail.
Godshill model village. Followed by scones.
Shanklin Chine, especially in the evening.
Donkey sanctuary.

Freshwater way? Walk from Yarmouth to Freshwater Bay, past the 900 year old Pentecostal church with huge graveyard. I like poking around in graveyards, all the little stories they tell.

Although Osborne House is an obvious touristy thing, it really is worthwhile seeing I think as the house is lovely, the gardens are amazing and the walk through the woods to the beach is really super. You will pass a chalet cottage where the children learned to play house which is really cute.

@PerrinAybara where would you suggest getting the scones from? Is that Godshill too?

Osborn house and carisbrook Castle are both English heritage and definitely worth a visit.

Steam railway is good for children.

The Needles is a bit touristy but it is a real have to do.

The beaches are amazing. Ryde, Sandown and Shanklin. Absolutely awesome for children and adults.

Get the train from the pier head in Ryde, just because it’s a train on a pier😍

We walk a lot on the Isle of Wight, the coastline is stunning and very accessible with bus links so you can do a to b and get the bus back. Bembridge to Ryde is lovely as is Sandown to Bembridge.

Colwell Bay and Totland Bay also wonderful.

Yarmouth and Fort Victoria also lovely.

Adventure golf in Shanklin, the walk along the river from Yarmouth to Freshwater and the fossil walk https://wightcoastfossils.co.uk/fossil-walks/

The dinosaur farm in Brighstone. It's not very well advertised and only open 3 days a week but it's amazing and the guy is so knowledgeable.

If you go to Shanklin check the tides first the beach almost disappears at high tide

Shanklin Chine in the evening is beautiful. Ventnor beach is lovely too, there is a fish shop on the harbour which does amazing fish and chips but it does sell out quickly.
There is a farm on the way to Needles, Warren Farm, they did amazing cream teas.
Adgestone Vineyard is beautiful too, they have live music events, so try and time your visit with those.
I loved our visits to the IOW, I miss our old caravan and often think about getting another specifically to go back.

The bus museum in Ryde is good.

We tend to go to the Old World Tearooms in Godshill (after visiting the Model Village and the Cider Barn) but there are others.

There is also a shop (whose name escapes me) half way between the model village and the Tearooms, that sells fossils and can book you on fossil hunting trips.

If you go to the Needles, it is worth walking up to the battery (National Trust) for the views and to explore the tunnels. And, although pricy, the high-speed boat tour around the Needles got thumbs up from the kids - we even saw dolphins on one trip, although that seems to have been a fluke.

Osborne house was amazing, I didn't expect much we did it on a whim because we have English heritage before our ferry home. We are going back next October to do it properly.

Robin hill country park

Alum bay - my kids weren't going to entertain the chair lift but loved making their little sand tubes things. Nostalgic for me.

LOVE the IoW!

The new and old battery at the needles the old battery has a tunnel in the cliffs to an observation point right over then needles. The new battery is all about the UK space program that ran there.
Osbourne house the Swiss Cottage and queen Victoria's beach in addition to the main house.
The dell cafe at puckpool is one of my favourites sitting there with a glass of wine at 6pm on a summers Saturday evening watching the cruise ships go out is one of my favourite things.

Devil's chimney and the chink are a nice walk and if you carry on you will get to a beach.

Watch the sunset at totland bay.