What to do on the Isle of Wight in winter? Get out of your hotel/hostel/bed and breakfast, breathe in the fresh winter air and explore the island by car.
I visited the Isle of Wight on a rather mild new year’s day. However when you visit the Isle of Wight on a bank holiday, I learnt the hard way that a lot of places are closed. Carisbrooke Castle, where King Charles I was imprisoned for 14 months before his execution, only opens on weekends. Osborne House, the summer residence of Queen Victoria and botanical gardens, was also shut. When you’re travelling on a long weekend or are simply short on time, even the best laid plans may have to change rapidly.
The Isle of Wight has become a big tourist destination during its infamous summer festival which attracts thousands of people from mainland England including celebrities. In winter many of the major attractions of the Isle of Wight remain closed until summertime.
I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. The beauty of the Isle of Wight is in the rolling hillsides and wide open fields, its narrow roads framed by bracken and charming villages with square cottages with thatched rooves. On a clear sunny day, the weather was perfect for exploring the seaside towns on the Isle of Wight.
The best way to travel in style in a budget around the Isle of Wight is by car. The Isle of Wight makes a great weekend road trip and is only three hours drive from London including the short ferry crossing. It’s also much easier to explore the Isle of Wight with a car and to stop to see cows at panoramic photograph spots!
On the Isle of Wight, life occurs at a more relaxed pace. There are horse-riders along the many island trails and light air planes circling above you. Cozy pubs sell hearty seafood meals like my gigantic fish pie from the Spyglass Inn.
The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight is a fun place to visit, simply because it celebrates the magical vegetable that is garlic! It is a real working farm which you can wander around and even see Roman ruins. The garlic shop sells garlic bulbs, garlic beer, garlic chocolate and lots of different chutneys. The café can be really busy so it’s best to book ahead.
The cold blustery wind at the lookout point in Needles Park made me retreat back to the hire car, however you can get much closer to the Needles by walking along the 15-mile Tennyson Trail from Carisbrooke Castle. The Needles are three stacks of chalk which sharply rise like needle points near Alum Bay on the most western side of the island.
There is one thing to do on the Isle of Wight in winter before leaving. Enjoy cream tea! Warm up your hands with a cup of tea and savour scones with lashings of clotted cream and dollops of jam. A perfect way to end a road trip to the Isle of Wight in winter.
