A dog friendly walking holiday on the Isle of Wight
Like all people when you book time off you want nice weather to enjoy your time away from work. I booked a week off in June and the plan was a couple of days before wanting to go away we would check where the best weather was in the UK and head there in our campervan.
On the Thursday night before finishing up for work on the Friday, we were checking various weather Apps, and the South of England was looking for the best in a particular the Isle of Wight.
The weather decided for us! Me, my wife, and the dog (Rocky) were all now heading to the Isle of Wight. Given that Ordnance Survey head office is in Southampton, and I travel regularly to the office, but I had never actually been the Isle of Wight. I had only seen it in the distance from Southampton or the New Forest before.
Getting The Ferry to the Isle of Wight
We headed down from Edinburgh on the Sunday in the camper, with a few pitstops along the way to break up the journey. We couldn’t get booked onto any ferries last minute on Thursday, so we decided to stay in Romsey on the Sunday night.
We booked into a dog friendly inn on the Sunday evening to enjoy a roast and dog walk on the River Test ahead of an early start for the 07:30 ferry to the Isle of Wight on the Monday morning.
We woke up at 05:30 to get up and sorted and then headed ferry terminal in Southampton. With only a 45 minute – 1 hour crossing it was ideal, as you felt you were going somewhere different as opposed to staying on the mainland. Once off the ferry, we headed to Newport and stocked up on food supplies for the week ahead. We decided to be self-sufficient for breakfast and lunch but enjoy meals out in the evening.
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Go to the shopPlenty of Inspiration for a week of dog walking!
Our plans for the week ahead were about exploring the islands coast and countryside with lots of dog walking. And you can’t forget about the food which fuels you for all the walking. After stocking up on food supplies, we headed straight to Freshwater Bay as we wanted to explore the famous Needles and Alum Bay. Luckly being the product manager who is in charge of our guidebooks, we just released two new walking guidebooks for the Isle of Wight. I had plenty inspiration for walking ideas for the week ahead.
Isle of Wight Pathfinder Guide – Walk 26
Walk 26 from our Pathfinder Guide was 1st up to explore The Needles and Alum Bay (Walk 26 in our Pathfinder Guide is called: Tennyson Down and The Needles). This route takes you over the grassy downs of Tennyson Down, taking in the Tennyson monument with spectacular views outwards the sea.
Then you reach the western tip of the island and take in the views towards the famous Needles. Above The Needles is Old Battery and the New Battery, a Victorian fort and gun battery which was used during both world wars. At the top of Alum Bay is The Needles Landmark Attraction, which reminded of me of a classic seaside resort with mini golf and food/snack stalls. The day was heating up and it just hit 12 noon, we treated ourselves to a Mr Whippy with a flake before the walk down the many steps down towards Alum Bay beach. You can pay for the chairlift, but we had the dog with us, so we were not allowed.
A campsite with a ‘Bark Park’!
After exploring the beach at Alum Bay, we headed back up the steps and returned across Tennyson Down back to Freshwater Bay. We picked a campsite which was only a 5-minute drive away from Freshwater Bay, mainly because it had a “bark park” for our dog Rocky to run around in off lead. We did see some awesome sunsets from the “bark park” when taking Rocky for his last toilet stop before bed.
As I am sure you don’t want my full itinerary for my whole holiday, I have handpicked some great dog walks and highlights to do from my time on the Isle of Wight below.
Isle of Wight Pathfinder Guide – Walk 3
Walk 3 from the Isle of Wight Pathfinder is called Wroxall and Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary. We noticed that Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary was dog friendly, so hence wanting to take Rocky to visit the Donkeys. This walk is a lovely loop of the countryside around Wroxall and takes you through the centre of the Donkey Sanctuary. The Donkey Sanctuary is free to enter, and you can make a donation if you wish. Rocky loved meeting other fury 4 legged friends of the donkey variety. They also have a super café in the sanctuary and of course we stopped for a coffee and cake.
Bembridge is a coastal village on the eastern side of the island and offers views out towards The Solent and Portsmouth in the distance. Walk 10 from the Isle of Wight Pathfinder is called Around Bembridge. Interesting fact about Bembridge is claims to be one of the biggest villages in England, the walk itself follows the coastal path to start off then takes you inland past the Bembridge Windmill and back along the coastal path to where you started.
Bembridge Windmill is the islands only surviving windmill and is operated by the National Trust, and you can pay to enter and have a look around. One of the most impressive things about visiting Bembridge is its RNLI station, the station has two buildings, and they are connected by a pier, housing inshore and offshore lifeboats. Where you park to start the walk there is perfectly situated coffee shop that operates from a trailer parked on the grass. A great place to enjoy a cold drink after a walk on such a warm day and take in the sea views.
Isle of Wight Pathfinder Guide – Walk 15
Walk 15 from the Isle of Wight Pathfinder is called Niton, St Catherines Point and Blackgang heads around the most southern point on the island. Despite not being the longest walk in the Isle of Wight guidebook, this walk is only 5 ¾ miles but is a small challenge as you have 880 feet of height gain in this walk. The reward is the superb views at the top Gore Cliff looking out to sea and towards St Catherines Point.
Note there is car park and viewpoint at point E marked on the map in the guidebook, so if you don’t fancy attempting the whole walk. You can park up here and enjoy the impressive views. We did come across a strategically located ice cream van here when we completed this walk and enjoyed another well-deserved ice cream in the sun!
Godshill was recommended to by a friend as a place to visit on the island, Godshill is charming village between Newport and Ventnor. Claimed to be the home of cream tea on the Isle of Wight. There several popular tea gardens along the main road of the village, we picked one based on amount of sunshade for the dog to get out of the sun for a little.
The cream tea did not disappoint, a fruit scone with jam, cream, and strawberries, what isn’t to like! I did also spot a shop called the Cider Barn. I picked a selection of ciders and Isle of Wight beers to take home with me. Not that we had time to pop in and have a look around, one of the number 1 things to do in Godshill, is visit to the model village is linked to the Royal Horticultural Society.
When your dog – Rocky, is a German Short Haired Pointer. What do you do? Book a table for dinner at the Pointer Inn. It’s probably what all pointer owners would do. The Pointer Inn is in the village of Newchurch and they welcome dogs! Lovely food menu, seating space inside is limited so worth booking ahead. I had two plates off their special’s menu -Crab Fish Cakes and vegetable Thai Curry, both tasted lovely and good portion sizes.
Rocky was continued to be fed lots of biscuits by staff and was given multiple cuddles from staff and other customers. I don’t know who enjoyed this trip more of us as the dog owners or Rocky! And of course, we made Rocky get some pictures outside by the Pointer Inn sign.
We drove back from the Isle of Wight to Edinburgh including the ferry in one day. It was a long day back with some pitstops to break the journey up. But the trip was well worth the long drive there and back! I was really chuffed with how dog friendly the Isle of Wight was, lots of restaurants and shops – welcoming our 4-legged friends. If you love costal walks with good places to eat and drink, then the Isle of Wight is a must for you! While driving back I was thinking about what cider or beer I would have 1st after my visit to the Cider barn! A kind of well done to me for the long drive back! Haha
I hope the information above, helps inspire a future trip to the Isle of Wight!
Read more of Kris Mackenzie’s Adventures
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OS Shop
We are with you every step of the way. Shop our trusted walking and hiking maps and guidebooks so you can explore the outdoors with confidence.
Go to the shop
By Kris Mackenzie
I am a product manager here at Ordnance Survey and I look after everything book related in our physical products team. In my spare time you will find me off spending time outdoors local to home in Edinburgh or somewhere further afield in the Great Britain. I am keen hillwalker, runner, climber & mountain biker, and I am trying to work my way through ticking my Munro’s off in Scotland. In good weather windows you will see me heading off in camper with my wife and dog – Rocky (a German Short Haired Pointer), in search of an outdoor adventure.
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