Independent Trails: Fact File

Independent Trails: Fact File.IOW2

Isle of Wight Coast Path

Trail Facts

Total distance: 65 miles (104km)
Duration: 6 nights, 5 days walking
Minimum/maximum daily distances: 8 miles (13km)/15 miles (24km)
Waymarking: The trail is very clearly waymarked and is very easy to follow.
Season: All year
Starting point of holiday: Ryde
End of holiday: Ryde
Code: IOW2

Itinerary

Day 1: Travel to Ryde, where your first nights accommodation has been booked.

Day 2: Ryde to Cowes. 8 miles (13km).

Day 3: Cowes to Yarmouth. 15 miles (24km).

Day 4: Yarmouth to Brighstone. 13 ½ miles (21.5km).

Day 5: Brighstone to Shanklin. 15 miles (24km).

Day 6: Shanklin to Ryde. 13 ½ miles (21.5km).

Day 7: Depart from Ryde after breakfast.

Extra nights/Rest days

For centuries Cowes has been associated with sailing craft and boat building and along its busy High Street you'll find shops reflecting the towns heritage, with boatyards, chandlers and Beckens's famous yachting gallery. Yarmouth is another good choice for a rest day. It is a delightful village port with narrow lanes, stone quays, a timber pier and historic castle. If you would like to enjoy some of the finest beaches in the south of England, consider Freshwater Bay or Shanklin for a rest day. If you fancy somewhere quieter, consider Brighstone, it is a beautiful little village set amid flower-strewn fields between forest and sea.

What's included

6 nights accommodation in en-suite rooms with private bathrooms (where available) in selected hotels, inns or guesthouses.
Full English breakfast.
Door to door luggage transfer along the trail.
Maps and a guidebook describing the trail.
An information pack containing an itinerary, detailed instructions on how to find your accommodation each night, town plans, information about facilities and places of interest along the trail and a kit list.
Detailed travel instructions on how to get to the start of your holiday and back from the end of it.
Emergency assistance

Travel Information

Detailed instructions on how to get to the start of the holiday and back from the end of it are sent to you on booking. A summary is given below.

Most convenient major city and International airports: London.

Outward journey from London to Ryde: Train from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour (1 ½ hours), then Wightlink ferry to Ryde (crossing time 15 minutes).

Return journey to London at the end of the holiday: Ferry from Ryde to Portsmouth Harbour, then train to London Waterloo.

Travelling by car: There is a choice of three crossings to the island: Wightlink ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth (crossing time 30 minutes), Wightlink ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne (crossing time 35 minutes) or Red Funnel ferry from Southampton to Cowes (crossing time 55 minutes).