Kayaking on the Isle of Wight
Paddle your way to new adventures.
Gentle inland waterways, coastal shorebreaks, open water opportunities – the Isle of Wight is the perfect place to take to the water in a kayak. Enjoy a leisurely paddle checking out the sights around the island, or opt for a high-energy excursion.
Kayaking Sites
There are plenty of places to launch your kayak around the Isle of Wight – choose a spot and get padding!
- Freshwater boasts beautiful surrounding cliffs to explore the coastal scenery. Freshwater bay is best explored on a flat day, and on the correct tide you can explore the caves.
- Compton is excellent for kayak surfing. This area is very popular with surfers, due to the sandy shore and great waves.
- Brook is the next beach along from Compton, and again benefits from excellent surf.
- Yaverland and Sandown Bay, depending on the weather conditions, can be excellent for gentle kayak paddling around the Bay area.
- Yarmouth to Freshwater makes for a great river paddle.
- Newtown Creek is fun for a day of leisurely exploration, with areas to stop along the river to have a picnic.
- Cowes - Newport (Medina River) is a busy river best suited to experienced paddlers. Choose an off-season date for this route to avoid the busy yachting events. This route can also be very tidal, so ensure you time your trip carefully. There are a few picnic spots along the route to Newport.
- Ryde / Puckpool is great for beginner kayaking. If you are keen to do some sheltered, easy kayaking, or paddling with children, these beaches offer shallow waters and sandy beaches, making a gentle paddle enjoyable.
If you don't have your own kayaks and would like to try your hand, there are a number of companies offering hire or courses.
- Adventure Activities Isle of Wight in Freshwater Bay and Tapnell
- UKSA in Cowes
Ticketed Attractions
Wildheart Animal Sanctuary
What a treat to get to see some of the most vulnerable big cats in the world, rescued into their forever home. With many more furry and feathered friends to visit the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary is a fabulous place to visit.
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Shanklin Chine
The oldest attraction and largest Chine on the Isle of Wight has been at the forefront of many childhood holiday memories. Walking along the pathways that follow the naturally carved out ways along the cliff edge is reminiscent of a faraway land.
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Godshill Model Village
As featured on BBC's Countryfile, you mustn't mistake the model village in Godshill as purely a children’s attraction because this vintage gem is an amusement for all ages. Set in a garden full of stunning coarse bonsai trees, you will love this 1/10th model of the village.
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Ventnor Botanic Gardens
Discover the wonderful sub-tropics right here in Britain’s hottest garden. Basking in the warmth of the unique micro-climate of Ventnor Undercliff, uncover the wonder and beauty of Ventnor Botanic Garden. With over 200 plants in bloom 365 days a year.
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Tapnell Farm Park
This all weather park provides so much fun for the whole family, all ages can enjoy the park from soft play for the little ones, straw barn fun for older children to interacting with the amazing animals and all wrapped up with amazing views of the west wight.
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Amazon World Zoo Park
Everyone loves to visit a zoo, especially if you can get up close and personal with the friendlier animals. At Amazon World you can be introduced to the animals in a keeper talk, walk-through the Lemur and Wallaby enclosures where you can interact with them, or you could meet a Meerkat.
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Bembridge Windmill
You'll have a real time travelling experience when you visit Bembridge Windmill, the only surviving windmill on the Isle of Wight. Fully restored after being given to the National Trust in 1961, it's so pretty it even inspired Turner to paint a watercolour when he visited the island in 1795.
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The Needles Old and New Battery
The scariest view of the Needles rocks from a lookout point right at the tip of the cliffs is your reward for climbing down the spiral staircase and then creeping through a 65m underground tunnel at the Needles Old Battery.
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