Fee Drummonds’s Guide To The Isle Of Wight
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3 days ago
A roundup of the island's most stellar spots
Planning a trip to the Isle of Wight? Delight in close-to-home cold-wave swims, sweeping bays and picture-perfect sundowner spots, says Fee Drummond.
Postcards From… The Isle Of Wight
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On my doorstep, the Isle of Wight, complete with crumbling forts, lighthouses and winding estuaries, below the beautifully rugged and chalky cliffs, is where you’ll often find me. Winter or summer, I might be anchored below the Needles for sunset drinks or sunrise swims with my family. This is my most happy place.
The west of the island is beautifully untouched, complete with stunning movie-scene coastal roads, sweeping surf bays and a charming local community. I pinch myself for being lucky enough to speed across the Solent by boat for picnics and beach days here, collecting samphire and making nature nests out of driftwood.
My children will remember me hiking them up the windy hills to Tennyson’s Mount and rolling all the way down, ending up in Freshwater Bay to swim, lie on sun-warmed beach stones, eat ice cream and frolic in the cool English waves. This is my favourite spot in the world, especially when drinking Isle of Wight Mermaid Gin, locally distilled and made with the most delicious coastal botanicals.
Sleep Over
Stay at the newly renovated Albion Hotel in Freshwater Bay, the most perfect pebbly beach. I am obsessed with seaweed and caves, so we snorkel here when it’s still and surf when the swell is in. Eddie’s Surf Academy is a walk down the cliffs to Compton Beach.
Paddle Up
This is an active island, with water sports, hiking, riding, kiting and surfing to be discovered all year round. Hire ponies for all abilities at Hill Farm Stables and paddle boards at Freshwater Bay.
Bucolic Biking
We rent bikes and cycle the grassy old train line from Yarmouth to Colwell Bay. We’ll often start with breakfast at Off The Rails, a charming old train shed right next to the bike hire. The path could not be easier or more joyful for young and old. We’ll finish with lunch at famed beach restaurant The Hut. We’ve been taking the kids there since they were babies, lunching while they slept under the table wrapped up in our yachting jackets. I always check the tides and take them when it’s low so they have more sand to run and play on.
Chalk It Up
Drop anchor beneath The Needles, three chalk stacks rising from the sea and the island’s most iconic landmark. On a clear day you can see Hurst Castle across the Solent, a Tudor fortress built by Henry III. Become a member of the Boat Club and book a launch with a skipper any time it tickles your fancy. If you have a boat licence, Solent Rib Charter in Lymington is the best.
