Best Beach in Isle of Wight

"Right on the beach in Southsea, just to the east of South Parade Pier, Southsea Beach Cafe goes from strength to strength. Breakfast is served until 11.45am and includes the following Granola Bowl, Mushroom Baked Hash, Belgian Waffles, Scallop and Bacon Bap as well as all of your traditional favourites. Great food and great sea views."

"The big one - and the one many people think of when Portsmouth's beaches come to mind. The stretch along Southsea Seafront is a perennial favourite, with wonderful views out to sea and plenty of space to spread out. Broadly speaking, Southsea Beach runs from Clarence Pier to just beyond South Parade Pier."

"Southsea beach is pebble/stoney beach that stretches along the whole southern end of Portsea Island from Old Portsmouth beach to Eastney beach. Adjacent to the beach and seafront promenade, Southsea Common is a large open space. Facilities include parking, toilets, promenade, and food outlets."

"Hengistbury Head is a beautiful spot, less than half an hour along the coast from Bournemouth. It offers views to the Isle of Wight, back towards Bournemouth and also across the lagoon towards Christchurch. If you want to buy your own slice of the English coastline, check out the top-of-the-range beach huts selling for over £300k!"

"Six miles east of Bournemouth town centre is Hengistbury Head, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The “Head” is a promontory looking over the English Channel, and has been occupied by humans since the Upper Palaeolithic. If you don’t have a car you can reach it via the Land Train, or cycle along the promenade."

"Technically it’s just out of the New Forest, but it’s an easy (and fabulous) attraction to add to your itinerary. Hengistbury Head is a headland that juts out of the coast not far from Bournemouth. It’s a bit of a nature lovers playground, with lots of different animals around and a pretty amazing beach."

"Water quality: excellentDogs: October- AprilLifeguard patrol: patrol mid-July - early September (check here)Car park: Penny Way pay and display (Sat nav: BH23 4UE). Friars Cliff Beach is a sandy and stony beach found to the east of its neighbour, Avon Beach. It also acts as the start of a one-mile path that leads you to Steamer Point Nature Reserve."

"Alum Bay lies at the western most point of the Isle of Wight and you can see the Needles quite clearly here. One of the things tourists love is the varied coloured sands of the cliffs and it is still possible to get the layered sands in tiny bottles in the gift shops in the nearly towns and villages."

"Water quality: excellentDogs: October-AprilCar park: Waterford Road (Sat nav: BH23 5DA) Pay and display or local amenity parking clock applies. Just a five-minute drive from the New Forest border, the shingle and sand beach at Highcliffe has numerous groynes and a moderate slope, flattening to shallow sandy flats that are exposed when the tide retreats. Behind the beach are cliffs and a shoreline promenade, which provides access to the town and to the coast road at the top of the cliff."

"There’s also a lovely beach at Steephill Cove with a variety of cafes, which is just below the Botanic Garden, accessible on foot only. Again, depending on your interests and schedule, these are all excellent stops. One stop that we definitely recommend you do include on your trip is Old St. Boniface’s Church in Bonchurch. This is a really cute little church which dates from the 11th century, and is one of very few medieval churches in England dedicated to this Saxon monk."

"Sandown is a gently-sloping sandy beach in the centre of Sandown Bay, with Shanklin to the south and Yaverland and Culver Cliff to the north. The beach is popular with both tourists and surfers. The beach can be accessed from"

"Water quality: excellentDogs: welcome October-AprilCar park: pay and display (Sat nav: SO45 1BS). Calshot beach is part of a shingle spit on the Hampshire coast which extends westward by one mile into the southern end of Southampton Water. The beach is mostly shingle with some sand and is backed by colourful beach huts that offer views over the Solent to the Isle of Wight."

"The Royal Victoria Country Park is situated on a heritage site that was once the location of the British Army’s first purpose-built hospital. The hospital was demolished in 1966, but the chapel still remains. Why not exercise your legs and lungs by climbing the 166 steps of the chapel tower and take in the outstanding views from the top."

"Location: Calshot Spit, Fawley, in the eastern most point of the New Forest National Park.Telephone: 02380 892077Remarks: Worth looking at if you’re in the area for a while and are interested in activity courses, particularly watersport based ones. Centre also features an indoor cycle track, artificial (Snowflex) ski slope and rock-climbing wall. Go straight to the official Calshot Activities Centre website."

"The area of Calshot Spit immediately surrounding the castle also holds a significant place in aviation history. In March 1913 Calshot Royal Naval Air Station was established there to experiment with the defence capabilities of seaplanes which had only recently been invented. At that time Winston Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty and he took a close interest in their military use."