Isle of Wight

[Cathryn]

Hurrah - got a mini trip planned for Easter. Dependent on weather, we'll cycle to Lymington, get the ferry to the IOW, spend two days cycling round and then cycle home. If the weather is grim, we'll drive to Lymington and just cycle the island section. I'm v excited and have accommodation booked in Yarmouth and Sandown (accommodation is already pretty booked up).

Haven't been to the IOW since I was about 11. Apart from the Needles, what do we need to see? Planning to take the route around the outside of the island but happy to divert for good stuff.

 

[CXRAndy]

We did the outside lap in just one day. It's around 60 miles for the loop including the Needle's

 

[Softlips]

Regularly ride the outside lap in around 5 hours. A great place to visit is the Donkey Sanctuary surprisingly. The garlic farm is good too.

 

[Bollo]

I try to do the round the island route at least once a year but not generally as a sight-seeing ride. The character of the island changes a lot as you go around. The northern coasts are quite seasidey but the south-west edge is much more rural and quieter. The views along the white cliffs can be spectacular.

The official route is generally well marked and mostly avoids the traffic. The IoW is hilly! There are few ”spectaculars” but it rarely stops being either up or down with few options for flatter routes. However, the quality of the roads is great. About a decade or so ago the IoW received a chunk of cash to sort its dreadful roads and after a slow start most of them are now better than anything on the mainland.

The only stretch on the round the island route that can get sketchy with other road users is along the military road, just before Freshwater if you’re going clockwise. There are two sharpish climbs, it’s right on the coast so prone to side winds and if it’s a holiday weekend with decent weather it can get very busy with traffic, including too-big coach tours. I’ve not especially enjoyed any rides into Newport due to traffic unpleasantness but that may just have been the chosen routes.

Of the island towns I like Ventnor the most. It’s got a nice compact sun trap seafront and a few decent cafes but will add some extra climbing when you leave.

It’s hilly.

The Needles are worth a visit but ……. hilly.

 

[Peter Salt]

I did a loop of it last year. Very pleasant surroundings, relatively flat and not much traffic. There's good signage for a cycle route around the island - clockwise is probably nicer.

Military Road was particularly spectacular. Very fun descent, climb, and descent.

It's short though - you can get around in 4h at a very relaxed pace. You could do clockwise one day and counterclockwise on the second.