Leisure Activities

One of the island’s favourite beaches and biggest expanses of open downland. Spend a day at one of the Isle of Wight’s favourite spots. From beach to open downland, there’s plenty of space to explore, search for fossils, spot local wildlife, surf, cycle and ride your horse.

An impressive flank of open downland Take a walk, bring a picnic or try something more adventurous – there’s so much to see and do on a day out at Chillerton Down. Chillerton Down and the land around Gatcombe Village is a beautiful area of downland, farmed and wooded valleys hidden away in the middle of the Isle of Wight. It is partly owned by us and partly protected by our covenants to preserve the beauty of the landscape.

Paths wind through ancient oak woodland with sunny glades. Borthwood Copse changes with the seasons and is a lovely place to walk at any time of year. Why not explore this wonderful site yourself? It’s a great place to celebrate the great outdoors. Why not try our red squirrel walk? This 1¼-mile walk takes you through the beautiful ancient woodland of Borthwood Copse, an excellent place to spot red squirrels throughout the year. In spring the woodland floor is carpeted with bluebells. Red squirrels are most active and visible in autumn.

An invigorating downland walk, with a splendid view of the iconic Needles

The Isle of Wight Reptilarium and Terrapin sanctuary is a brand new zoological attraction located at Fort Victoria country park, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. Housing over 30 displays of live reptiles, amphibians and Invertebrates set in the brick arches of the Historic Victorian Fort. Admission Fees. Adult (16 Years +) £5.00 Child (3 years+) £3.50 Cash, Debit, Credit Card, Contactless Accepted

Our plans are to lease one of the main hangars at Sandown Airport and convert this into our first aviation museum. This will allow us to both build our collection and establish the museum as a viable tourist attraction. Positioned close to the airport Control Tower and Bistro, the museum will be a short distance from the parking facilities. The airport is located on the main route between Newport & Sandown and is in the ideal position for attracting visitors. The airport is also home to Airframe Assemblies one of the worlds leading Spitfire and classic war bird restoration companies and these aircraft are regular visitors to the airfield. The museum will be free to enter and staffed by volunteers, enabling maximum access to all visitors.

Vectis Radio is the Isle of Wight’s community radio station, ‘for the people, by the people’ and is manned by local volunteers. On November 4th 2017, Vectis Radio went live on FM104.6. The Older and Wiser programme will run the first and third Wednesday of each month at 3pm – 4pm and will inform Islanders about projects and initiatives that are taking place across the Island, together with Age Friendly Island, to enhance the lives of our older residents, presented by James & Judith.

Opening on 25th February 2018 Join us at Slug and Lettuce for any occasion, cocktails and fizz, wine and dine, afternoon tea or just a simple catch up with friends. We can provide the full VIP treatment or leave you to relax with friends in a stunning venue, with plenty of choice for everyone. Take a look at our menus and then reserve a table for you and your friends. You can find us at the bottom of the High Street in Newport, we look forward to seeing you then!

**Reopening March 2018** The Chequers Inn, which is owned and run by the Holmes family, is a traditional rural pub situated in the heart of the Isle of Wight within the beautiful countryside. Our pub is the perfect place to eat, sleep and drink on the Isle of Wight, and also perfect for just stopping by for a pint of traditional local ale. We are proud to have our kitchen run by Head Chef, Steve Harris, whose aim is to provide fantastic fresh tasty food created with as much local produce as possible, with an elegant and relaxed atmosphere. Here at The Chequers Inn, we have our sun lounge available for private hire, which includes its own private bar, making it the ideal setting for meetings, parties and conferences. We offer a family orientated pub with a large children’s play area and games room to keep them entertained for hours on end, so you can relax and enjoy your time here with us. The Chequers Inn also consists of three luxury B&B rooms available for holidays or short trips away with stunning views of the local countryside. We are unfortunately unable to welcome dogs to stay within our B&B rooms, […]

Ryde Rowing Club is one of the Isle of Wight’s oldest sports clubs having been in continuous existence since 1877, providing facilities for competitive and recreational rowing as well as social facilities. The clubhouse in Appley Park provides boat storage, a training area, changing facilities with showers, licensed bar and function rooms. Throughout the year, the clubhouse hosts a wide variety of social events and is also available to hire for parties, weddings, meetings and conferences. For enquiries regarding joining the Club please click here. Ryde Rowing Club, Appley Lane, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 1ND 01983 614385 ryderc.org carolehewison@btinternet.com