Isle of Wight Camping

Isle of Wight Campsites

The Isle of Wight is only a short hop from England’s South Coast, but it can feel like you’re transported into another time. The Victorians, from Tennyson to the Queen herself, loved this island for its gorgeous coastal views, warm temperatures and sweeping sands, and dinosaur-hunters have unearthed hundreds of skeletons from its chalky ground. For a Mediterranean-style trip with a distinctly British character, the Isle of Wight offers an experience like no other.

Camping and glamping on the Isle of Wight puts the best of this small but action-packed place at your fingertips, giving you the opportunity to encounter dinosaurs, experience the tranquil coast and unwind at family-friendly festivals. From glamorous, crumbling Victorian palaces to tiny seaside towns and epic ocean views unchanged since the Bronze Age, it feels as if its charm comes from every century.

Pirates, smugglers, Romans and adventure-seekers of all kinds have fallen under the spell of the Isle’s white cliffs and 25 miles of shoreline. As one of the UK’s most camping-friendly places, the Isle of Wight is hard to beat.

Reasons to visit the Isle of Wight

With an array of attractions and events providing year-round entertainment, there are lots of reasons to go camping on the Isle of Wight.

Victorian splendour

The Victorian side of the Isle of Wight is far from stuffy. Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s favourite home, looks like a glorious frosted cake, and there’s plenty to do to soak in the history, from paddling on Victoria’s own private beach to exploring gardens and adventure trails originally designed to entertain the nine royal princes and princesses. There are falconry displays and, in the Royal Collections, an eerie five-legged deer…

Theme park Blackgang Chine also has the royal seal of approval. The Queen herself visited to see the skeleton of a washed-up whale, which is still part of the park’s attractions, alongside more modern rides, halls of mirrors and haunted houses. Farringford, the Isle of Wight home of Alfred Lord Tennyson, has gorgeous gardens ready for picnicking, and the promise that if you look closely, you might see some rare red squirrels in the foliage.

Dinosaurs galore

Dinosaur-lovers old and young will have lots of entertain them on the Isle of Wight. Dinosaur Isle Museum, beside the beach at Sandown, has some of the 15 dinosaur species that have been dug up on the Isle of Wight over the centuries. If you fancy becoming a palaeontologist yourself, Compton Bay and Yaverland beaches are renowned spots for finding small fossils among the stones. One new fossil has been named Daisy Morris after its discoverer, who was only 4 years old when she unearthed it on Brook Beach.

If you’d like to stretch your legs, local experts conduct dinosaur walking tours about the Isle’s fascinating fossilised history across the Isle’s cliffs and beaches. Blackgang Chine also has animatronic dinosaurs for you to experience the island’s roaring reptilian past.

Fantastic festivals

The Isle of Wight Festival is one of the UK’s most famous, with musicians and acts travelling from all over the world to perform, and children under 12 go free. There’s even a special Kidzone inside the Festival devoted to magicians, circus workshops, toy-making and other kid-friendly activities to make it an all-ages affair.

That’s not the end of the Isle of Wight’s festival calendar, though. It has a year-round schedule of festivals of every kind, including a garlic festival, an annual sailing regatta from the town of Cowes, traditional farming shows, and even sandcastle-building competitions and a pirate festival for aspiring Captain Jack Sparrows.

For train and car lovers, the Isle has something special. The captivating steam railway that still operates in the town of Havenstreet has its own festival every August, complete with special train rides, a vintage car show, a merry-go-round and performing dogs and sheep. The Isle of Wight has a festival for everybody.

Why choose Experience Freedom?

No matter what aspect of the Isle of Wight catches your eye, whether it’s strolls on the famous Needles or an afternoon digging for fossils, Experience Freedom’s campsites are the best-located on the Isle and will help you shape all your travel dreams. Glamping can make you feel as glamorous as Queen Victoria herself, while camping brings you close to the ancient landscape and its many beauties. Want to investigate further? Select a region to see more details, or click on the Search and Book function to view available dates for your chosen site.