The best itinerary for 5 days on the Isle of Wight, UK

Day 3: The Needles and Compton Beach

The Needles

For day 3 of the best itinerary for five days on the Isle of Wight, head to the West of the island. The Needles are a famous sight on the far west of the coastline on the Isle of Wight. They’re a big tourist attraction, with lots of tourist-y things to do in the area. I’ll be honest, the touristy side of this part of the Isle of Wight wasn’t my favourite. It was really busy, with huge groups of people and families all queuing for the top sights. And a lot of the shops and things to do felt very touristy and not much fun. However, the scenery is still beautiful. So I’d still recommend visiting. Enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery, and see for yourself whether you enjoy the rest of the shops and attractions! 

I started my day at The Needles by visiting the viewpoint at the end of the ‘shopping street’. There’s a platform where you can see the lovely views out to sea. 

I then walked out towards The Needles Viewpoint. The coastal path is well signposted from the car park, and it’s easy to leave the crowds behind as soon as you get on the coast path. 

I really enjoyed the views back towards Alum Bay. The coloured sands on the cliffs here are just amazing. 

It takes about half an hour to walk out to the end of the headland. Once you’re at the end, you can visit the National Trust owned Old Battery, and learn more about the military history of this area. If you don’t want to pay to go inside, you can walk past and slightly up the hill to get to an amazing viewpoint over the Needles. This was one of my highlights of the day, and also a great place to stop for a picnic lunch. 

Back at the Needles attraction, I visited some of the shops and attractions. There’s a games arcade, which is great fun for kids. There are also plenty of places to buy ice cream and other snacks. One of my favourite shops was the sand shop. You can make your own souvenir here, by filling a glass shape with multicoloured sands from the cliffs below. It’s a fun way to make a really unique souvenir. 

One of the main attractions at The Needles is the chairlift. This chairlift takes you down to Alum Bay beach. It’s only a short ride, but it’s a nice way to see the views. However, if the queue for the chairlift is really long, it only takes a couple of minutes to walk down the steps to the beach. 

The beach is a small pebbly beach, and unfortunately can get very busy. There are boat trips that go from this beach out to the Needles if you want. Or you can just walk along the beach to get more views of The Needles and the coloured sands in the cliffs. 

I definitely enjoyed seeing all the beautiful scenery in the area. But for me personally, I found the area just too busy with too many shops and attractions in a small area. But I’d still recommend visiting so you can see the beautiful Needles and coloured sands. 

Compton Beach

In the afternoon, I headed over to Compton Beach. Its about a 20 minute drive from The Needles, on the South West coast of the island. There’s a large National Trust car park, and as soon as you step out of the car, you’re greeted with amazing views. You can see all along the white cliffs, almost as far as the needles. And there are more cliffs with coloured sands.

I really enjoyed relaxing on this beach for the afternoon and into the evening. The light in the evening was amazing, with dark stormy skies and the sun just breaking through. It was really atmospheric.