Top scenic spots on the Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight has some beautiful coastal scenery. It’s one of my favourite places in the UK to be by the sea. Here are my top scenic spots on the Isle of Wight.

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How to get to and around the top scenic spots on the Isle of Wight

To be able to fully enjoy these top scenic spots on the Isle of Wight, I’d definitely recommend taking or hiring your own car. There is a good bus service on the Isle of Wight between major towns, but it’s limited to more remote areas. Having your own car will really help you get to the more scenic, remote places and enable you to spend as long as you like there.

There are several routes for car ferries from mainland England to the Isle of Wight. So it’s easy to take your own car over. I used the Red Funnel ferry from Southampton to Cowes, which worked well.

This great guide will help you plan your trip to the Isle of Wight (affiliate). The useful maps will help you plan your route between the top scenic spots.

1. The Needles

The Needles is one one of my favourite scenic spots on the Isle of Wight. At the far Western point of the Isle of Wight, it’s definitely worth driving out to this point to see the famous chalk landmarks. There’s quite a lot of tourist infrastructure around the Needles, with shops and other attractions, so it can get quite busy. However, if you’d rather escape the crowds, it’s easy to get away. Follow the well signposted coastal footpath out to the Needles viewpoint.

2. Shanklin Beach

Shanklin has one of my favourite beaches on the Isle of Wight. I love the huge expanse of golden sands and the blue sea. The waves here are gentle, so it’s a really family friendly beach as well. It’s the perfect place to relax in the sun and enjoy the scenery.

3. Compton Beach

I was lucky to visit Compton Beach one evening when there was really amazing light on the beach. The dark clouds were clearing just enough to let some beams of sunlight through onto the beach and the sea. The photo at the top of this post is from Compton Beach. It was just spectacular, and a great time to get some amazing photos. It’s times like this that I really fall in love with the UK’s coastal scenery all over again.

4. St Catherine’s Point

Situated at the far southern point of the Isle of Wight, St Catherine’s Point is another of my top scenic spots on the Isle of Wight. From this high viewpoint, you can see all across the coastline, right to the Needles in the distance. It’s another great place for photos and enjoying the fresh sea air.

5. Sandown Beach

At Sandown Beach, I really loved the views across the beach to the white cliffs beyond. The beach itself is beautiful at Sandown as well, and another great place to take some photos and then relax in the sun.

6. Ryde Beach

Ryde Beach has beautiful light coloured sand. It also has some great views across the Solent to Portsmouth. You can see the iconic Spinnaker Tower across the water, as well as the rest of the skyline of Portsmouth. It’s another great place to enjoy the scenery, and also eat ice cream if it’s a nice sunny day.

7. Alum Bay coloured sands

Alum Bay is famous for the coloured sands in the cliffs. You can get a great view from the coastal footpath that goes out towards The Needles. Look back to the striped cliffs of Alum Bay, where the different coloured sands make this a fascinating place to visit. You can also walk down to Alum Bay pebble beach to get up close to the sands, or take the chairlift down.

8. Coastal road trips

As well as beautiful scenery you can see from walking on the Isle of Wight, you can also see some beautiful scenery from driving. Many of the roads on the Isle of Wight have stunning views. You can see the green rolling hills in the centre of the island, and the white cliffs of the coast. I loved the views from the road out towards the Needles, but so many roads have similar beautiful views to enjoy.

Enjoy the top scenic spots on the Isle of Wight! Remember to check out this great guide as well ready for your trip (affiliate). If you’re looking for a more detailed guide to the Isle of Wight, check out my itinerary for 5 days on the Isle of Wight, and also my top 25 things to do on the Isle of Wight. There’s more beautiful coastal scenery waiting for you in the UK as well, with Dorset nearby, and also North Devon, South Devon and the Gower Peninsula.