Check out the new Spring walks
We’ve added a host of new challenging, leisurely, historical and wildlife walks to the Spring Festival calendar.
Taking place between May 13-21, the Isle of Wight Spring Walking Festival will now see 69 walks on the programme, all led by local volunteers and businesses with a passion for showing you their favourite parts of the Isle of Wight.
72 miles in 24 hours…
One of the newest and most challenging Springtime walks is an incredible opportunity to take on the entire Island, walking anti-clockwise and non-stop for 24-hours over 20/21 May. The 72-mile walk starts and finishes in West Cowes at 5 am both days and is hosted by David Yates of the Isle of Wight Long Distance Walking Association.
Enjoy the Isle of Wight at sunrise and sunset whilst walking the coastal footpath for most of the route.
Leisurely Seaside Strolls
Husband-and-wife duo, Sara Curran and Peter Sussman, owners of Foresters Hall, look forward to taking walkers at a more leisurely pace. The circular walk from Cowes along to Gurnard will take in the local sights including the historic Royal Yacht Squadron and the cottage where during Cowes Week in 1873 Winston Churchill’s parents first met and fell in love.
Foresters Hall also has a special offer for walkers who stay at their business on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night (15, 16 and 17 May). All IWWF participants will receive their third night’s accommodation for free.
Book your walk HERE and your room HERE.
Across the water in East Cowes, Ken Wheeler returns once again to host ‘Queen Victoria’s historical visitors’. Join him to walk the route taken by the famous – and not so well known – visitors at the monarch’s former summer home and rural retreat, Osborne House.
Or down south, join the Christian Aid walk from Sandown to Shanklin to take in some of the Island’s most stunning sea views. Refreshments available in the Church at the end of the walk.
West Wight Loop
Regular Walk Leader, Sue Russell, will take walkers back to her favourite part of the Island, the West Wight to enjoy iconic landmarks, beautiful bays, and the scenic coastal path. There’s a long, medium and short version of the walk.
New to the IWWF line up, but not new to hosting walks, is historical author, Joanne Thornton. Jo offers three unique and special walks on the south of the Island; Culver Down and the fortifications of Sandown Bay, Niton Undercliff: buildings of the past and St Boniface Down and Ventnor WW2 – The cold war years.
Returning for 2023, history lovers will enjoy another tour of Ventnor Heritage Centre with local expert Stephan Roman. Follow in the footsteps of Russia’s political radicals, writers and poets who visited Ventnor in the 1850s and 1860s and discussed ways to create an alternative, liberal Russia.
More Opportunities to Discover the Island’s Natural Inhabitants
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Tapnell Farm have teamed up to host the ‘Tapnell Trail’. Join for a popular hiking trail through open countryside and take in spectacular views across Wellow, Tapnell and East Afton Downs.
The HIWWT and Nunwell Home Farm will also host guests at ‘Wilder Nunwell’ to share how the site is being restored through conservation management and regenerative farming.
The National Trust returns to the IWWF programme to offer two walks at their beautiful Newtown Creek location. Celebrate National Nature Reserve Week on a guided walk with an area ranger or take time to wind down, switch off and connect with nature on their Wellbeing Walk.
Finally, don’t forget to check out our exclusive offers for walkers across the Island…
From discounted ferry and bus travel, to 10% off F&B at the charming Character Inn pubs plus accommodation offers at The Bay Freshwater, Foxhills of Shanklin and The Wellington Hotel (Ventnor), take advantage of these great deals.