Of the 14 campsites within 3.7 miles of the Red Jet terminal in Cowes, 10 are good for families.
The Red Jet is a quick crossing with children: about 28 minutes, infants aged 0 to 4 free, and children under 12 must travel with a fare-paying adult. Red Funnel's Family Day Return for three or four people cost £48.90 in 2026, but it is a day ticket, so for a camping trip price child period returns instead.
Free things for children start near the terminal. Northwood House park, uphill in Cowes, has a fenced play area with swings and a slide. Across the Floating Bridge, the East Cowes Esplanade has a free paddling pool open daily from 8am to dusk from May to the end of September. The Classic Boat Museum lets accompanied children aged 17 and under in free.
Of the family sites, Waverley Park is the only one you can walk to from the Red Jet with bags. Thorness Bay, with its indoor pool and kids' clubs, needs a car or taxi: the nearest bus stop is a 1.7-mile walk along a lane without pavement.
Holiday park · East Cowes · 0.5 miles
Play area · outdoor pool · entertainment · Walkable from the Red Jet. Outdoor pool from late May to mid-September, a play area and a games room.
Tents, caravans, motorhomes, static caravans
from £13/night
ViewHoliday park · Gurnard · 1.5 miles
Chalets about 3 km west of the Red Jet, roughly 40 minutes on foot, close to Gurnard beach.
Chalets
Prices on request
ViewCampsite · Northwood · 1.9 miles
About 4 km and 50 minutes uphill on foot from the Red Jet, or take route 1 towards Newport and walk about half a mile. Open from May to September.
Tents, caravans, motorhomes
from £20/night
ViewCampsite · Cowes · 2.1 miles
A small off-grid site south-west of Cowes, about 5 km and over an hour on foot from the Red Jet, so you will want a taxi or a lift.
Tents, motorhomes, bell tents
Prices on request
ViewGlamping site · Cowes · 2.1 miles
Play area · farm animals · Farm animals to meet, including pigs and Shetland cattle. Children must be supervised at all times.
from £175/night
ViewHoliday park · Gurnard · 2.2 miles
Static caravans
Prices on request
ViewHoliday park · Wootton Bridge · 3.3 miles
Lodges, treehouses
Prices on request
ViewGlamping site · Wootton Bridge · 3.3 miles
Play area · Treehouses and shepherd's huts with a shared paddock, games room and swings. Screen-free: no TVs.
Treehouses, shepherd's huts
from £78.57/night
ViewHoliday park · Wootton Bridge · 3.3 miles
Lodges about five minutes' walk from the shore near Wootton. No restaurant on site: the bar is at the sister park next door.
Lodges
from £61.07/night
ViewHoliday park · Cowes · 3.4 miles
Play area · indoor pool · entertainment · Indoor pool, kids' clubs and shows. Take a taxi from Cowes, as the nearest bus stop is 1.7 miles away.
Tents, caravans, motorhomes, safari tents, static caravans
from £10/night
ViewNo campsites match all of those.
Infants aged 0 to 4 do not need a ticket. Children aged 5 to 15 pay a child fare, and in 2026 a Family Day Return for three or four people cost £48.90.
Waverley Park in East Cowes, about 25 minutes on foot including the Floating Bridge. It has a heated outdoor pool from late May to mid-September and a play area.
Yes. Northwood House park has a free fenced play area, and the East Cowes Esplanade has a free paddling pool from May to September. Under-18s get into the Classic Boat Museum free with an adult.
Waverley Park Holiday Centre, about 0.5 miles away as the crow flies.
Thorness Bay Holiday Park, from £10 a night for two adults, is the lowest price we can find over the next year. Prices change with the season and the day of the week, so put your dates into the calculator on this page.
8 of the 10: Waverley Park Holiday Centre, Comforts Farm, The Hydeaway, The Ark Park, Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat, Into the Woods, Woodside Coastal Retreat and Thorness Bay Holiday Park.
Yes: Waverley Park Holiday Centre, Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat, Into the Woods and Woodside Coastal Retreat.
Yes, at Comforts Farm, The Hydeaway, The Ark Park and Into the Woods. Most want fires in a raised pit, not on the ground.
