The Isle of Wight Ultra Challenge runs on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 May 2027, the early May bank holiday weekend. The main start and finish is the basecamp at Chale Recreation Ground, on Chale Green in the south-west of the island. The full route is about 106km with about 1,800m of climbing, run clockwise from Chale past the Needles and Yarmouth to Cowes and back via Ventnor.
Most people who camp stay at the event's own basecamp, because the 8.30am Ultra March start and the Sunday shuttles make anywhere else awkward. If you want a quieter night or a hot shower in a proper block, there are a handful of small sites within a few kilometres of Chale Green, but most only open in late spring, so check they are open on 30 April and 1 May before booking.
1 to 2 May 2027
Chale Basecamp, Chale Recreation Ground, Chale Green, Isle of Wight
The event's own camping: Yes. In 2027 the event sells pitches at Chale basecamp and Cowes Showground for Friday and Saturday nights: self-pitch from £25 a night, inclusive tent packages from £60, campervans £25, parking included.
We priced every campsite below for those 2 nights. 8 have a price; the cheapest is Paradise Cottage CS, at £20 for two adults. 1 want a longer minimum stay that week. 1 are closed then.
Small certificated site · Chale · 0.4 miles
about £20 for 2 nights, two adults · The closest pitches to basecamp, about 700m north of Chale Recreation Ground, so roughly ten minutes on foot to the start. A members' Certificated Site with showers and flushing toilets, unusual for a CS.
Members only · join the Camping and Caravanning Club to stay
Tents, caravans, motorhomes
from £10/night
ViewCampsite · Chale · 1.6 miles
about £120 for 2 nights, two adults · About 2.5km north of Chale Green down Corve Lane. Bell tents and a cabin as well as pitches, which suits a supporter who wants a bed while you walk.
Tents, caravans, motorhomes, bell tents, lodges
from £60/night
ViewGlamping site · Chale · 1.8 miles
about £158 for 2 nights, two adults · Bell-tent glamping at Atherfield, open from 1 May. Beds and power are provided, so you only need to bring your walking kit.
Bell tents, shepherd's huts
from £79/night
ViewSmall certificated site · Niton · 2 miles
£56 for 2 nights, two adults · Five serviced hardstandings above Niton, open from mid-April, so a good motorhome base for the May weekend. Adults only, about 3km from Chale Green.
Members only · join the Caravan and Motorhome Club to stay
Caravans, motorhomes
from £28/night
ViewGlamping site · Niton · 2.1 miles
£440 for 2 nights, two adults
Yurts, cabins
from £180/night
ViewPop-up campsite · Shorwell · 2.4 miles
Closed for these dates
Tents
from £14/night
ViewFarm campsite · Chale · 2.5 miles
Opens on 1 May, so it is available for the Saturday night of the challenge. About 4km from basecamp along the Military Road, with the coast path running past the field.
Tents, caravans, motorhomes
Prices on request
ViewNo campsites match all of those.
Ultra Challenge sells camping at both Chale basecamp and the halfway venue, the Isle of Wight Showground at Cowes, for Friday, Saturday or both nights. In 2027 an inclusive pitch with a two-man tent for one person costs £60 for one night or £80 for both, and a small self-pitch for two or three people is £25 a night or £45 for both. Campervans under 6m are £25 a night and motorhomes over 6m are £35. Parking is included with every pitch, and there are showers.
Not camping? Parking at Chale basecamp is £7 a car in 2027, open Friday 4pm to 8pm and then Saturday 6am to Sunday 10pm. There is no overnight parking unless you have a pitch.
The event partners with Red Funnel, and participants get a discount on both the Southampton to East Cowes car ferry and the Red Jet to West Cowes. The organisers ask you to pre-book a car crossing.
If you come as a foot passenger, the 2027 shuttle from West Cowes ferry to Chale costs £20 and runs Friday 4.30pm to 7.30pm and Saturday 6am to 7.30am. After the walk, a £20 shuttle runs from Chale back to the West Cowes ferry via the Showground from Saturday 1pm until the last ferry, and on Sunday 7am to 10pm. Walkers on the 25km first quarter can catch a £15 shuttle from Nodewell Farm near the Needles back to Chale on Saturday 11am to 7pm.
Outside the event shuttles, Southern Vectis route 6 links Newport with Chale, Blackgang, Niton, Whitwell and Ventnor, but it is one of the least frequent routes on the island, at about six buses a day.
The nearest pitches are at Paradise Cottage, a two-acre members' Certificated Site about 700m north of the recreation ground. Chine Farm on the Military Road at Atherfield opens on 1 May, so it works for the Saturday night. Several of the other small sites around Niton and Whitwell are adults-only or glamping, which can suit a supporter wanting a bed rather than a tent. It is a bank holiday weekend, so book early.
The Isle of Wight Ultra Challenge 2027 is on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 May 2027, the early May bank holiday weekend. The full continuous route of about 106km starts at Chale on the Saturday morning.
The main start and finish is Chale Basecamp at Chale Recreation Ground, Chale Green, in the south-west of the island. The halfway point and start of the second half is the Isle of Wight Showground at Cowes.
Yes. In 2027 the organisers sell camping at Chale basecamp and at the Cowes Showground for Friday and Saturday nights. A small self-pitch is £25 a night and an inclusive one-person tent package is £60, with parking included.
An event shuttle runs from the West Cowes Red Jet terminal to Chale on Friday 4.30pm to 7.30pm and Saturday 6am to 7.30am, at £20 per person in 2027. Participants also get a Red Funnel ferry discount.
Parking at Chale basecamp, Nodewell Farm and Cowes Showground is £7 per car in 2027. There is no overnight parking at Chale unless you have booked camping.
Paradise Cottage CS, about 0.4 miles away as the crow flies.
Paradise Cottage CS, 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.
6 of the 11: Paradise Cottage CS, Camp Corve, Meadowview Holidays, Kingates Farm Shepherd's Hut, Downsview CL and Sibbecks Farm Glamping.
Yes: Puckaster Cove Hideaway (Stargazers' Retreat).
Yes, at Camp Corve, Warren Hill Camp, Kingates Farm Shepherd's Hut, Sibbecks Farm Glamping, Puckaster Cove Hideaway (Stargazers' Retreat) and Kingston Smallholding Goat Farm Campsite. Most want fires in a raised pit, not on the ground.
