Camping near Cowes and Newport

In short: the north and middle of the Island has more campsites than anywhere else: we list 35. They split into four groups: Cowes and Gurnard on the Solent, Newport and Carisbrooke in the centre, the quiet farm country around Calbourne, Shalfleet and Newtown Creek, and the woods around Wootton close to the Fishbourne ferry. It suits sailors, festival-goers, cyclists and anyone who wants a central base with all three ferry ports nearby.

What the area is like for campers

This is the sheltered side of the Island. Instead of chalk cliffs and surf, the north coast is low and wooded, cut by tidal creeks and looking across the Solent to the mainland and the shipping heading for Southampton. Cowes is the sailing town at the mouth of the River Medina, home to Cowes Week in early August, with East Cowes and Osborne across the river. Gurnard next door is a small village with a shingle-and-sand beach known for its sunsets.

Inland, Newport is the county town, with the Island's main shops and bus station, and Carisbrooke and its castle sit on its western edge. West of Newport the country is farmland and forest: Calbourne, Shalfleet, Porchfield and Newtown, with the National Trust nature reserve on Newtown Creek. East of the Medina, Wootton, Fishbourne and Havenstreet are wooded and red squirrel country.

The campsites

Cowes, Gurnard and Thorness

Waverley Park in East Cowes is a short walk from the Red Funnel car ferry, with Solent views from the bar terrace, a summer pool and touring pitches, open all year. West of Cowes, Thorness Bay Holiday Park is the big Parkdean park, on wooded land above the Solent with an indoor pool, touring pitches and safari tents. Comforts Farm at Northwood is simple, good-value summer camping a mile from Cowes with the pub a few minutes' walk away, and The Hydeaway near Gurnard is a small off-grid site with tent pitches, campervan pitches and bell tents. For two on a quiet farm, South Thorness Farm CL is an adults-only five-van site near Thorness Bay, and Rodgebrook Farm CL by Parkhurst Forest is for adults and dogs, with milk delivered to your pitch. Pigsty Farm is a summer meadow with big tent pitches and a footpath to Thorness Bay beach.

Glamping around Cowes is unusual: giant pig arks with wood-fired hot tubs at The Ark Park, and architect-designed off-grid cabins with a sauna to hire at Tiny Homes Holidays. Gurnard Pines and Sunnycott are chalet and static caravan parks near Gurnard.

Newport and Carisbrooke

Windmill Campersite above Carisbrooke is the Island's quirkiest site: sleep in a helicopter, a submarine from a Bond film, a UFO or a shepherd's hut, with views over the castle. Just outside Newport, Springfield Oaks is a quiet all-year field for caravans and motorhomes with fully serviced pitches, next to the Island Riding Centre Safari Camp. Kids Love Yurts is built around young families, Four Lakes Retreat has lakeside lodges with hot tubs, and Last Post CS is a no-frills members' site handy for the ferries. Each June the Isle of Wight Festival campsite fills Seaclose Park on the edge of town.

Calbourne, Shalfleet and the creeks

This is the quietest corner, closer to Yarmouth than to Cowes. Camp Wight at Ningwood is an unlit, low-density woodland site with firepits, geodesic domes and tree tents, and a discount for arriving without a car. The Orchards at Newbridge is the family holiday park, with indoor and outdoor pools and about 120 touring pitches. Mill Heights is a back-to-basics field next to Calbourne Water Mill, open all year, with dark skies and campfires allowed in raised pits. Eddie's Farm CL is a short walk from the New Inn at Shalfleet. For glamping, Wight Classic Camping has two dog-friendly woodland safari tents a bridleway stroll from Newtown Creek, Westfield Farm has three heated cabins, and West Wight Bells is a single bell tent in its own paddock below the Tennyson Trail. Corf Scout Camp on Newtown Creek is mainly for youth groups.

Wootton, Fishbourne and Arreton

Kite Hill Farm has traditional unmarked farm fields beside Firestone Copse, five minutes' walk from Wootton Bridge and close to the Fishbourne ferry. Oakdene Orchard is a pop-up with a fire pit on every widely spaced pitch, and Wild Oak Farm is an off-grid summer field on a livestock farm with a farm shop. The Woodland Retreat is a tiny site 15 minutes' walk from the Fishbourne ferry, good for car-free trips. For a treat, there are treehouses at Into the Woods, hot tub lodges by Woodside beach at Woodside Bay and Woodside Coastal Retreat, and en-suite yurts in a field behind the Garlic Farm, a stroll from its restaurant and shop.

Beaches, walks and cycling

The north coast beaches are sheltered and calm, mostly shingle with sand at low tide: Gurnard, the long promenade from Gurnard round to Cowes, Thorness Bay and Woodside. They are good for paddling, crabbing and watching boats rather than surfing.

• The Coastal Path runs from Cowes through Gurnard, then inland around Thorness and Newtown Creek to Shalfleet and Yarmouth. It is the stretch with the fewest campsites, so this area is useful for walkers. See campsites along the Coastal Path.
• The Hamstead Trail crosses the Island from the north coast at Hamstead to Brook, the Shepherds Trail runs from Carisbrooke to Shorwell, and the Tennyson Trail leaves Carisbrooke for the downs and the Needles.
• The Bembridge Trail and Stenbury Trail both start from Newport.
• Cycling: the old railway between Cowes and Newport is a flat, traffic-free path beside the Medina, and the Round the Island cycle route crosses the area. See our cycling guide.

Attractions, pubs and shops

• Osborne, Queen Victoria's seaside house in East Cowes, with its gardens and private beach.
• Carisbrooke Castle, where Charles I was imprisoned and donkeys still work the well wheel.
• Cowes for the sailing, the High Street and the Parade, and Newtown Creek for birds, boats and the Old Town Hall.
• Robin Hill adventure park, Monkey Haven and the steam railway at Havenstreet and Wootton, all within a short drive.
• The Isle of Wight Festival in June: see our festival camping guide, and for August, Cowes Week camping.

The pubs are a real strength. The New Inn at Shalfleet is known for seafood, the Folly Inn sits on the Medina between Cowes and Newport, and the Sportsman's Rest at Porchfield, the Travellers Joy at Northwood and the Horse and Groom at Ningwood are each close to campsites. Newport has big supermarkets and East Cowes has a Waitrose near the ferry; the villages have small shops.

Getting there

All the car ferries land close by. Red Funnel's car ferry from Southampton arrives at East Cowes, and the Red Jet takes foot passengers from Southampton to West Cowes. Wightlink's Portsmouth to Fishbourne crossing is best for the Wootton side, and Lymington to Yarmouth is closest for Calbourne, Shalfleet and Ningwood. The chain ferry (the Floating Bridge) crosses the Medina between Cowes and East Cowes. Newport bus station has routes to almost every part of the Island, so a site near a bus route makes a good car-free base. See taking a tent on the ferry and campsites near the ferry.

Who it suits

Pick the north and centre if you want a short drive from the ferry, a base for exploring the whole Island, or the sailing at Cowes. It has the widest spread of farm campsites and woodland sites, plenty of unusual glamping, and quiet adults-only fields. For long sandy beaches, look at Sandown Bay or the East Wight; for cliffs and big views, the West Wight is just beyond Shalfleet. See all North and Central Wight campsites.