Caravans
Taking a touring caravan to the Isle of Wight
Which sites take tourers, the hills and lanes to know about, pitch types, seasonal pitches and booking the ferry with a caravan.
In short: 47 of the campsites we list take touring caravans, from big touring parks with serviced hardstandings to five-van farm sites. Book the ferry for the full length of car and caravan together, plan your route on the main roads rather than trusting the satnav down the lanes, and if you want hardstanding, book it early: only 17 caravan sites have it.
Where you can take a tourer
Touring sites are spread right round the Island, with the biggest choice around Sandown Bay and in the north and centre, near the ferry ports. The West Wight and the south coast have fewer, but they're the ones with the views.
Touring parks
The larger touring parks have hook-up on most pitches, heated toilet blocks and a choice of grass or hardstanding:
- Southland at Newchurch is the Caravan and Motorhome Club's site, open to non-members: 147 touring pitches, 42 of them hardstanding, on flat, well-drained meadow.
- Whitefield Forest near Ryde has hook-up on every pitch and fully serviced all-weather hardstandings, and a heated amenity block.
- Heathfield Farm in Freshwater is very level, with 81 marked pitches, most with 16 amp hook-up, two miles from the Yarmouth ferry. It runs a short summer season.
- Appuldurcombe Gardens at Wroxall offers grass, hardstanding and fully serviced pitches, all with hook-up, and a heated outdoor pool in summer.
- The Orchards at Newbridge has terraced paddocks with many gravel or concrete hardstandings and some serviced pitches.
- Stoats Farm near Totland has grass, hardstanding and serviced pitches under Tennyson Down.
Small sites
17 small sites take caravans, most of them Certificated Locations (Caravan and Motorhome Club) or Certificated Sites (Camping and Caravanning Club) with a limit of five vans. Most are for members only and facilities are basic, often no showers, but they're quiet and cheap. Rodgebrook Farm CL at Porchfield and South Thorness Farm CL near Cowes are adults-only and open all year; Alverstone Ponds CL between Newchurch and Sandown has five hardstandings, each with its own tap and grey-water drain, beside its fishing lakes. Browse every caravan site or the small sites.
Pitch types and size limits
Island touring pitches are mostly grass. That's fine in summer, but in a wet spring or autumn a heavy caravan can struggle on a soft or sloping field, so book hardstanding if your dates are outside June to September. Some sites are on hillsides: The Orchards' paddocks are terraced and slope, while Heathfield is very flat. Levelling ramps earn their place in the car.
Check size rules before you book, especially with a twin-axle van or a big tow car:
- Ninham near Shanklin asks you to get in touch first if your unit is over 7.5m.
- Last Post CS near Newport warns that its entrance is tight for extra-long caravans.
- Stoats Farm limits the towing vehicle parked on the pitch to 5.5m long and 2.2m high.
- Spacing rules are strict at some parks: Stoats Farm and Waverley Park ask for 6m between caravans.
Hook-up varies from 10 to 16 amps; a few small sites meter electricity and charge for what you use. Many sites don't allow EV charging from the pitch hook-up.
Ask for a serviced pitch. Several Island parks have pitches with their own water tap and grey-water drain. For a week's stay they save a lot of trips with the Aquaroll and the waste hog.
Hills and lanes
Towing on the Island is slower than on the mainland. There's almost no dual carriageway, the main roads run through village centres, and the lanes to many farm sites are narrow, high-hedged and sometimes single track. Follow the directions the campsite sends you rather than the shortest route on the satnav; they know which roads suit a caravan.
- Ventnor and the Undercliff: Ventnor is built on a steep slope and the roads into it have steep, tight bends. The coast roads either side have been closed to through traffic by landslips: at Leeson Road between Shanklin and Ventnor since December 2023, and Undercliff Drive between St Lawrence and Niton since 2014. Approach via inland roads, and check Island Roads for the current position.
- The Military Road: the A3055 between Freshwater Bay and Chale runs along an eroding clifftop and is exposed to the wind, which matters with a caravan behind you. Watch the forecast and check for closures.
- The West Wight: some lanes towards the Needles are tight. Stoats Farm warns motorhomes off Alum Bay Old Road, which has a 6ft 6in width limit; that's narrower than most caravans too.
Our motorhome guide covers the same roads in more detail.
Booking the ferry with a caravan
All three car ferries take caravans: Wightlink from Lymington to Yarmouth and from Portsmouth to Fishbourne, and Red Funnel from Southampton to East Cowes. Pick the port nearest your site to keep the towing on the Island short. Fares are based on the length and height of car and caravan together, so measure the whole outfit including the tow bar, A-frame and any bikes, and book that. On a summer Saturday a car and caravan can cost several times a car on its own.
This is where booking through the campsite pays off. 25 of the caravan sites we list offer a ferry discount or package. Whitefield Forest, for example, books discounted return fares for car and caravan when it arranges the crossing, and Camping and Caravanning Club members get cheaper Wightlink crossings through the club. See our ferry guide.
Seasonal pitches and staying longer
A seasonal pitch, where you leave the caravan on site for the season and come and go, makes sense on the Island because it takes the caravan off the ferry bill. Few Island sites advertise them, though. In our data only Adgestone, between Sandown and Brading, publishes seasonal pitches, for a season running from March to October. Other parks may offer them if you ask, so it's worth ringing your favourite site.
Some sites cap how long you can stay: Grange Farm at Brighstone has a 21-night maximum, and Appuldurcombe a two-week maximum in high season. Out of season, 11 caravan sites are open all year; see campsites open all year.
Touring park · Apse Heath
The Old Barn Holiday Park
Tents, caravans, motorhomes, pods, static caravans
- Some dogs
- Glamping
from £13/night
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Small certificated site · St Helens
Fakenham Farm CS
Tents, caravans, motorhomes
- Dogs welcome
- Near beach
from £15/night
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Glamping site · Ryde
Retro Staycations
Tents, caravans, motorhomes, pods, airstreams
- Some dogs
- Campfires
- Glamping
from £16/night
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Campsite · Northwood
Comforts Farm
Tents, caravans, motorhomes
- Dogs welcome
- Campfires
from £20/night
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Small certificated site · Alverstone
Alverstone Ponds CL
Caravans, motorhomes
- Dogs welcome
from £21/night
ViewQuestions people ask
Can you take a touring caravan to the Isle of Wight?
Yes. All three car ferry routes carry caravans, and 47 of the campsites we list take touring caravans. Book the ferry for the full length of car and caravan together.
How much is the ferry for a car and caravan to the Isle of Wight?
It depends on the combined length and height, the date and the time of sailing, so get a quote for your exact outfit. Summer Saturdays cost the most, and many campsites can book a discounted crossing.
Are the roads on the Isle of Wight suitable for caravans?
The main roads are, but many lanes are narrow and high-hedged, Ventnor is steep, and landslips have closed the coast roads either side of Ventnor. Follow the directions your campsite gives rather than the satnav's shortest route.
Are there seasonal caravan pitches on the Isle of Wight?
A few. In our data Adgestone, near Sandown, advertises seasonal pitches for a March to October season. Other sites may offer them on request, so ask the campsite directly.
Which Isle of Wight caravan sites have hardstanding?
17 of the caravan sites we list have hardstanding, including Southland at Newchurch, Whitefield Forest near Ryde, The Orchards at Newbridge and Stoats Farm near Totland.