Holiday park · East Cowes · 0.3 miles off the path
Waverley Park Holiday Centre
Near the start, Cowes (floating bridge)
Tents, caravans, motorhomes, static caravans
- Dogs welcome
- Pool
from £13/night
ViewIsle of Wight Coastal Path: Cowes to Yarmouth
This is the longest stage: about 16.5 miles (26.6km) from the floating bridge at Cowes to Yarmouth. Wightlink's route guide gives 16 miles and about 7 hours. The climbs are small. What makes it hard is the length, winter mud on field paths and a lot of lane walking.
The first 4.4 miles, from the floating bridge to Thorness Bay, are now King Charles III England Coast Path. The Thorness Bay to Gurnard Luck section opened on 9 September 2026. After Thorness the route turns inland for about 7 miles through Porchfield, Newtown and Shalfleet, to get round a rifle range and the Newtown estuary, before it comes back to the Solent at Hamstead.
Campsite · Northwood · 0.9 miles off the path
Comforts Farm
3.3 miles into the stage · Summer meadow at Northwood, about a mile inland from Cowes and Gurnard.
Tents, caravans, motorhomes
- Dogs welcome
- Campfires
from £20/night
View
- Dogs welcome
- Campfires
from £175/night
View
Holiday park · Cowes · on the doorstep off the path
Thorness Bay Holiday Park
4.4 miles into the stage · On the path at Thorness Bay, 4.4 miles from Cowes.
Tents, caravans, motorhomes, safari tents, static caravans
- Dogs welcome
- Pool
- Near beach
- Glamping
from £10/night
ViewSmall certificated site · Cowes · on the doorstep off the path
South Thorness Farm CL
4.7 miles into the stage · Adults-only CL by Thorness Bay, right on the path.
Members only · join the Caravan and Motorhome Club to stay
Caravans, motorhomes
- Dogs welcome
- Adults only
- Near beach
from £18/night
View
Pop-up campsite · Newport · 0.4 miles off the path
Pigsty Farm
5.3 miles into the stage · Summer pop-up meadow inland of Thorness, by the lanes to Porchfield.
Tents
- Dogs welcome
from £18/night
ViewSmall certificated site · Porchfield · 0.8 miles off the path
Rodgebrook Farm CL
5.6 miles into the stage
Members only · join the Caravan and Motorhome Club to stay
Caravans, motorhomes
- Dogs welcome
- Adults only
from £18/night
View
Glamping site · Shalfleet · 0.3 miles off the path
Wight Classic Camping (Three Gates Farm)
6.7 miles into the stage · Safari tents near Newtown Creek, half a kilometre off the inland section.
Safari tents
- Dogs welcome
- Campfires
- Glamping
from £150/night
View
Small certificated site · Calbourne · 1.4 miles off the path
Mill Heights Campsite
9 miles into the stage
Camping and Caravanning Club site, open to non-members
Tents, caravans, motorhomes
- Dogs welcome
- Campfires
from £20/night
ViewHoliday park · Newbridge · 0.9 miles off the path
The Orchards Holiday Park
9.2 miles into the stage
Tents, caravans, motorhomes, static caravans, cottages
- Dogs welcome
- Pool
from £40/night
ViewSmall certificated site · Shalfleet · on the doorstep off the path
Eddie's Farm CL
9.2 miles into the stage · In Shalfleet village, close to the New Inn and the path.
Members only · join the Caravan and Motorhome Club to stay
Caravans, motorhomes
- Dogs welcome
from £16/night
View
Campsite · Shalfleet · 0.6 miles off the path
Camp Wight
10 miles into the stage · Woodland site at Ningwood, about a mile off the path before Yarmouth.
Tents, caravans, motorhomes, pods, pre-pitched tents
- Dogs welcome
- Campfires
- Glamping
from £20/night
ViewHoliday park · Yarmouth · on the doorstep off the path
Silver Glades Caravan Park
10.3 miles into the stage
Prices on request
View
Small certificated site · Yarmouth · 0.5 miles off the path
Lucketts Farm Campsite
14.6 miles into the stage · Club CS at Bouldnor, on the last 2 miles into Yarmouth.
Members only · join the Camping and Caravanning Club to stay
Tents, caravans, motorhomes
- Dogs welcome
- Campfires
from £27/night
ViewNo campsites match all of those.
The walk
From the floating bridge go through Cowes to The Parade, past the Royal Yacht Squadron and Cowes Castle, and along Princes Esplanade to Egypt Point. The sea wall carries on to Gurnard and the creek at Gurnard Luck. A clifftop path above rows of chalets then drops to the shingle at Thorness Bay, where Natural England paid for a new boardwalk bridge.
Past Thorness Bay Holiday Park, quiet lanes lead through Porchfield and woodland paths through Walter's Copse to Newtown, where the National Trust's Old Town Hall stands alone in a field. Lanes cross Causeway Lake and Shalfleet Lake into Shalfleet, 9 miles from Cowes.
From Shalfleet the path runs briefly beside the A3054, crosses fields to Ningwood Lake and follows a track north to the boardwalks over the Newtown River mudflats. A short, tiring shingle stretch at Hamstead Point leads to the cliff and Hamstead. Woods and heath by Bouldnor Copse bring you down to Bouldnor and the road into Yarmouth.
Closures and diversions (checked 16 October 2026)
Isle of Wight Council lists footpath S3 at Shalfleet, part of the coastal path, as closed because of damaged boardwalks. The alternative is Lower Hamstead and path S28, Hamstead Drive and path S27, then paths S30 and S32. The council's upgrade of the Bouldnor to Yarmouth path ran from 7 September to 9 October 2026. No closures were listed for Cowes and Northwood.
Buses, food and water
Public toilets are at Cowes Parade, Medina Road by the floating bridge and Gurnard Green, then nothing until Yarmouth (Bridge Road and The Common). Carry food and water for the inland middle. The only pubs are the Sportsman's Rest at Porchfield, which has closed and reopened several times so check first, and the New Inn at Shalfleet.
To get back, route 7 runs Yarmouth to Newport about every 30 minutes in the day, with some journeys via Shalfleet New Inn, and route 1 runs Newport to Cowes about every 10 minutes (winter timetable from 27 September 2026). Route 32 serves Gurnard.
Questions people ask
How long is the Cowes to Yarmouth coastal path walk?
About 16.5 miles (26.6km), or 7 to 8 hours. You can split it at Shalfleet, 9 miles from Cowes, where route 7 buses stop at the New Inn.
Does the path follow the coast from Cowes to Yarmouth?
Only in parts. Cowes to Thorness Bay (4.4 miles) and Hamstead to Yarmouth follow the shore. In between are about 7 miles of lanes and paths via Porchfield, Newtown and Shalfleet.
Where can I camp between Cowes and Yarmouth?
Thorness Bay Holiday Park and South Thorness Farm CL are on the path at Thorness. Camp Wight at Ningwood and Lucketts Farm at Bouldnor are near the Yarmouth end.