Ryde

Referred to as the ‘Gateway to the Island’ thanks to the hovercraft and Wightlink catamaran linking with Ryde. With long, spacious stretches of sandy beach, a thriving independent shopping scene and fabulous eating out, Ryde is a quirky mix of a traditional seaside fun, Victorian architecture and unexpected hidden gems! The town centre and esplanade have a plethora of bars, restaurants, cafes and shops. Take a stroll up or down the hill and enjoy a meal or drink along the way. (See recommendations or try your own).

Getting around

The flat walk along the seafront is made for strolling, especially if you’re less mobile or have children, scooters and buggies in tow. Stop off for an ice-cream or a glass of something on route – there's lots of space and plenty of places to rest and enjoy the views across the sea to the mainland.

Sandy Beach

If you head on along the esplanade past the bus station and hovercraft (a treat to watch) you will find Appley Beach, one of the finest on the Isle of Wight. Its a stunning beach of fine golden sand, bordered by a lush green park with a small playground for younger children.

The beach shelves gently into the sea, making it perfect for a family day out. In Summer the tide laps in over the hot sand, and the water is some of the warmest on the Island. In winter it’s the perfect place for splashing about in wellies. Dogs are allowed past the tower. (This magical tower on the beach is actually a coastal folly built in 1875 by Sir William Hutt. It sits on the edge of the sand casting a magical golden spell over days spent building sandcastles, splashing and swimming.

There are a few lovely cafes and restaurants on the beachfront. A Café at this end of the beach selling snack food with the Three Bouys restaurant above, offering stunning views but on the pricey side.

The Dell café is at the far end of the beach and again lovely for sitting outside for a snack or a drink. Keep heading east and you’ll find Puckpool Park with tennis courts, crazy golf and a playground.

For a longer stroll, continue on to Seaview, Seagrove and Priory beaches are lovely and Sandy, just check the tides as the beach (at seagrove) disappears at high tide.

https://www.hampshire-tides.com/ryde-tide-times

Things to do

Outdoors

• Tree climbing www.goodleaf.co.uk

• Go karting: www.wightkarting.co.uk

• A round at Ryde Golf club

• A playground on the beach

Indoors

• Bowling/Lazerquest at Ryde Superbowl

• A movie at retro cinema https://commodorecinemaryde.com

• A swim at waterside pool

• Isle of Wight steam railway at Smallbrook Junction (iwsteamrailway.co.uk)

• Isle of wight bus and coach museum

• Ryde Museum

• Pottery painting cafe

• Spa day at Lakeside Hotel www.lakesideparkhotel.com

Shopping 

At the heart of the town is a fantastic range of independent shops. Ryde is famed for its eclectic mix of shops run by enthusiastic, knowledgeable and welcoming staff. Not only will you find something special you didn't even know you were looking for, but you'll have a great experience doing it. Discover an enormous range of specialist shops selling anything from comics, jewellery, photographic equipment to vintage clothing, skateboards and fruit and veg. There's even a specialist year-round Christmas store.

It's so easy to spend a few hours wandering in and out of the shops, stopping for a coffee on the way. Union street is the main street that leads up from the coast. Follow this past the intersection with Cross Street and Lind Street (well worth checking out for shops) into the High street, where you'll find even more independent shops nestling amongst the chain stores.

Look up and around you and you'll see Ryde's Georgian and Victorian history, reflected in its buildings. If you can't get enough of the past, The Historic Ryde Society runs the Ryde District Heritage Centre in the basement of the Victoria Arcade in Union Street. The Ryde Social Heritage Group have an interesting series of short films.

Eating out

Ryde's independent spirit shines through the town's restaurants - most are local businesses with many serving local food and drink. There are excellent pubs and bars in Ryde and it’s worth exploring away from the town centre to discover local bars with quality beers on tap and sunny beer gardens to enjoy them in.