Slow Travel Guide to the Isle of Wight

When we visit an island, most of us assume that a car will be indispensable. Things are different on the Isle of Wight. A good bus service, and a great network of footpaths and cycle routes, plus a frequent rail line down the east side of the Island, means that car-free travel is both a feasible and extremely practical option.

Slow Travel Guide to the Isle of Wight

The new digital Slow Travel Guide to the Isle of Wight is a collection of eight routes around the Island that can be explored by bus, bike or on foot. The simple idea is that the Slow Guide will give people hints and pointers to get out and really explore the Island. It’s an opportunity to discover hidden gems and lesser known places of interest, from overlooked archaeology and habitat to bustling village shops and Victorian churches and churchyards – all with an interesting story to tell.

View the Slow Wight Travel Guide

What is Slow Travel?

Slow travel is more of a mindset than an actual travel method. It’s about unhurried adventures; stopping in an area and really exploring it; taking time to fully experience a destination and its culture. It’s about discovery and being open to enjoying travel in a different more leisurely way.

View the Slow Wight Travel Guide

Slow Travel on the Isle of Wight

Walking, cycling or taking the bus or train around the Island will enable you to slow down, and explore many of its lesser-known but still charming spots. You may discover hidden beaches, nature reserves and tight-knit communities, where artists and other creative types thrive. You’ll really get under the skin of the Island and even learn new things about some of your favourite areas. You’ll also encounter a number of local food producers who grow a wide variety of mouth-watering breads, cheeses, fruits and much more.

View the Slow Wight Travel Guide

Eight routes including 22 walks across the Island

The Slow Travel Guide to the Isle of Wight features eight touring routes, each based in a different geographical area of the Island. All the places of interest along the routes are accessible either on foot, by bike, bus or rail (and sometimes by two or more of these). The routes are circular but not prescriptive: at a push you could ‘do’ each of these routes in a single day but that would probably be missing the point!

Slow down, perhaps see less than you would in the same time in a car, but see more of what you do visit. So, leave the car keys at home, take a ferry across the Solent and step out onto an Island where the pace of life is less hectic than what you may have left behind. Welcome to Slow Wight.

View the Slow Wight Travel Guide