Ryde Town

Ryde is the largest town on the Isle of Wight, and with its prominent position along the seafront and hovercraft and passenger ferry links it is little wonder it is often referred to as “The Gateway to the Island”.

In addition to an expanse of sandy beaches which stretch right along the town, Ryde has a great selection of boutique shops, museums and galleries for you to visit along with lots of other things to see and do along its esplanade.

Ryde offers a great variety of things to do which will interest all ages, not least of which are the hovercraft and catamaran ferry from which you can travel to and from the mainland.

Hovertravel are the world’s oldest hovercraft operator and operate the last remaining hovercraft passenger service in Britain, whereas a trip on the Wightlink catamaran service will take you down Ryde’s recently restored early 19th century pier, which carries both vehicle traffic and train services.

Head along Ryde esplanade and you will encounter a number of great places for family entertainment, including the Superbowl and LaserQuest.

Further along there is a fun fair for young children and a very popular canoe lake which leads on to Ryde’s sandy beaches.

At low tide the sea goes out a long way making it a popular place for sports and outdoor activities, and a regular venue for beach soccer tournaments.

Seaview Village

Seaview sits to the eastern end of the town of Ryde, and is a unique village with extensive views across the sea and Solent.

Seaview has a reputation for being an upmarket resort, and as such is very popular with tourists. During the summer months the village becomes a busy centre for sailing and water sports.

There are some highly regarded places to eat in Seaview and the nearby area with a great variety of restaurants and gastro pubs offering a wonderful range of food and drink, as well as a café near Puckpool Park.

Frequent buses link the East Wight with both Ryde and Newport.