IntentsGP at Cowes Week

Kick things off right there in Cowes – brush up on your boat-based history by wandering over to the Cowes Maritime Museum (15 minutes’ walk) before boarding the ferry over to East Cowes and the Classic Boat Museum (half an hour). You can pick up the Isle of Wight coast path here, or keep trekking as far as Osborne House (55 minutes on foot/20 minutes by car). Leaving Cowes behind for a bit, head south to meet the cheeky residents of Monkey Haven (15 minutes), see big birds in action at Haven Falconry (20 minutes) or take a walk with bundles of fluff at West Wight Alpacas & Llamas (25 minutes). Enough cuteness to keep you going for a bit? Aim instead for outings to Carisbrooke Castle (20 minutes), vehicle admiring at the Isle of Wight Bus Museum (35 minutes) or heritage rides on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway (25 minutes). And then, of course, there are the beaches. Best bucket-and-spade options around here are in Ryde, Shanklin and Sandown (all around half an hour’s drive). For surfing and bodyboarding, head to Compton Bay (25 minutes); for kayaking into caves, Freshwater Bay (25 minutes) is your best bet.