Isle of Wight

Separated from the mainland by the sparkling waters of The Solent, the Isle of Wight is England's largest island. Covering 147 square miles, half of this beautiful isle has National Landscape status, with its dramatic cliffs, wide-open river estuaries, rolling downland, picture-postcard villages and traditional seaside resorts.

Four different sea crossings from Hampshire get you to the start of walks in this guide: catch the ferry from Lymington for the short sailing to Yarmouth to do a mini coast-to-coast walk to Freshwater; from Southampton, take the catamaran service to West Cowes for an old railway-line walk by the River Medina to the island's capital, Newport; and Ryde is a wave-skimming hop by catamaran from Portsmouth or hovercraft from Southsea for a coastal-path saunter to Seaview.

Wight's magnificent chalk downs form the island's spine, providing high points with superb all-round views on the walks at Limerstone, across Tennyson Down to The Needles in the west, and over Bembridge Down in the east. There's an exciting estuary crossing over the causeway at St Helens; and woodland adventures, with possible red squirrel sightings, in Brighstone and Parkhurst forests. You can visit the island's most haunted house at Appuldurcombe; enjoy grand views over the Undercliff from Blackgang; and marvel at the development of radiotelegraphy at Culver.