Our Location

The West Wight countryside is beautifully unspoilt and the perfect base for walking, cycling and sight seeing..

Click here to view a map of our location.

Over half the Isle of Wight is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including the immediate area surrounding Chessell, so walking from this area is fabulous. You can walk all the way to the Needles along the Tennyson Trail if you are keen, or just up to the downland if you aren’t! The Tennyson Trail runs along this ridge of chalk downs running west to east, from the Needles to Culver Cliff, a dominant feature of the Island landscape.
The lovely ancient harbour town of Yarmouth is just 4 miles away where you can watch the boats or explore arts and crafts shops and visit the castle to watch the ferry come in.

View directions from the Lymington to Yarmouth route, our nearest ferry port.

Beaches
There are currently 13 award winning beaches on the Isle of Wight. The nearest to Chessell are Brook and the more popular Compton Bay (both about 2 miles away). Compton is a beautiful sweeping sandy beach located beside the coast road between Freshwater Bay and Brook where you can enjoy watching some exciting surfing and wind surfing. This beach is also suitable for swimming.

Wildlife
Often referred to as the Garden Isle, the Island is home to many rare plants, animals and birds. The Island has a thriving population of Red Squirrels, one can sometimes be seen around our pond area at Chessell.

The Island is a bird watching haven, and Chessell is a great spot for some ot the highlights. There are numerous copses and thickets, plus mixed plantations above Brook and Brighstone (the forest just above Chessell). Some of the regular species are Nightjar, Woodcocks , Long-eared Owl, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker & Firecrest and we have seen Egrets and a kingfisher in our own pond, plus more regular visitors such as the RedStart and Willow Warbler, not to mention plenty of friendly resident robins and blue tits. Many interesting varieties of seabird can also be seen from the cliffs along the Tennyson Trail.

The area most likely to be worth a visit at any season of the year is that around Newtown River and Marsh, on the Island's Northwest coast, only ten minutes drive from Chessell and one of the Island’s most tranquil and beautiful spots. The RSPB have a Bird Hut at Newtown and there is often a volunteer ranger to hand. The nesting species at Newtown include Shelduck, Oystercatcher and Black-headed Gull and occasionally Sandwich and Common Terns.

Famous visitors
The Island has attracted many famous visitors in search of inspiration, including John Keats, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, Lewis Carroll, Longfellow, J.M.W. Turner and Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Alfred Lord Tennyson first rented a house (Farringford – one of our favourite destinations for a light lunch or afternoon tea!) overlooking Freshwater Bay in 1853 and later bought it in 1858. Many regions of the Island still bear his name.

Island events
The Island is home to many exciting events including the Isle of Wight Music Festival, The Isle of Wight Walking Festival, the Bestival, all sorts of carnivals and concerts, and of course Cowes Week, an international yachting event during which the town teems with visitors.

For more information about popular Island events see www.islandbreaks.co.uk