Compton Beach - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

A prime location for surfing and watersports, but its sandy beach and fine views over to Tennyson Down and The Needles make it ideal for just a day on the beach. Compton is a great place to pick up fossils, including those of dinosaurs, and you can book tours on the beach to see the dinosaur footprints in the sandstone ledge and also there are opportunities for so many other leisure activities too.

The Longstone is a beautiful megalithic monument near the village of Mottistone. It consists of two pieces of local greensand sandstone probably from a vein 100 metres away. The larger stands at 3.9 metres and the smaller lies at its foot. It has now been shown that the stones are what remains of a 6,000-year-old Neolithic communal long barrow for burying the dead.

Dimbola was the home of the celebrated Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. It is now a museum and galleries dedicated to her life and work, which also showcases contemporary exhibitions from photographers around the globe. The gallery hosts an annual programme of exhibitions on contemporary photography and art, as well as a permanent display on the history of the Isle of Wight music festival including original memorabilia.

The only working Water Mill on the Isle of Wight Set in 35 acres of stunning rural landscape, Calbourne Water Mill contains one of the oldest working water mills in the country, dating back to the Domesday Book. The mill is still working and has supplied flour and animal feeds to the people of the Isle of Wight over many years. You will also find museums on site, including Grandmas kitchen containing kitchen equipment through the ages. Granfers shed with tools from the past.

Tennyson Trail is a beautiful 21.4 kilometer moderately trafficked point-to-point trail located near Newport, Isle of Wight, England that features beautiful wildflowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, running, and nature trips. One of the good trekking destinations and also you can spend some good time in the middle of nature.

Tennyson Down is a life-enhancing place, where you can enjoy striding over the springy, flower-rich turf in the footsteps of poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892). This grassy, whale-backed ridge of chalk which rises to 482 ft/147m above sea level. It is part of the chalk ridge that forms the backbone of the Isle of Wight, this ridge extends to the west for 3 miles.