Bembridge won ‘Village of the Year’ in 2019
TripAdvisor has released its second Seasonal Travel Index of 2023, which provides an insight into Brits travel plans for the summer. The index reveals that the UK is gearing up for an incredibly busy period of travel this season with 81% of Brits planning to go away between June and August. A big slice of these holiday makers (31%) intend to stay in the UK and make the most of the warmer weather.
Their list of top ten domestic travel locations places the village Bembridge in the Isle of Wight at the top of the list. The second spot on the list is Ventor a town also in the Isle of Wight. Unsurprisingly Cornwall also has two location on the list with Hayle and Looe coming in 9th and 10th.
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Bembridge is placed behind the spectacular headland of Culver and is situated on the most easterly point of the Isle of Wight. It is believed to be the largest village in England and has a population of around 4000.
In 2019 Bembridge won 'Village of the Year' in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards. Countryfile described Bembridge as: "A wonderful coastal setting with a pier and lifeboat station, plus a busy village community with independent shops, cafés and restaurants. With three great beaches and the white cliffs of Culver Down on the doorstep, the village is a perfect base for exploring."
As you'd expect from a village so close to the coast most of the things to do in Bembridge are linked to the sea. The village boasts three different beaches, Lane End, the Ledge and Bembridge Beach. All of these beaches have beautiful rock pools to explore and offer visitors stunning panoramic views out to sea.
Located on Lane End Beach is the Bembridge Lifeboat Station. This lifeboat station has become one of the most iconic and most photographed buildings on the Isle of Wight in recent years. Along with the lifeboat station another striking piece of architecture is the Bembridge Windmill. It can be found on the outskirts of the village and is maintained by The National Trust. The Lifeboat station has had rave reviews on Tripadvisor, one person wrote: "Great place to visit with the family. We went when they did a practice launch so great to see all the action whilst inside the station. Would highly recommend. Loads of things to keep the kids amused inside the station house and there are lots of nice walks nearby."
The village is packed with great places to eat and drink. Many of the restaurants serve locally caught fish making the village a great spot for seafood fans! One place in particular that's worth visiting is The Crab and Lobster Inn. This little pub is described by locals and visitors as a 'hidden gem.' They serve up, fresh locally sourced lobsters, crabs and oysters. As well as being a great place for some scran the beer garden has an incredible view of the sea. It's also a bed and breakfast and each of the eight rooms have a fantastic view of the ocean. Rooms at the Crab and Lobster start at around £117 a night. You can also check out more booking options at Booking.com or Premier Inn.
The Bembridge Coast Hotel was once a favourite hotel of the Queen Mother who would regularly visit Bembridge to watch the yachts race during Cowes week. The hotel also has a number of outdoor activities available for guests including archery, bowls or rifle shooting.
A drive to Bembridge from London takes around 3 hours and 40 mins. It's a pretty straight forward journey. You take the A3 to Portsmouth and jump on the ferry to the Isle of Wight at Portsmouth Harbour. By train the journey take about the same time as driving shaving off about 20 minutes of travel time. However you can swap the ferry for a ride on a hovercraft which can be caught from Southsea. Trains to Portsmouth and Southsea can be accessed from London Waterloo and tickets start at around £35. Tickets can be purchased on Trainline.
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