Grange Farm Brighstone Bay
UK England South East England Isle Of Wight Brighstone
The ultra-green, festival-hosting Isle of Wight has reinvented itself into a hip little island offering something for everyone today, with exceptional waves for surfers, as well as kite- surfing, paragliding, and summer events that attract new crowds every year. The isle is shaped a bit like a front-on cow’s head. At its temple is, fittingly, a town called Cowes. At its respective ears sit the towns of Yarmouth and Ryde, both of which have regular ferry services to the mainland. And perched atop tall cliffs, behind the beach at Brighstone (about midway down the left of the cow’s jawline), sits the charming Grange Farm campsite.
It’s a lovely, unspoilt site situated in a beautiful part of the island. Two flat, grassy fields go right to the edge of the cliff, and there’s an overflow field across the road, aptly christened the ‘Cool Camping’ Field. You’ll need a sturdy tent for the winds blowing across the top of these fields, but the reward is a panoramic view across the sea and an easy scramble down to the beach below. It’s also a family-run, family-friendly site left deliberately undeveloped. Kids will love getting close to its Noah’s Ark of farm animals, including llamas (Delboy and Rodney), kune pigs, goats, water buffalo, and a variety of poultry. Plus there is a play area for ball games and a children’s playground, with boats and trains, stepping stones and rope bridges, in case the beach should lose its appeal – though parents should be mindful of the cliff edge at all times. All in all, it’s a friendly and wonderfully varied site that enjoys a marvellous location on this multi-faceted isle.
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Details
Facilities
Campfires allowed on the beach below. Two fields with 60 pitches, most with hook-ups; extra Cool Camping Field only open for 28 days in July/August. A heated block has 15 showers, a coin-operated bath, toilets, and washing-up sinks. Laundry, hairdryers, phone and drinks machine. They also offer self-catering in a variety of onsite barn conversions and static caravans.
Suitable For
Tents, campervans, caravans, dogs (in caravans) – yes. Groups – sometimes, by arrangement.
Nearby
Head out surfing/paragliding/kite-surfing, or take it easy exploring nearby Newport, whose Roman remains can be supplemented by the Roman villa at Brading (01983 406223), which has a visitor centre and museum. Cowes is also one of the isle's liveliest towns. Treat yourself to a visual extravaganza of water, beach, urban, air and land sports at the annual White Air Extreme Sports Festival.
Food & Drink
The Blacksmiths Arms (01983 529263), a little way inland near Newport, serves food and has a pleasant beer garden. English wine’s come a long way. Check out the local vino at Adgestone Vineyard (01983 402503) in Sandown, one of the oldest vineyards in the UK, half a mile from the Roman villa at Brading. The Three Bishops (01983 740226) is a decent family-friendly pub, serving traditional fayre plus it has a pool table and fireplace.
Opening Times
March – November.
The Owner Says
Location
Contact Grange Farm Brighstone Bay, Brighstone Bay, Isle of Wight PO30 4DA
Getting There
From Yarmouth/Newport, take bus 7 to Brighstone. Get off at the Three Bishops and walk to the site.
Reviews
Add Your ReviewRated ★★★★☆ over 9 reviews
Grotty and in need of some TLC
Great location just needs some TLC
Had a blast!
Delightful stay
Quick review
Lovely location and great views out to sea. We pitched our tipi right on the cliff, 20 feet away from the edge! By chance we were there on the round the island race weekend, a flotilla of 1600 yachts went by our window! Unfortunately a strong south westerly wind blew for the whole 4 days (force 5-7) and this rather spoilt things because we couldn't put up the awning / gazeebo. The whole tent was in motion the whole time! The site is exposed directly to westerly winds coming up the channel. A friendly welcome, but the facilities need updating in my view.
friendly welcome; great location
We live on the Island and booked a weekend camping while the Isle of Wight Festival was on. We had a warm and friendly welcome and were told to pitch where we liked. Vehicles could be parked next to your plot. The site is on an exposed cliff but there were plenty of areas that were sheltered. We opted to be near the cliff edge (be aware that this stretch of coastline is notorious for erosion and landslips) offering the best views across to the west.
Toilet blocks and washing facilities were clean and pleasant - no complaints from any of our party.
For younger campers there are plenty of swings, climbing ropes, a boat and old tractor to play on. Even better are the number of animals on the farm: Alpacas, goats, sheep, pigs, horses and donkeys amongst others!
A short walk down past the static caravans and you find yourself on the shoreline. A stoney high water mark gives way to nice sand at lower tides. You can walk east or west from here but do seek local advice first as this stretch of coastline is cliff faced with few access points off the beach. The Island coastal path also passes through the site if you wish to yomp further afield.
The campsite shop sold the usual essentials with added bonus of bread or croissants available the following morning (from 0900 at our visit) if ordered the day before. The site also has a visiting fish and chip van and, when we were there, a pizza van. These were well priced and made to order. The local village of Brighstone has two good eateries but we drove 5 minutes to Hulverstone and The Sun Inn ( a favourite spot of actor Benedict Cumberbatch). We hadn't booked but they were happy to accommodate six of us despite us being dressed in our best campsite wear - they are happy to allow dogs in too.
To sum up, Grange Farm comes highly recommended by all of us - the number of locals we met staying there also tells you something.
Fantastic location
Really lovely location on the clifftop in west wight, just beautiful and peaceful, with easy access to the beach below. Good facilities for children with nice play area and animals. The only (potential) downside , as commented upon by others, is that its locations makes this campsite very exposed so be aware / be prepared in case of windy weather ! But the views and location make that a risk worth taking I think.
Grange Farm Brighstone Bay
Grange Farm Brighstone Bay
Loved our stay here. I'd read previous reviews that this is a windy spot being on the top of a cliff, so we went prepared. Bought Delta Ground Anchor pegs which were fantastic. a wind break and wrapped up warm. What a stunning spot, overlooking the sea & with all the fantastic rugged cliff scenerary of West Wight. A short walk down the path in the campsite and you're on the beach. Children loved the play area. Stayed Aug bank holiday and it didn't feel too busy at all. My only request would be please provide soap for hand washing in the toilets (the ones in the main block had it, along with plenty of hot water), but those in our field were very nice mobile toilets, with a cold tap. The cold tap was no problem for hand washing, but soap is a must please. Toilets were kept very clean with plenty of loo roll. We shall definitely return.
