Newport

Roman roads once carved through this landscape, and you can still feel that ancient presence today. Newport sits at the heart of the Isle of Wight like a proper market town should - unpretentious, functional, but with enough character to keep you interested for an afternoon.

The town itself won't win any beauty contests, but it's got soul. Local shops still outnumber chains on the high street, and the Saturday market brings a bit of life to the pedestrianised centre. It's the kind of place where you pop in for supplies and end up chatting to someone about the weather for ten minutes.

What makes Newport special is its position as the perfect launching pad for the island's wilder bits. Brook Down rises to the southwest, offering proper walking country that most tourists miss entirely. The Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty spreads in all directions from here, and you're never more than twenty minutes from dramatic coastline.

Compton Bay and Down lie just west - a stretch of the Dinosaur Coast where fossil hunting actually yields results if you time the tides right. The archaeological site at Five Barrows tells older stories still, perched on Wellow Down with views that stretch to the Solent.

Getting here means taking the ferry from Portsmouth or Southampton - there's no avoiding that bit of island life. But once you're across, Newport's central location makes perfect sense. Several holiday parks dot the countryside around town, from traditional sites like The Orchards to more contemporary options like Tom's Eco Lodge. Base yourself here and you can reach Freshwater Golf Club for a morning round, then head to Shalcombe Down for an afternoon walk through ancient woodland. The best of the island, without the tourist crush of the bigger resorts.