Totland Bay

Lighthouse beams sweep across chalk cliffs that plunge dramatically into the Solent. This western tip of the Isle of Wight feels properly remote - a place where Victorian poets came to brood and modern families come to escape.

Totland Bay sits in the shadow of Tennyson Down, that famous chalk ridge where the poet laureate used to stride about composing verses. The beach here is shingle rather than sand, but it's perfectly serviceable for a proper British seaside day out. What really draws people though are those views - the Needles Viewpoint offers some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in southern England.

Walk west along the cliff path and you'll reach the Needles Old Battery, a Victorian fort that's been turned into a cracking little museum. The kids will love Jurassic Golf if the weather turns, while walkers can tackle the full length of Tennyson Down for those famous white cliffs and the imposing Tennyson Monument at the summit.

Getting here means catching the ferry to Yarmouth first - it's about a 15-minute drive from there through some lovely countryside. The whole western end of the island feels wonderfully cut off from the modern world, with Headon Hill and West High Down providing a proper sense of wilderness just inland.

Staying at one of the nearby parks like Tapnell Farm Holiday Destination or Heathfield Farm Camping Park puts you right in the heart of this landscape. You're close enough to walk to the cliffs for sunrise, yet far enough from the island's busier spots to feel like you've found somewhere special.