9 Best Things To Do In Shanklin, England

Venkateshwar
Posted Mar 19, 2021
| 4 min read

Shanklin is an attractive tourist destination located at the southernmost of three settlements occupying the bay and is close to Lake and Sandown. With its multiple charms, Shanklin offers all the traditions of a great British holiday. Shanklin’s seafront is full of activities, amusements, golf courses and more. The golden sandy beach, traditional old village, and Shanklin Chine, a gorge with rare plants and delightful waterfall, make it one of the hot destinations in the UK.

Shanklin offers a lovely seaside and an open green space with fantastic parks and gardens around the town. Rylstone Gardens offers a tranquil and beautiful place to sit and enjoy the sunshine. If you are planning to visit Shanklin, here are some of the best attractions.

1. Shanklin to Ventnor coastal walk


Amidst breathtaking scenery, you will walk through a lovely countryside and coastal pathways. The walk can be completed in about 1.5 hours. You can stop for tea and cake, or a glass of wine at Dunnose Magna.

There is a nice cafe at the end of the walk. During the walk, the beautiful and peaceful old St. Boniface church is worth visiting. When you reach Ventnor, there is public transportation if you wish to return to Shanklin.

2. Shanklin Beach & Esplanade


Shanklin Beach & Esplanade is a part of the gorgeous Sandown bay with its excellent facilities and safe bathing areas in the golden sands. Shanklin, the island’s popular resort offers crazy golf, trampolines, an adventure play area and more for children. Longshoremen further adds to its charm with its traditional and modern leisure pursuits including motor boat, sailing, and canoe hire. Shanklin Theatre is located a short distance from the seafront where the visitors can reach the top of the cliff with the help of a public lift.

Shanklin Beach & Esplanade

Address: Esplanade, PO37 Shanklin, UK

Website: Shanklin Beach & Esplanade

3. Shanklin Chine


Something different from the hustle and bustle of the sea front, it’s a romantic, pleasant, and amazing place covered with trees, streams, waterfalls, the kissing bench, and a lovely aviary hosting beautiful rescued exotic birds. To visualize the full impact of the wonders of nature walk down the Chine at night when all the lights are on. The unspoiled and natural beach at the bottom of the Chine further adds to its beauty. There’s also a lovely cafe at the bottom for a tea/coffee.

Shanklin Chine

Address: 3 Chine Hill, PO37 6BW Shanklin, UK

Website: Shanklin Chine

4. Pirates Cove Adventure Playground


Located side by side with the Dinosaur crazy golf on the sea front, it has two courses, one pirate themed and one Jurassic themed. The pirate-themed course is great fun. The place has a variety of rides for children.

There is a mini roller coaster, a bouncy slide, big plastic balls you climb into rolled on top of a pool, bumper boats, and grabber machines. Entrance is free and you only pay for what you want to ride on via a token system. Staff members are friendly and helpful. There is a small cafe that serves very nice food and drinks.

Pirates Cove Adventure Playground

Address: Esplanade, PO37 6BG Shanklin, UK

Website: Pirates Cove Adventure Playground

5. Rylstone Gardens


The Rylstone Gardens are situated on the cliff top, with beautiful views of the southern tip of the island, supposedly a good place to see red squirrels on the outskirts of Shanklin. The garden is pretty with a refreshments kiosk, crazy golf, lawns and flower beds. There is also an adjacent Leonard Cheshire Home. It is a quiet, peaceful, lovely place for a picnic or to sunbathe. The park offers an option of walking down to the beach and the footpath has seats to relax and enjoy the beauty of the sea.

Rylstone Gardens

Address: 11 Popham Rd, PO37 6RG Shanklin, UK

Website: Rylstone Gardens

6. The Rock Shop

This little rock shop has a massive range of sweets, chocolate, and biscuits including a sugar-free section, homemade jam/chutneys, sweet goodies, fudge, rocks and lollipops made on site. With a great selection of American & retro sweets/chocolates, the shop offers a fantastic range of sweets and biscuits to take back as souvenirs for the family. The staffs are quite cooperative and helpful and products are reasonably priced as well.

The Rock Shop

Address: 91-93 High St, PO37 6NR Shanklin, UK

Website: The Rock Shop

7. Shanklin Theatre

Situated on the edge of Shanklin’s Old Town area, the theater is surrounded by excellent hotels, pubs, and restaurants for both pre- and post-theater food and drink. Lovingly maintained, it offers a fabulous place to enjoy theater on many levels. From musicals to plays, the high quality of shows in a small provincial theater is a rarity; clearly, the theater is able to cater for all.

Shanklin Theatre

Address: Prospect Rd, PO37 6AJ Shanklin, UK

Website: Shanklin Theatre

8. King Harry's Bar


The bar will remind you of what a pub used to be like before the advent of electricity. A bit weird from the inside, it’s a grand Old World inn with great real ale and a good choice of beers at reasonable prices. The plus point is a nice open fire and the garden area, which is lovely with interesting pathways into the woods overlooking the stream which runs into the chine.

King Harry's Bar

Address: 6 Church Rd, Shanklin Old Village, PO37 6NU Shanklin, UK

Website: King Harry’s Bar

9. Shanklin Steamer Inn


It is a lovely restaurant with a great view of the seafront. A fantastic place to stay amidst a nice laid back vibe. All the staff from the bar crew, to the breakfast and house cleaners, the waiting and the kitchen staff are quite courteous and strive hard to make their guests happy. The inn has a great range of beer and offers food of good quality at a reasonable price.

Shanklin Steamer Inn

Address: 18 Esplanade, PO37 6BS Shanklin, UK

Website: Shanklin Steamer Inn

A hot destination of the UK

With a lovely seaside, an open green space with fantastic parks and gardens around the town, a seafront full of activities, amusements, golf courses and more, Shanklin has emerged as a hot destination in the UK. With its multiple charms, Shanklin offers all of the traditions of a great British holiday and is worth visiting.

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