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* I’m going to start today’s blog post with a quick disclaimer, we were gifted our travel with Wightlink for this post, yet everything we did on the island was with our own money.
Two weeks ago we headed on a little day trip to the Isle of Wight, and what’s better is that we got to take our pooch along with us! I had no Idea that Wightlink allowed dogs on the ferry, but they have a pet friendly section at the back of the boat so they don’t have to miss all the fun! We travelled from Lymington which is so easy for us being a 15 minute drive and the crossing itself takes only around 40 minutes, I wasn’t sure on how Luna would be (her first boat trip and first trip being out all day!) but she was an absolute dream, the crossing was so easy and she lapped up the attention she was given by fellow passengers!
*credit to Catherine Dashwood photography 
*credit to Catherine Dashwood Pet Photography
We had done a little research before hand on some dog friendly places so we had a rough idea of our day plan- however we decided our first stop would be a nice dog walk at freshwater bay to let Luna run around and let off some steam. The Bay is beautiful and we spent an hour skimming stones, watching people kayaking and exploring around the cliffs. Also side note – don’t think flip flops is a good idea here – it’s not! Oops, rookie mistake with so many little stones!
*credit to Catherine Dashwood photography
*credit to Catherine Dashwood photography
We then jumped back in the car and headed 40 minutes across the island to Ventnor. I’d seen they had a botanical garden, and welcomed dogs with open arms. I wasn’t too sure what to expect but was blown away with the size and so many gorgeous hidden spots, my favourite being the Japanese gardens! And If you looked closely enough you could spot wall lizards darting in between the rockery.
We were so lucky with the weather and it made such a leisurely morning taking our time and admiring the scenery. Luna was in her element meeting other dogs along the way and running under the archways whilst following Jacob. It almost felt like we had the place to ourselves with the grounds being so vast. If you are a flower lover like me then this is a must!
*credit to Catherine Dashwood photography 
*credit to Catherine Dashwood photography
*credit to Catherine Dashwood photography
*credit to Catherine Dashwood photography
*credit to Catherine Dashwood photography 
*credit to Catherine Dashwood photography 
*credit to Catherine Dashwood photography
Lunch time was soon upon us after a good couple of hours wondering around so we decided as it was such a beautiful day we’d go into Ventnor find a fish and chippy and take it to the beach. Being off peak season Luna was still able to go on and enjoy the beach – digging in the stones and having a well earned lay down in the warm.
Last stop of our action packed day was Carisbrooke Castle – another dog friendly location – all except the cafe and inside the museum part, not that it impacted on our day. Being close to Easter, J also enjoyed taking part in their Easter egg trail, and Luna loved meeting the donkeys that live In the grounds. We also found the Carey name in the castle that Pete was thrilled by, meanwhile Jacob was just as excited that a donkey had the same name as him. The views around the castle are unreal, as long as you’re willing to walk up a lot of steps to take it all in, but it’s definitely worth it once you get to the top and are able to walk around the entirety of the walls.
We fit so much into our day that by the time we got back on the ferry we were all pooped. There are so many things I loved about traveling with Wightlink*, It was so easy taking our car over and being able to explore without feeling restricted to the bus timetables, and of course I loved being able to bring Luna with us. She honestly had such a fun time and it was brilliant including her in our family day – especially now that she has become such a huge part of ours!
Wightlink provide free travel for your pets so you can enjoy your next trip with them too and with so many pet friendly things to do it would be crazy not to!
A huge thank you to Wightlink for gifting us our travel for the day and showing us how easy it is to take your dog on the ferry! Our travel was gifted but everything else we did we paid for ourselves, and all thoughts and opinions are my own! Pictures have been taken by me unless credited below – in this case a lot of by Catherine Dashwood Photography
I hope you’ve enjoyed this insight into our day and hopefully given you some ideas for your next trip over! Thanks for reading! XO
