As green tourism starts to get hold, it's good to see we Brits are leading the way. You may have heard that the New Forest won the top prize in the Responsible Tourism Awards - as the best eco destination in the world - but the nearby Isle of Wight will be a serious challenger next time round.
With a fully dedicated web resource at greenislandtourism, there are very few places that have done so much to make green travel so easy. The website is a little complicated (it is being updated), but you can just download the pdf leaflet which carries a map of the island with all the certified businesses and activities listed on there.
Just to simplify things completely, here's one good way to spend a Greenhiker weekend. A return trip from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour will cost you about £30 - it takes about an hour and a half each way. From there, the ferry to Ryde will be about £20 return, taking about 40 minutes (book through Wightlink). So you could comfortably leave London at 6pm and be on the island by 9pm, and travel back Sunday night the same way at a total cost of £50. Not bad.
Once you're there, you'll probably want to stay the night in Ryde (there are several awarded places listed on greenislandtourism). Hire bikes the next day at Tav Cycles (£20 for two days) and hit the round island trail - it's 100km long in total, and beautifully scenic. Stop off overnight wherever takes your fancy... if you can, make it as far as beautiful secluded Ventnor (above). Then complete the trip the next day, and head for home. Genius.
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