Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
Islands: Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is the largest and second most populous island in England, covering an area of round 150 square miles it is located off the coat of Hampshire on the south coast.
Getting There
Despite many proposals to build a land link to the island, always fiercely rejected by the islanders themselves the only realistic way to get to the island is by water.
There are ferry connections to Lymington, Southampton and Portsmouth.
There are three main operators.
Wightlink, offering car ferries on the Lymington – Yarmouth (40 minutes) and Portsmouth – Fishbourne (45 minutes) routes, along with a catamaran foot passenger service from Portsmouth to Ryde (22 minutes).
Red Funnel operate two services from Southampton, with a car ferry taking an hour to get to East Cowes and a Red Jet high speed foot passenger service to West Cowes (25 mins).
Last but by no means least the fastest foot passenger crossing is operated by Hovertravel with its hovercraft service from Southsea – Ryde which takes about ten minutes, although it is more prone to weather disruption than the other services.
Getting Around
Although relatively small, roads on the island are not the fastest. There is only one stretch of dual carriageway on the island but don’t get over excites as it’s only about two-thirds of a mile (one kilometre) long. Most roads are best described as country routes but some of the scenery is stunning.
The island does, however, have an excellent public transport system with regular bus services serving all the main towns, in addition special tourist routes operate during the main holiday season. Some routes operate all night on Fridays and Saturdays.
There is also a railway line linking Ryde and Shanklin (also calling at Brading, Sandown and Lake), operated with delightful 1930’s ex-London Underground rolling stock – with rolling being the operative word, as it does sway – it adds to the fun though.
There are, reportedly, plans to update the rolling stock, however they are limited as to what they can use due to low tunnels and bridges.
​
Main Towns
Newport is the main town on the Island and the main shopping centre. Don’t expect big out of town shopping malls though, it is very much a traditional town centre. OK a lot of the big High Street names can be found here but there are also plenty of independents as well.
There is an attractive harbour area, with some museums and galleries but to be brutally honest Newport isn’t really what you would call a tourist hotspot.
The area around St Thomas’s Church is delightful with several cafés where you can sit outside and watch the world go by.
Towards the west the town merges into Carisbrooke, home to an eponymous castle. Tracing its history back over 1,000 years it’s one of the most popular small visitor attractions on the island. Operated by English Heritage (member get free admission) admission for non-members is £10.30 adult, £9.50 concessions and £6.30 children.
Ryde is a very hilly town and is the largest town in terms of population.
Like Newport it is home to a traditional shopping centre with many independent shops. It also has a stunning beach with a huge tidal range, the tide can go out almost a mile at the lowest tides.
Due to the tidal range it has a half mile long pier, it’s on this pier the catamaran from Portsmouth arrives / departs. Indeed the pier is so long the train service runs along the pier and cars are allowed on the pier to meet passengers at the cost of £1. There are no entertainment facilities on the pier.
Cowes is synonymous with sailing, hosting the world famous Cowes week sailing regatta at the end of July each year. Cowes is, in fact, two towns East and West Cowes, divided by the River Medina. There is suppose to be a chain ferry which will take cars from one side to the other, unfortunately it has been plagued by technical problems since 2017 and without the ferry it’s a 10 mile, 45 minute, drive from one side of the town to the other via Newport.
West Cowes is the more interesting side with plenty of quirky restaurants and shops, nearby is Gurnard beach. East Cowes is quieter but it is home to the only Waitrose store on the island. Nearby East Cowes is one of the primary tourist attractions on the island, Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s beloved home and where she died. Like Carisbrook Castle it is operated by English Heritage but a tad more expensive, although still free for English Heritage members. Adult admission is £18.50, concessions £16.70 and children £11.10. (These are high season prices, in winter prices are lower but less of the house is open).
Ventnor is the main town on the south coast of the island and is exceptionally busy, it’s also seen better days to be honest and it has a reputation of being the drugs capital of the island.
It also has the best climate on the island, so there are plus points as well. Home to a small beach one of the highlights is a café famous for selling crab and chips
​
Ventnor’s favourable, sub-tropical, climate (on average 5 degrees warmer than the rest of the UK) makes Ventnor Botanic Gardens a must visit attraction, with many plants you will not find in the open elsewhere in the UK. Admission is adults £9.50, concessions £7.50 and children £6.
Yarmouth is the main town in the west of the island and is arguably more upmarket than the other towns, it’s also more expensive and a little bit full of its own self-importance. If you aren't part of the sailing set you probably won't be made to feel that welcome.
​
The Seaside
​
Obviously being an island there are plenty of beaches to visit.
We’ve already mentioned Ryde so let’s work round the island from Ryde in a clockwise direction.
Indeed, there is a lovely, two mile, coastal walk from Ryde to Seaview. Seaview is a small town, not a touristy beach in the traditional sense but home to a small sandy beach and quite a few craft shops and some nice (but sometimes expensive) restaurants.
Bembridge is the next place of note, it has the distinction of being the largest village in England. It has a beautiful natural harbour, a lovely place to watch a sunset. The village centre is small but has some interesting shops. There is a beach but it can be quite stony and Bembridge pier is home to the easternmost lifeboat on the island.
​
Sandown is one of the “big two” seaside towns on the island, very much a typical seaside town and, sadly, another which has seen better days, although improvements are being made. With more hotels and guest house than you can probably count there should be somewhere to stay for all types. The long beach is a mixture of sand and shingle and the town is home to a traditional pier.
The town of Lake separates Sandown from Shanklin and being perched on top of a cliff it doesn’t have a beach but it does have an attractive cliff top walk.
​
Shanklin is the second of the big two resorts on the island, arguably slightly more upmarket than Sandown, although that is a subjective view. It has a pier and a theatre.
Old Shanklin is a delightful, picture postcard, village with thatched cottages and pubs and brightly painted buildings.
The south coast is mainly unpopulated with an amazing road, the Military Road, tracking the coast and offering stunning views. There are several bays and coves with sandy beaches, although most are only accessible by climbing down steep paths from cliff top car parks.
Blackgang Chine claims to be the UK’s oldest amusement park. Definitely aimed at younger families dinosaurs are very much at the centre of the attractions. Admission isn’t cheap with adults being charged £25 peak £20 off peak, most appallingly is there is no child discount with children having to pay the full admission charge. Would I pay that money to go in …. frankly no!!!
Where the Military Road passes Freshwater Bay there are a couple of car parks and these offer great spots for viewing spectacular sunsets.
The western tip of the island is home to the iconic Needles, probably the one island landmark everyone knows. Naturally it is home to a park and a cable car takes visitors from the main centre to Alum Bay, home of the coloured sands.
One advantage of the site is the attractions are on a pay to use basis, so you can choose to spend as much or as little as you wish.
Totland and Colwell Bays both have picturesque beaches, offering views of the mainland. Both are sheltered and secluded and neither is particularly commercialised with both having a couple of pubs / cafés and small souvenir shops.
Inland Attractions
The island isn’t just the coast and there are many attractions inland as well.
The village of Godshill is a quintessential village with thatched cottages and plenty of shops to trap, sorry attract the visitors. The highlight is the quaint model village which is an almost exact replica of the old village and in a sort of Russian doll theme the model village itself appears in the model village.
The Isle of Wight music festival, held each June, is a major highlight of the islands year, probably second only to Glastonbury in terms of size, the Festival attracts many international names. On a slightly more subdued note there is a literary festival in October.
Robin Hill Park, near Newport is an 88 acre adventure park. In the same ownership as Blackgang Chine it’s probably more suited to sub-teens than older children, although for adults there are some lovely woodland walks and lakes. Admission is £23 peak period £17.50 off peak, there are no child discounts. They do open at night in November and February for their light festivals and they are very good.
​
Butterfly World is attached to a garden centre near Wooton, open from April – October, adult admission is £8.49, seniors £7.49 and children £6.49. It's a charming attraction and a good place to while away an hour or so.
Almost next door to Butterfly World is Monkey Haven, a rescue centre for primates, although they also have an extensive bird collection as well. Open daily their admission is a very reasonable £12 for adults, £11 for seniors and £10 for children. This includes various talks and demonstrations at various times during the day and the ticket is valid for a second visit within a week.
​
Continuing on the animal theme Amazon World near Newchurch boast over 200 animal species and is a popular attraction. Admission is £12.95 for adults and £10.95 for seniors and children.
The Isle of Wight Zoo at Sandown is a smaller, more traditional zoo. Admission is £12.55 for adults, £11.37 for seniors and £10.23 for children.
The Donkey Sanctuary near Wroxall is a gem of a place to visit. Admission is free but visitors are asked to make a donation to support this charity which homes abandoned donkeys. It’s an amazing place to visit and when the donkeys start talking to each other the noise is amazing.
Bembridge Windmill is the only surviving windmill on the island. Owned by the National Trust, member are granted free admission. I’m not sure, however, it’s worth the £6 (£3 children) admission for non-members.
For foodies there are a couple of vineyards on the island. Newchurch is home to the Garlic Farm, home to all things garlic and well worth a visit. If you like your food hotter then The Chilli House at Branstone near Sandown is for you.
​
