Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a large island and county located just off the southern coast of England, close to the mainland cities of Southampton and Portsmouth.
Cities
Understand
The Isle of Wight is an excellent place for an old-fashioned seaside holiday and has a number of beaches and towns that were very popular with the Victorians. Cowes is a famous yachting centre.
Get in
Access to the island is by regular ferry, hovercraft or private boat from the nearby towns. Even though many of the ferries carry cars, this can be expensive, and unless you are visiting for a long period you are probably better off travelling as a foot passenger and using the local bus network on the island. The major ferry routes are:
- Wightlink Fastcat passenger ferry [1] from Portsmouth Harbour rail station on the mainland to Ryde Pier Head on the island
- Wightlink car ferry [2] from Portsmouth to Fishbourne Creek (near Ryde) on the island.
- Wightlink car and passenger ferry [3] from Lymington on the mainland to Yarmouth on the island
- Red Funnel jetcat passenger ferry [4] from Southampton Town Quay on the mainland to west Cowes on the island
- Red Funnel conventional car and passenger ferry [5] from Southampton Town Quay to east Cowes
- Hovertravel passenger hovercraft [6] from the Southsea district of Portsmouth to Ryde
Get around
By bus
The island has an excellent bus service (by the standards of a rural area) run by Southern Vectis [7], including spectacular open-top services in West Wight and near Ryde. The network is due to be improved further between 2006-8 due to a takeover by the Go-Ahead[8] group.
Additonal buses are run by Wightbus (who annoyingly do not have a website as such) to Ventnor, Havenstreet and Brading. Their timetables can be found at Traveline[9] (official UK timetabling service) or iw-paths.cjb.net[10].
By train
There is a single public service railway line on the island, running from Ryde Pier Head (connections with Portsmouth ferry) to Sandown, for local bus service to Dinosaur Isle[11], and Shanklin, for connecting buses to Ventnor. It is run by Island Line [12], and through tickets can be booked from any manned UK station.
See
- Alum Bay [13] is famous for the many different colours of sand which appear naturally on the beach. A traditional souvenir of the Isle of Wight is a picture or glass paperweight filled with the different colours - there are many stalls where you can get the wherewithal to make your own if you are so inclined. The bay is close to The Needles (see below) and accessible by stairs or by a ski resort-style chairlift.
- Blackgang Chine [14] was formerly a dramatic gorge through which one could walk to the sea. Following a catastrophic collapse, the Chine ceased to exist some decades ago, but the bizarre entertainment park there, with its animated figures, is still worth a visit. Shanklin Chine, a smaller gorge, can still be visited.
- Osborne House [15]
- Carisbrooke Castle [16] - located in the centre of the island, the castle is well worth a visit. Charles I was held prisoner here. The castle appears in the popular children's story 'Moonfleet', and the well which appears in the story, with a treadmill driven by a donkey (not worked very hard these days) is a popular tourist feature.
- Isle of Wight Steam Railway [17], tel 01983-882204 from within the UK or +44-1983-882204 from outside. A former branch line resucitated to accurately recreate the atmosphere of the island's railways in the pre-war era, when the island was the home of already superannuated locomotives and coaches from the mainland. Accessible by car at the steam railway's Havenstreet Station, or by changing from the island's one remaining public service railway (between Ryde and Shanklin) at Smallbrook Junction. Open weekends and summer; see website or call telephone number above for precise opening days and times. £8 (adult); £4 (child); ticket entitles holder to unlimited travel on day of issue.
- The Needles [18], a very famous headland and offshore rocks at the extreme western end of the island. Here you will find early sea defences such as the Needles Old Battery, now preserved by the National Trust, and Tennyson Down, the national memorial to Alfred Lord Tennyson, and the sight of spectacular sea and land views. Accessible via Southern Vectis's open-top bus route 42, which runs half-hourly from Yarmouth and connects with the ferries from Lymington on the mainland.
- Steephill Cove, a cove only accessible by foot at the southernmost tip of the island near Ventnor. There is an incredible seafood restaurant right on the beach - the owners catch their own lobsters and crabs daily, you would find it hard to get fresher seafood anywhere! And the view from the tables over the cove and out to sea is breathtaking.
Do
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Get out
External links
Isle of Wight County Council webpage