Being a maximum of 23 miles in length and 13 miles in width, it is easy to cover the whole of the island in a day which by the circular road runs at about sixty miles. As a holiday destination it has everything to satisfy all age groups, and the top south coast resorts such as Sandown and Shanklin hold many excellent weather records, due to the above average sunshine that the island experiences. In the unlikely event of you becoming “stir crazy” and wanting to return to the mainland, there are up to 350 crossings per day.
There is easy access particularly from the western and eastern ends to Lymington and Portsmouth/Southsea respectively. The Yarmouth to Lymington run is by conventional ferry only, but the crossing to Portsmouth offers a choice, that includes hovercraft, catamaran, Fast Cat and Red Jet. The bus service on the island is run by Southern Vectis and covers the major centres.
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| Why go abroad when the Isle of Wight beckons |
You would think that in historical terms, islands would experience considerably less in the way of action and development because of their relative remoteness. This certainly doesn't apply to the Isle of Wight, where early Romans wrote of “capturing” the island, suggesting that they were not the first settlers. After the Romans left, there was a fair bit of to-ing and fro-ing between local kings, and even the Vikings got in on the act, suffering a defeat at the hands of Alfred the Great.
The Normans left an indelible foot print in the form of an “updating” (that's a relative term!) of Carisbrooke Castle as well as Carisbrooke Priory. The development of the Royal Navy under the stewardship of Henry VIII led to further fortifications at Yarmouth, Sandown, Cowes and East Cowes.
The Victorians were the first real generation of tourists, which is very apt, as Queen Victoria made the island immensely popular by making Osborne House her summer residence, and it was here that she died in 1901. The island also played significant roles in the Second World War having transmitters and observation stations, as well as being the starting point of an under-Channel oil pipeline to serve the invading Normandy forces. Today, although tourism is the biggest industry, there is still a place for agriculture, sail making, and the manufacture of composite materials.
As a British tourist destination, the island is ideal, especially for families, with cottages, apartments, holiday parks and caravan parks aplenty. The attractions are really centred on quality family entertainment, which supplement the wide range of quality beaches which hold thirteen awards between them including three prestigious Blue Flag Awards. The majority of these are to be found at the eastern end of the island between Gurnard in the north and Ventnor in the south, although Freshwater to the west would grace many other top resorts throughout the country.
It's hard to offer a definitive list of the places that should be on your Isle of Wight “hit list”, because to include one at the expense of another may be doing a family member out of something that may be a personal favourite. Try seeing as many of the following as you can to get the full flavour of the island:-
Shanklin Chine, Amazon World near Arreton, Winkle Street at Calbourne, Godshill's Model Village, Studio Glass at St. Lawrence, Isle of Wight Zoo, Appledurcombe House at Wroxall, Osborne House, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway near Ryde, Ventnor Botanic Gardens, Carisbrooke Castle, Robin Hill Adventure Park and Gardens, Dinosaur Isle at Sandown, The Needles Park,Fort Victoria Country Park, Blackgang Chine, the Owl and Monkey Haven at Newport, and the Butterfly World.
How long were planning on staying? Even a fortnight may not be enough to cover all of those! It may well involve another visit next year -I know it's tough, but someone has to do it, and it might as well be you.
Isle of Wight Tourism
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