Isle of Wight

Located just a short ferry ride away from the south coast of the UK, under 2 hours from London, is the beautiful Isle of Wight. This little Island is often referred to as The Garden Isle – boasting fabulous beaches, rolling Downs, historic castles and Royal connections in abundance within a space of 13 miles by 23 miles. It has 60 miles of heritage coastline and over half the Island is classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

With over 60 miles of beautiful coastline, the Island beaches evolve from stretches of endless sand to dramatic rugged cliffs – the perfect spot to discover your own bit of Jurassic England. Renowned as a mecca for dinosaur hunters from across the globe many new species of dinosaur have been discovered in the cliff falls on the Island – with new fossils being uncovered on a daily basis. Fossil Hunting walks are a must when visiting the Island – and led by a resident palaeontologist guarantee you will leave with a prehistoric treasure in your pocket.

The rugged coastline of the south of the Island is the perfect spot to catch a few waves or try out kitesurfing, or for those who prefer a more sedate pace, the Island has over 500 miles of public footpaths and cycleways, which mean that the whole Island can be explored easily without the car.

For all the sailing enthusiast out there, the Isle of Wight is the home of world yachting with the first ever Americas Cup taking place here in 1851. It celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2001 with the world’s premier racing yachts retracing that original course.  It is also home to the world famous annual sailing regatta, Cowes Week every August. This year to tie in with the Olympics, the Super yacht Cup will be held in Cowes in July, filling the waters between the Island and mainland England with some of the world’s most beautiful super yachts.

Away from the water, the Island is a patchwork of small towns, tiny villages and even smaller hamlets dotted across unspoilt rolling countryside, nestled under forest and downland, with stunning views all the way along the south coast of England into Dorset and beyond. The Island has more pubs per square mile than any other English county, all serving traditional ales, many with thatched roofs and log fires. The Island County Town of Newport is located in the centre of the Island – built in the valley below Carisbrooke Castle. Now run by English Heritage and open to the public, this historic 10th century moat and bailey castle was where king Charles 1st was kept imprisoned for 14 months leading up to his execution by the Parliamentarians in 1649.

Royalty aside, the Island has been home to many famous figures from Alfred Lord Tennyson at his home Farringford in Freshwater, to Charles Dickens sojourn in Bonchurch at The Winterbourne while writing David Copperfield.

The Island first rose to fame in the 1900’s when Queen Victoria set up residence here in 1845 building her beautiful Italianate palace, Osborne House. After the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria lived out the rest of her life at Osborne House, finally dying here in 1901 after 64 years reigning as monarch of the United Kingdom. After her death Osborne House was presented to the nation by King Edward VII and is now open to the public, remaining today exactly as it was – full of beautiful treasures from around the world. Queen Victoria made the Isle of Wight extremely fashionable as a holiday destination – and it has stayed that way ever since, welcoming over 2.5 million visitors every year.