The Isle of Wight is a truly wonderful place to visit. Housed within its 147 square miles are plenty of attractions, countryside walks, picturesque villages and bustling seaside towns - all a short bus or car journey away. Whilst the island can in no way be described as lacking in things to do for young or old, it does, nonetheless possess the charm and pace of life of a bygone age. Some people joke, as they cross the Solent, that they must set their watches back 25 years to island time.

What first strikes the visitor is often the luxuriance of its vegetation: myrtles, fuchsias and geraniums and a myriad of exotic flora and fauna grow unprotected in the open air; the steamy tropic richness most evident in the undercliff from Shanklin to S Catherine's. Next to be noticed is the variety of local stone, differing in colour from village to village. Although once part of Hampshire, the stone and style of building shown in ancient churches and cottages has affinities more with Dorset than Hampshire and is best of all seen in West Wight, the most countrified part of the island. Now a county in its own right, the Isle of Wight is England's smallest county, but its largest island. Measuring 23 miles long and 13 miles wide, the island is diamond-shaped, covering an area of 147 miles2, and is separated from the mainland by the Solent, a stretch of water which varies in width from 1 to 6 miles.

The coastline is deeply indented by bays, creeks, chines (deep clefts cut in the cliffs by fast-flowing streams), caves and small harbours.  The island is divided naturally into two halves by a chalk ridge forming a central backbone running east-to-west from Culver Down to The Needles.  The area to the north is underlain by Tertiary rock that is mostly clay with some sand and limestone, and the whole of this area is one of undulating downlands.  Most of the southern part of the island is composed of lower greensand (a kind of sandstone, best seen in Shanklin's cliffs) rising to the highest points of the island along much of the south coast.  The Needles, where the chalk ridge ends, are three giant stacks rising out of the sea off the western promontory, possibly the most famous rocks in Britain.  There used to be a fourth stack, 'Lot's Wife', which crashed into the sea during a storm in 1764; it is recorded that the noise of this rock falling was heard on the mainland.

The island has four primary rivers: the Medina, the western Yar, the eastern Yar and Wooton Creek.  The Medina is the main one, rising a few miles from the south coast and running north to emerge at Cowes, almost cutting the island in two.

First, some Geology...

The famous multi-coloured sandy layers of Alum Bay (left) are a good place to start. They were laid down in the ocean in the aftermath of the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. They were then unceremoniously upended by the earth movements related to the building of the Alps far to the south. The spectacular uparching of the rocks underfoot gives the Isle of Wight its lozenge or diamond shape, with a ridge of vertical chalk strata forming an east-west spine through the island.

Few spots in Britain of similar size contain more objects of geological interest or such a diversity of fossil life. The island's southern half of mostly Cretaceous strata is famed for its dinosaur remains. Its northern half of younger (tertiary) limestones, clays and sands (such as here at Alum Bay) boast shells and plants, the bones of fish and turtles and the teeth of crocodiles and sharks.

Now, some History...

The first inhabitants of the Isle of Wight were the 'Beaker Folk' who arrived around 1900BC; several pieces of the their distinctive pottery have been found here.  Two thousand years later, the island was invaded by the Belgae from the Low Countries. who named the island Wiht, 'raised' or 'that which rises over the sea'.  This is thought to refer to a time when there was a great inundation, resulting in the sinking of the ancient River Solent which separated the island from the mainland during the Bronze Age.  The Romans, when they in turn arrived, translated the name to Vectis. (There are five known Roman villas, which are well worth visiting.) After the Romans left Britain, the Jutes were the next invaders to see possibilities in the island; however, their relatively peaceful rule was shattered first by the Saxons in 661AD who defeated them but left them to administer the island, and then by the arrival of the Danes in 897AD; for about the next 100 years, life on the island was disrupted by Viking raids.

The Isle of Wight formed part of the vast estate of Godwin, Earl of Wessex, who was second only to the King in wealth and power until his death in 1053AD. (Today, this title is held by The Prince Edward.) After the conquest, it was governed by a succession of Norman lords and one of them, Henry Beauchamp, Duke of Warwick, was actually crowned 'King of Vectis' by Henry VI, but it is doubtful if he was ever able to exercise any royal authority since sovereignty could not be held by anyone but the rightful king of England.  In 1647 Charles I came to the Isle of Wight, fleeing from the English army now under the control of a despotic parliament.  The Governor, or Captain of the island at the time was Colonel Robert Hammond, whose allegiance was split between Parliament and the Crown.  Hammond at first allowed the king to as much freedom as he wished but, later, on orders from Parliament, confined him to his quarters in Carisbrooke Castle.  After several abortive attempts to escape, the king was finally taken back to London where he met his death at Whitehall in 1649 and England was plunged into a dark era when even Christmas was banned by authority of Parliament.

After this, the Isle of Wight does not feature largely in Britain's history until Queen Victoria purchased the Osborne estate and used it as a winter residence where she enjoyed many happy years with her beloved Albert, the Prince Consort.  The island having gained royal favour, became the place to have a country house.  Following closely in the steps of the wealthy came the tourists, first in a trickle and then in the thousands. The Isle of Wight is now one of Britain's foremost seaside resorts.

Some suggested itineraries...

East from Cowes

Cowes is possibly the most widely known town on the island, but it is, in fact, two very different towns - Cowes and East Cowes - divided by the River Medina. They derive their name from two sandbanks, called 'the cows', which were situated at either side of the mouth of the river. Cowes is the larger of the two towns and possesses a great deal of charm, with narrow streets and picturesque architecture.

During the first week in August, the town really comes alive when what seems to be the world and his/her boat arrive for 'Cowes Week' - the world's premier yachting event. This annual regatta is organized by the Royal Yacht Squadron, founded in 1812 by the Earl of Yarborough. The club has as its admiral the Duke of Edinburgh, and only approximately 300 members, together with Her Majesty's ships of war in commission and Trinity House vessels when escorting royal yachts, are allowed to fly the white ensign and to take their vessels into all foreign ports without paying any harbour dues. None but officers of the Royal Navy may land their vessels at the stage in front of Cowes Castle, the club's headquarters. During this hectic week, apart from the RYS regatta, eight other clubs also hold races, so at most times throughout the day, the Solent is so covered with sails that, at times, you can hardly see the water.

Anyone with the slightest interest in sailing should visit the Isle of Wight during regatta week at least once in their lifetime. The hustle and bustle in the streets of Cowes, the excitement or disappointment in the marina after a day's sailing and the stories in the pubs and bars in the evening, all make Cowes Week an unforgettable experience. With good transport links to Cowes, the Fernbank is an ideal base from which to enjoy the regatta.

On the outskirts of East Cowes are two fine houses, Norris Castle and Osborne House. Norris Castle is privately owned but the grounds, including gardens, are open to the public. Half a mile down the road is Osborne House, built for Queen Victoria by Thomas Cubitt from designs by Prince Albert. The house is in the style of an Italian villa, with tall towers and a first-floor balcony, and the gardens are laid out in the Renaissance manner with terraces, fountains and statues. The Pavilion Wing (the Royal apartments) was completed in 1846, and the two eastern sections (Royal Household accommodation) in 1851. The Queen and Prince Albert spent a great deal of their private life at Osborne, preferring it to either Windsor or Balmoral.

After the Queen's death in 1901, the estate was presented to the nation by Edward VII and the apartments were opened to the public. They are exactly as the Queen left them and contain many of her personal items, paintings and souvenirs. Visitors can see the private rooms of the Royal Family, the State rooms and the beautiful gardens, particularly the terraces leading down to the sea.

One favourite spot in the grounds is the Swiss Cottage. Erected in 1853, it belonged to the Royal children, who used it to learn all the aspects of running an house of their own - housekeeping, cooking, gardening and entertaining - often inviting their parents to tea, and cooking and serving everything themselves. The Swiss Cottage Museum contains all the things the children collected during their stays at Osborne - toys, curiosities, botanical specimens, etc. Behind the cottage is a miniature fortress built for Prince Arthur and used as a playground by all the children. Near the Swiss Cottage is Barton Manor, now part of the Osborne estate; 20 acres of beautiful gardens and vineyards. The wine from these, which can first be tasted, is on sale at the little shop on the estate.

Wooton Creek is tidal up as far as Wooton Bridge and is the most attractive river on the island, its banks covered with trees and wild flowers. Near its mouth, at Fisbourne, is one of 'Wightlink's' vehicle ferry terminals. Two places of interest in this area are Quarr Abbey and Havenstreet. The abbey was founded in 1132 by Bladwin de Redvers, Earl of Devon, whose family ruled the island for many generations. It was once an important Cistercian abbey (now ruins); the newer Benedictine abbey was begun in 1908 by monks from the famous French abbey of Solesmes. The musical and scholastic traditions of Solesmes are continued at Quarr - the abbey is open to the public and they are welcomed to share in the community's worship in the abbey church. The name 'Quarr' is derived rom the quarries at Binstead, and stone from these was used, not only to build the original abbey, but also to build Chichester Cathedral, Beaulieu Abbey and Portchester Castle. (Another Benedictine community exists at Ryde. An enclosed community of nuns, they too have a noted reputation for erudition and devotion to monastic and liturgical studies.) Havenstreet houses the Isle of Wight Steam Railway Centre with, in addition to wonderful train rides, a fine display of transportation relics.

South-east from Ryde, and south from Brading

To the north-east of Havenstreet is Ryde, where people arrive on the passenger catamaran and hovercraft from Portsmouth. The catamaran is met by the train at the end of the 800-yard long pier, the railway line connecting with Brading, Sandown and Shanklin.  The most striking buildings in Ryde are its churches, the most noticeable, being the parish church of All Saints, designed by Gilbert Scott; the church and its 200-foot spire not only dominate the town, but the spire is also one of the first landmarks seen by travellers crossing the Solent. The church and spire are illuminated at night. Ryde, like all towns down the coast, was a Victorian seaside resort and it still embodies that same style and elegance today.

The coast road out of Ryde takes you through S Helen's, Bembridge and Brading. Bembridge Harbour (sometimes referred to as Brading Haven) is a busy working harbour with many boat yards. This little bay used to extend as far inland as Brading, hence the alternative name, but the land was reclaimed from the Solent and Brading lost its waterfront, but gained several hundred acres of land. Of interest in this area are the Old Windmill, now owned by the National Trust, and the lifeboat station, situated in a little hut at the end of the pier.

Brading is one of the oldest (and most haunted) towns on the island and contains the oldest house on the Isle of Wight, now the Wax Museum. In the small town hall, sandwiched between the museum and the church, are three relics of a bygone age that once brought terror into the hearts of any wrongdoers - the stocks, the whipping post and the town gaol. The main pride of Brading, and a major tourist attraction, is the Roman villa, discovered in 1880 at Morton Farm and said to be the finest collection of Roman remains in Britain. A large building has been constructed over the villa as protection, which also shields visitors from the weather.

Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor are the three main holiday centres, made popular by the masses who flocked to the island after Queen Victoria came to live here. All are situated within a few miles of each other and boast beautifully clean 'Blue Flag' beaches. In addition to the wonderful beach, Sandown is also home to the island's zoo and Dinosaur Museum. Backed by downs, Shanklin is really two communities, with the charming 'Old Village' (and Fernbank Hotel) set on top of the cliffs (together with the beautiful Shanklin Chine), slightly away from the more commercial holiday resort proper. However, there is much to entertain the children during the day and a varied nightlife for adults in the evening. Ventnor has some charming houses, downs that rise 771-feet behind the town, and the famous Undercliff, a landslip shelf running from S Catherine's Point to Dunnose sited between the towering cliffs and the sea. Like Shanklin, the area is famous for its associations with smuggling during the 18th and 19th centuries; at least two-thirds of the fishermen and quite a few farmers were engaged in this activity during that period. The Undercliff with its caves, chines and thick undergrowth was used as a landing point for illicit goods in order to to outwit the excise men, who had a difficult time patrolling the area and an even harder time trying to find where the goods were hidden. Don't miss the Botanical Gardens, which houses the Smuggling Museum.

In the nearby village of Bonchurch, whilst writing David Copperfield, Charles Dickens lived, enjoying visits from the likes of Tennyson, Thackery and Longfellow. The unfortunate Charles I also stayed here under less happy circumstances.

A few north of Ventnor, near Wroxall, lies Appuldurcombe House, an imposing mansion that was once owned by Earl Godwin prior to the Norman Conquest. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, the house was the seat of the Worsley family: Sir James Worsley was Keeper of the Wardrobe to Henry VIII, becoming the holder of all the important offices in the Isle of Wight, and the family made many alliances, by marriage, to some of the great families of Engand - the Nevilles, Herberts and Thynnes.  Appuldurcombe has, unfortunately, been uninhabited since 1909 and the building has decayed to such an extent that only the shell remains. Rose Macauley, in her Pleasure of Ruins (1953) described the house as having 'disintegrated beautifully in all the morbid shades of a fading bruise'.

South-west of Ventnor, the coast runs along S Catherine's Down to Blackgang Chine. Once a wooded valley, much used by smugglers, Blackgang Chine, situated on the cliffs between Niton and Chale provides a venue where there is plenty to do and see for all the family - Wild West World, Dinosaurs, a maze, walks, photographic points, Nursery Land, gift shops, amusements and restaurant facilities. Open throughout the summer, it is a very popular attraction with tourists and Islanders alike. As the evening draws in, many of the attractions are illuminated (especially the waterfalls), making Blackgang Chine a beautiful place to visit.

North-west from Blackgang

Up the coast and inland from Blackgang, passing S Catherine's Oratory is Yafford Mill, situated near the pretty village of Brightstone. This former flour mill itself is attractive and still has working machinery. Nearby, there are gift shops, tea rooms and a playground. Calbourne Mill to the north, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book, is a fine museum of rural life. Everything has been kept as it was when the mill was a financially viable and an important business, and the grounds around the mill contain a variety of wildfowl including several peacocks. Nearby, in the village of Calbourne, Winkle Street contains the most delightful row of houses on the island; the area often attracts artists and photographers - the island's own Monmartre!

The village of Freshwater is famous for being the home for many years of Alfred Lord Tennyson, the Victorian Poet Laureate. A granite memorial marks the area up on the downs, now called Tennyson Down, where he used to escape from unwelcome tourists. Continuing west along the high ridge known as Main Bench, you will arrive at the western tip of the island, 440-feet above the sea overlooking Scratchell's Bay and The Needles. This is not the best position from which to view the latter as from here they tend to look smaller than they really are. Taking a boat trip around the rocks is a far better way to see them.

Alum Bay lies to the north-east of The Needles and is famed for its multi-coloured cliff face: 'Deep purplish-red, dusky blue, bright ochreous-yellow, grey approaching nearly white and absolute black, succeed each other as sharply as the stripes in silk' (Englefield). The cliff strata are vertically arranged and their tints are bright and varied. There a number of tourist facilities, including a chairlift to transport visitors down into the bay.

North-east from Alum Bay

Standing on the eastern side of the western Yar, the little town of Yarmouth was once a port of some importance and, until 1832, returned two Members of Parliament. One of Henry VIII's castles, Yarmouth Castle, standing on the waterfront near to the ferry terminal for Lymington, is open to the public. The George Hotel, near the castle, was once the home of Yarmouth's most distinguished residents - Sir Robert Holmes, Governor of the Island (1667-1692), part-time buccaneer and one of the greatest seamen of his day. In the church, there is a marble statue of him. It is said to have been originally intended to be a likeness of Louis XIV, and was on its way to Paris on board a French ship for the final sitting with the King - only the head remaining to be finished - when the ship was captured by Sir Robert. He was so impressed by the statue that he had the sculptor fashion his head on to it instead of Louis'. The sculptor may well have had the last laugh, however, since its head is too big for its body, giving the statue a ridiculous look.

A few miles east of Yarmouth is the tiny, and despite its name, ancient village of Newtown. Originally called Francheville, the village was razed to the ground by the French. In the 17th century, it was important enough to have its own Member of Parliament, John Churchill, later to become the first Duke of Malborough and progenitor of Sir Winston Churchill.

The centre of the island

At the heart of the island is its 'capital', Newport, which received its first charter during the 12th century. Prior to this, Carisbrooke was almost certainly the principle town on the island, but after the Norman Conquest, the more advantageous and accessible 'New Port' took precedence over the old Jute stronghold. the most remarkable old building in the town is the grammar school, dating from 1612, which was occupied for a time by Charles I during his negotiations with Parliament. There are several quiet little streets off the High Street which encapsulate the town's history.

There is an interesting suggestion that Newport  was the real town in Robert Browning's 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin'. It is said that Newport was once infested by rats which were duly exterminated by a man on the promise of a reward which was never paid; Browning supposedly transferred the story to Hamelin which had a similar tale. In certain reference books, the town is given as Newport and, in this version, because the piper took all the children with him, that was why the French were able to attack so easily a generation later, as only the old men were left to defend the town.

Carisbrooke Castle stands about one mile south of Newport, and first appears in recorded history as Wihtgarasburgh. A Roman settlement stood on the site of the present castle, and part of the foundations dates from this period. The 16th century well-house contains a donkey-powered treadmill, and the old Governor's house is a fine museum.

Arreton Manor, about two miles east of Carisbrooke, was named in the 9th century will of Alfred the Great, but the present house dates from 1595, and is possibly, with the exception of Osborne, the most impressive house on the island. There are several exhibitions and a museum inside the house plus a superb collection of dolls' houses and toys. Robins Hill Country Park, a mile north, has 80 acres of woodlands and meadows and over 100 species of animals. There are donkey rides, radio-controlled model boats, a commando-style assault course (for parents and children).

A few miles south of Carisbrooke lies the picturesque village of Godshill. As well as tea gardens, the Cider Barn and traditional village 'pubs', there is a magnificent Model Village with miniature versions of many island towns and attractions. For those of a mercantile disposition, the Old Smithy houses many different shops. Nevertheless, perhaps the most magnificent treasure in the village (and even in the United Kingdom) is the Parish Church of All Saints' and its wonderful medieval wall painting of the Lily Cross. Now, a unique feature, it was once a more common devotional device, reminding the medieval faithful of the years when Good Friday coincided with the feast of the Annunciation (25th March - the day when Christians recall the angel Gabriel informing the Blessed Virgin (whose symbol is a lily) of her divine motherhood). You will find the wall painting above the altar and tabernacle in the south transept chapel.

Other attractions

If you have an interest in ornithology, Flamingo Park, near Seaview (east of Ryde), containing hundreds of exotic birds and wildfowl is worth a visit. If, on the other hand, you want to see or buy some local handicrafts, there is a pottery at Heasley Manor, near the village of Arreton, with an extensive range of gifts. Butterfly World at the Medina Garden Centre is home to hundreds of butterflies that fly freely while you walk round learning about each species

If you should get tired of the miles of sandy beaches and their associated watersports, the main seaside towns also have amusement arcades, crazy golf, pitch'n'put courses, promenade walks, playgrounds, bowling and other attractions. Ryde has LA Bowl, the island's bowling centre and Ryde Arena, where you can try your hand at ice skating.

Some of the most picturesque walks in the south of England are to be found on the island. Why not take a packed lunch and walk the Tennyson Trail on Tennyson Down in West Wight? A walk around Brighstone Forrest guarantees truly breathtaking scenery and views.

For lovers of wildlife, visit the Rare Breeds Park in St Lawrence or Amazon World in Newchurch, just outside of Arreton. Incidentally, Amazon World is the island's largest exotic animal attraction with over 200 species of rare and exotic animals. Flamingo Park, Sandown Zoo and Brickfields Horse Country are also worth visiting.

Download a printable map of the island, courtesy of RED FUNNEL, here.