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Isle of Wight Mini Guide- Part 1
| In this two-part mini guide to the Isle of Wight, we're going to be giving you all the intel needed for a great Isle of Wight Holiday and letting you in on a few local secrets. This first part is going to look at getting to the Island and what to see once your there. The 2nd part will be looking at great places to eat and evening entertainment as well as a few less visited attractions. The real beauty of the Isle of Wight is the 4 miles of sea between it and the mainland. The Solent is not only a physical break in the land but also a psychological one that helps ease visitors into the holiday mood and leave behind the stresses of everyday life. If you are taking a car choose from the Red Funnel service from Southampton to East Cowes or the Wightlink Service from Portsmouth to Fishbourne. The Red Funnel is cheaper with prices from £40 and the journey is longer at 55minutes. But you can use this time to sit out on the sun deck and get into the holiday mood. For the less patient the Wightlink ferry takes only 40 minutes with fares from £47. Without a car the fastest crossing is from Southsea on the Hovercraft at 10 minutes at £8. This is truly a unique way to cross the Solent, all the more exciting at low tide as you skim across Ryde Sands. Once on the Isle of Wight you will not be short of activities for all the family, in fact the danger is trying to do too much! The Needles are perhaps the Islands most famous natural feature and the best views for this are to be had from a visit to the Old Battery, a Napoleonic gun emplacement set into the chalk cliffs to protect the western entrance to the solent. Here a tunnel carved through the rock takes you to a precarious look-out point that offers unparalleled views of the needles and further on towards Bournemouth. For a hearty dose of history head to Carisbrooke Castle in the centre of the Island. It's strategic location meant that for a long time whoever controlled the castle controlled the Island too. The Castle saw much action in it's life time and was developed with heavy fortifications over the years. It is perhaps best known as the prison of Charles I prior to his execution in 1649. After all that activity you're bound to feel peckish and in part 2 we will be looking at great places to eat. |
About the Author
This article was written by Tom Sangers on behalf of Garden Isle who provide IOW Hotels
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