From Wikitravel

The Isle of Wight [1] is a large island and county located about six miles off the southern coast of England, and easilyand quickly accessible by multiple sea routes from the mainland cities of Southampton and Portsmouth.

[edit] Towns and villages

[edit] Towns

• East & West Cowes
• Newport
• Ryde
• Brading
• Sandown
• Shanklin
• Ventnor
• Freshwater
• Yarmouth

[edit] Villages

• Bembridge
• Godshill
• Wroxall
• St Helens
• Shorwell
• Calbourne
• Arreton
• Shalfleet
• Niton

[edit] Understand

The Isle of Wight has long been an excellent place for an upmarket but traditional seaside holiday, and has a number of individual beaches and towns that were very popular with the Victorians. However, it is also becoming a must visit destination for young people seeking watersports and outdoor activities generally . Cowes is a famous yachting centre and attracts the 'London set' together with members of the worldwide sailing fraternity during Cowes Week [2] in August. The island has a similar atmosphere to Guernsey or Jersey yet is much closer and is three times the size. Despite being only 15 miles across the sea from Southampton or 6 miles from Portsmouth it is a world apart in terms of scenery, culture and pace of life. Known as England In Miniature it offers an incredible amount of variety with the landscape changing dramatically in the space of a few miles and each town and village offering something different. Beaches are fantastic and the water quality is good.

[edit] Get in

Access to the island is across the Solent, a stretch of sea between the UK mainland and the island, by regular ferry, hovercraft or fast-cat from the mainland. Many of the ferries carry cars, but this can be expensive, the alternative is to travel by foot passenger and use buses and trains on the island but this will limit access to more rural locations and beaches. Crossing time to the island is as follows.

• From Southampton: Just over an hour by ship or 30 mins by Red Jet
• From Portsmouth: 45 mins by ship or 15 mins by Fast Cat
• From Lymington: 35 mins by ship
• From Southsea: 10 mins by hovercraft

The major ferry routes are:

• Wightlink Fastcat passenger ferry [3] from Portsmouth Harbour rail station on the mainland to Ryde Pier Head on the island
• Wightlink car ferry [4] from Portsmouth to Fishbourne Creek (near Ryde) on the island.
• Wightlink car and passenger ferry [5] from Lymington on the mainland to Yarmouth on the island
• Red Funnel jetcat passenger ferry [6] from Southampton Town Quay on the mainland to west Cowes on the island
• Red Funnel conventional car and passenger ferry [7] from Southampton Town Quay to east Cowes
• Hovertravel passenger hovercraft [8] from the Southsea district of Portsmouth to Ryde

[edit] Weather

Thanks to a southerly latitude and sheltered location, many parts of the Isle of Wight enjoy a very mild and sunny climate. The south-east of the island in particular is known for its high sunshine records and warm air. In winter, frost is rather rare. As at May 2008, the warmest month of the year so far was May with an average high of 20C (68F) and the coolest was January with an average high of 10C (50F) and the warmest day of the year enjoyed a high of 27C (81F). However, June to September are the warmest months. [9]

[edit] Get around

[edit] By bus

The island has is covered by a wide but expensive bus service (by the standards of a rural area) run by Southern Vectis [10], 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[11] group.

Additonal buses are run by Wightbus - run by the IoW County Council but do not have actual timetable information on their website as such. Buses run to Ventnor, Havenstreet and Brading. Their timetables can be found at Traveline[12] (official UK timetabling service) or iw-paths.cjb.net[13]. Day & week rover tickets available which also include travel on the Island Line

[edit] By train

There is a single public service railway line on the island, with a limited service running from Ryde Pier Head (connections with Portsmouth ferry) to Sandown, for local bus service to Dinosaur Isle[14], and Shanklin, for connecting buses to Ventnor. It is run by Island Line [15], and through tickets can be booked from any manned UK station.

[edit][add listing] See

• Alum Bay [16] 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 [17] 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 [18]. Although officially a summer home for Queen Victoria, she used it as her main residence for some time after the death of Prince Albert, her husband. Now owned and operated by English Heritage, most of the well-preserved house and grounds are open to visitors year-round. Visitors planning to visit both Osborne House and Carisbrooke Castle should consider becoming members of English Heritage; it can work out cheaper than buying individual tickets for family groups and allows free access to all other English Heritage properities for the rest of the year.

• Carisbrooke Castle [19] - 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 [20], 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 [21], 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.

[edit][add listing] Do

Visit Ventnor Botanic Garden - the South Coast of the Island has a warm micro-climate allowing palms, banana trees and cactus to flourish, even in private gardens. It is regularly used by TV and film makers when locations like the South of France are required, in productions like Lady Chatterley's Lover. Much of the road network in the South passes through the lush flora and fauna of an area called the landslip which offers spectacular sea views between Ventnor and Niton.

Walk from Freshwater Bay to the Needles Battery over Tennyson Down. Fantastic views over the west Wight and western Solent.

From May to September the weather is often bright and warm, making a visit to some of the Island's beaches a good idea. Favourites:

• Colwell Bay - NW coast near Yarmouth. good golden sands, shallow shelf nice for family swimming and building sand castles. Can get busy, esp for parking, but there's generally enough space on the beach itself.
• Compton - SW Coast, off the Military Road. Popular for surfing when the wind is right.
• Lake - also on the S coast near ventnor. Windsurfing and sailing hire available.
• Bonchurch - beautiful. Sheltered, shallow coves get nice and warm if the sun's been out for a week or so (August).
• Sandown - although a less classy town than Shanklin, the beach is more extensive and the sand more attractive.

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Matt and Cat's Isle of Wight eating Out Guide, [22]. Over 180 independent reviews of places to eat on the Island - not written by the proprietors either. edit

• The New Inn, Shalfleet is an excellent place to go for fresh, locally caught fish. It has a relaxed, traditional pub ambience and friendly service. Local ales and a wide range of wines are available to accompany your meal.

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Get out

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!