A tiny island, a teeny weeny charm. Almost 20 years ago, I visited Newport, the county town of Isle of Wight, on business, and must have been wearing rose tinted glasses at the time. This time, in the height of summer, a return visit yielded a different kind of memory. The island seems to be in a time warp, as if it has not emerged from the era of formica table top and oiled table cloths. What brings the place up to date is the attire of the tourists: even in 4* hotels, they are in trainers or hiking sandals, and this season's hot number - those three-quarter length trousers that are clearly not designed for varicose veins or legs that are of a deathly grey colour. But the wearers are not there to please others, just themselves.
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| Southampton Dock |
One of the routes to IOW is by ferry boat from Southampton to East Cowes. At a rather shabby gate at the Southamption Docks, the Red Funnel plies this service, charging £66 per car for a return journey, each leg lasting an hour. It is an efficient service and it runs on time, which is remarkable by UK's public transport standard. The interior of the ferry boat needs a refresh, but given the price, the passengers don't seem to care much about the decor.
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| East Cowes |
On arrival at East Cowes, the visitor is welcomed with the sight of banks upon banks of boats on the waterfront. It is difficult to imagine that the Solent, separating IOW from mainland England, is an area of fierce tidal streams that has become the training ground for world-beating sailors. East Cowes is the site of Osborne House, the former summer residence of Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert, plus their brood of 9 children. It is at Osborne House that Queen Victoria enjoyed the "cosiness" and "snugness" that she so craved.
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| Yarmouth |
On the north west part of IOW lies Yarmouth, the entry point for the ferry boat from Portsmouth. The waterfront is less crowded and less industrial, and it boasts a gatehouse to a fort that Henry VIII once kept there.
