The Isle of Wight: a perfect day trip

Often it’s only when we have visitors that we do things and go places that we may never otherwise consider. Sometimes we tend to put off such activities for another time, or simply do not get round to doing them.  So having long-time Canadian friends to stay, together with the benefit of warm, late October weather, the impetus was provided for making a day trip to the Isle of Wight. And how well we were rewarded!

Our friends had never been before, and it had been a few years since we had last visited the island. Even though less than 48 hours had passed since a ferry from Southampton to East Cowes had run aground in Cowes Harbour in thick fog, we were not deterred and went ahead with our booking! 

The port did not feel especially busy on this particular morning. Despite no big cruise ships in dock, there is still a natural intrigue in understanding how this iconic port operates.  The port and its approach waters have been either the beginning or completion of many great journeys over the decades, whether for trade, military activities, migration or cruises. Much history has unfolded from this port’s berths.

Busy waters off Cowes!

Our one hour crossing proved incident free and we quickly found the chain ferry and its quick hop across the River Medina estuary to Cowes itself. This was a new experience for us, as was wandering around the town itself. Being keen sailors, our friends were highly interested in seeing where Cowes Week took place. Even if the town and harbour was not in full regatta mode, there were enough boats coming and going to maintain the interest. Strolling along The Parade we looked out across The Solent and could appreciate how the huge container ships manoeuvre themselves through the waters on their way up Southampton Water to dock.

After a light lunch in a quirky cafe, we found our route out of town via some back lanes to Newtown. In the Middle Ages this was a thriving port and community of 300 families, each with their own strips of land before it was sacked by the French in 1377, after which it never fully recovered.  Nonetheless it continued to send two MPs to Westminster before being declared a ‘rotten borough’ and its final abolition under the 1832 Reform Act. There remains a restored 17th century town hall within the hamlet which is now part of the National Trust nature reserve embracing the water courses that flow gently out into The Solent to provide a birdwatcher’s paradise. Just up the road we were able to stop and observe at close quarters a buzzard on the ground with its prey.

The Needles

From here, we made our way out to the western side of the island. Being such a fine day, a walk out along the cliffs overlooking Alum Bay to the headland and the Needles gave us the opportunity to take in the fresh sea air and marvel at the clear views back across to the mainland. The Old Battery and its military bunkers have now been opened up to become a small museum. Nearby and close to the look out over the Needles, some evidence remained of this spot being a static rocket testing facility during the 1950’s and 60’s. The associated information board proved a fascination. It now seems incongruous but such was the secrecy surrounding it during the height of the cold war. They did not actually conduct live launches from this scenic spot as this was transferred to Woomera in central Australia.

Cliff walking overlooking Alum Bay

Our tour continued via Freshwater Bay, but we were soon met with diversions due to repairs being made to the south coast road. One such detour took us via Mottistone Manor, and although we were unable to stop, we made a mental note that the intriguing looking house and garden was somewhere to spend time on a future occasion.

Eventually as dusk descended, we dropped down into Ventnor and then negotiated a hairpin road to the esplanade (clearly worthy of further exploration), before passing through the coastal towns of Shanklin and Sandown. Even though daylight was beginning to run out on us, we simply had to stop at Brading Down to witness the blazing red sunset. If one had set out to paint a sky that fiery, the authenticity may have been hard to capture, such was the extent and depth of its colour. Behind us, the almost full Hunter’s Moon was rising to shine brightly and help show our way.

Sunset from Brading Down

We continued to chase the disappearing sun along the Downs ridge whilst resolving to have dinner before catching our return ferry at East Cowes.  From previous visits we knew of the location of a long unevenly paved lane that led down to the Folly Inn on the banks of the River Medina. With its wide ranging menu, this proved most welcome, even though by now it was dark and we could not fully appreciate the pub’s setting.

Back on board and standing in the still air at the back of the boat, the glowing moon cast its silvery light over the calm waters of The Solent, provided a fitting finale to a full and memorable day. With our friends’ interests in sailing, military history, astronomy, art and hiking, we managed to mixing it up and tap into a number of the island’s features to satisfy their passions.

Our friends had built up a preconception of the island in their minds. Between them they knew Cowes was reputedly the "yachting capital of the world" and they could have happily wandered through the marinas, boat yards and chandleries for the whole day. Had we tried harder I’m sure we would have met some hardy mariners sitting dockside willing to swap sailing tales of old. However, they were glad we didn't over-linger. They had not expected to find an island with such varied topography and so much interesting history, both ancient and modern. The views, the cliffs, the 'Needles' (and its connection to Marconi) understandably appealed. Our friends liked the small, attractive and long-established towns where independent shops remain largely dominant rather than obliterated by the bigger chain stores. Most of all, and even though the island was bigger than they had realised, the island-feel reminded them of their time living on the Gulf Islands off British Columbia's west coast. In short, the trip around the island had proved an unforgettable treat. The running joke through the day of “you are not going to be able to do and see everything” certainly had the ring of truth to it!

Although the island faces economic, educational and health service issues and can struggle in times of economic difficulties, to the casual visitor this is largely unseen. We enjoyed and appreciated the island more than we had done on some previous visits especially when we had been hit by sea fog and prolonged drizzle. With the southern coastal resorts boasting the highest hours of sunshine in the country, the day visitor and tourism generally remain a key ingredient for the islands viability. Our friends remarked on how well the island is linked by ferry routes to the island from Portsmouth, Southampton and Lymington. Undoubtedly, the island has its charm, character and in places feels as if it’s a slightly miniaturised version of the mainland.

This perfect day allowed us to sample the diverse aspects of what the Isle has to offer, although in truth we had barely scratched the surface. Nonetheless, the late Indian Summer, amazing sunset and Hunters Moon left us feeling our stars were well and truly aligned.  Yes, we were fortunate and realised not every day would again be so favourable, but it was a reminder of how good an option a day trip, or even a weekend break to the island can be for those of us living in and around Winchester.

Isle of Wight [Courtesy of Ordnance Survey]

Getting there (click on the orange highlighted text for further details)

Rail Links

Various rail services run to Portsmouth Harbour, Southampton Central and Lymington (via Brockenhurst), thus providing connections with the rest of the country.

South Western Railway is the main operator, but Southern Railway also operates services to Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central. CrossCountry run services to Southampton Central and Brockenhurst (for connections to Lymington).

Ferries

Red Funnel runs between Southampton and East Cowes (vehicles and foot passengers), and between Southampton and Cowes by Red Jet (hi-speed catamaran, foot passenger only service).

Wightlink runs the following services:

Lymington to Yarmouth (vehicles and foot passengers)

Portsmouth to Fishbourne (vehicles and foot passengers)

Portsmouth to Ryde (fast catamaran, foot passenger only service)

Hovertravel also provides the world’s longest running commercial hovercraft service and is the only scheduled foot passenger hovercraft service in Europe. It connects Southsea (Portsmouth) and Ryde, with a journey time of approx. 10 minutes. 

Bikes can be taken for free on vehicle ferries, whilst various limitations exist on the foot passenger-only ferries, so do check directly with them beforehand.

On the island

The island train line runs between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin, using ex-London Underground rolling stock.

An extensive island bus network is run by Southern Vectis, although this can be seasonal for some routes.

The island is served by well marked cycle routes to make cycling a serious consideration.

Other

The website https://www.isleofwightguru.co.uk/ is also a very useful resource for planning your trip.

[Information understood to be accurate at end October 2018]

I am grateful for the input provided by Lawrence Pitt, a yachtsman with extensive sailing experience in British Columbia’s coastal waters, and Georgina Montgomery, an experienced traveller and abstract artist whose work is showcased at www.instagram.com/georgina.montgomery.art/.