Lynne's 'short' guide to the Isle of Wight

Advantages: A place for everyone - young and old!
Disadvantages: You won't want to go home.

...via Portsmouth, Southampton and Lymington on car ferries, a catamaran, a hydrofoil and a hovercraft. You can also fly here if you have the cash; you will land in either Bembridge or Sandown airports (well, a tiny landing strip with a portakabin café!). Saying that you will have to get a second mortgage to pay the Ferry Company their £60 or so fee to get you there in the first place! Portsmouth to Ryde via catamaran ? foot passengers only Portsmouth to Fishbourne via car ferry Southampton to Cowes via Red Jet ? foot passengers only Southampton to East Cowes via car ferry Lymington to Yarmouth via car ferry Contact details and timetables can be found on the Isle of Wight website ? www.iwight.com. What?s on offer? ******************* Where do I start? Pubs? Attractions? Historic buildings? Think I will start with the pubs...

purplelynne 11.04.2004 (21.04.2004) · Read review
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Review of Isle of Wight (England)

Ryde Isle of Wight

Advantages: Ryde Isle of Wight
Disadvantages: Ryde Isle of Wight

...Ryde Isle of Wight Living in Ryde on the Isle of Wight I think gives me a perfect inside knowledge to be able to write this review. I have lived here for a good few years now and have enjoyed pretty much every single year. The Isle of Wight is situated off of the very south of mainland England and a 15-minute ferry crossing from Portsmouth. One of the places you can catch a ferry to is Ryde and it is very easy to be able to hop over from Portsmouth just for the day to the island. Ryde is very popular with holidaymakers, tourists and island residents alike. It has the second biggest shopping town on the Isle of Wight and not only has great shops but has a load of wonderful beaches. From the beaches you are able to have a wonderful skyline view over Portsmouth and Southsea. The Spinnaker Tower is easy visible on a clear...

newby2 30.04.2007 · Read review
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Review of Ryde (Isle Of Wight)

The Heights Leisure Centre - Isle of WIght

Advantages: great
Disadvantages: none

...The Heights Leisure Centre, Sandown, Isle of Wight...... The Heights Leisure Centre is located on the main road leading into Sandown (The Broadway). It is a large building which was opened on the 25th March 1982. The leisure centre has many activities on offer all priced at a fairly reasonable rate. Listed below are the things that The Heights has to offer and a little bit about it. Swimming ... There is both a children's pool and a regular pool both of a good size although neither full size pools as the large pool measures in at 25 meters. The children's pool however it lovely and warm and Jack does love having a splash around there. The pool is open long hours although it is best to check the timetable as there are classes or lane swimming booking up both pools on some days. For an adult swim you are looking to pay £2...

newby2 17.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Heights Leisure Centre, Sandown, Isle of Wight

Holiday accommodation Sandown Isle of Wight

Advantages: Superb value for Money. Clean well furnished. Location for Walking, beach.
Disadvantages: Relying on uk weather.

...For Clean affordable accommodation for up to 6 people self catering I would reccomend staying at Sandown Bay. The chalet we stayed in is totaly refurbished inside ,with a new bathroom, full kitchen, double room, a single room with bunk beds & a very comfortable sofa bed. Here is the website for the chalet we stayed in www.iowaccommodation.com Why visit the Isle of Wight ?? 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 in...

wotacrapservice 04.11.2008 (08.01.2009) · Read review
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Review of Isle of Wight (England)

Fun for all the family (Culver Pier, Sandown (Isle of Wight))

Advantages: Plenty of attractions
Disadvantages: None really, if you like this kind of thing!

...Sandown is one of the most popular towns on the Isle of Wight with tourists from all over the world, largely due to its wide variety of attractions, including its iconic pier. The pier was originally built over three years from 1867 to 1870, however it has undergone many dramatic facelifts since then, including a massive extension to the 870ft length it is now, eventually resulting in the popular attraction it is today. It originally had a theatre but, after a massive £2m refurbishment after damage caused by a fire in the late 80s, this is no longer a feature. It does, though, have a mass of other facilities and attractions that have taken its place. The pier's crowning glory is its indoor crazy golf course, designed with an aztec theme. No expense has been spared in making it an attraction that will capture the imagination...

dkm1981 03.12.2009 · Read review
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Review of Culver Pier, Sandown, Isle of Wight

The cosy,compact,Isle of Wight

Advantages: Rustic,tranquil,scenic,and unspoilt.
Disadvantages: Can get crowded in the height of the season

...The rustic,bucolic,Isle of Wight,located just across the Solent from the coast of Southern England,is a compact,rustic,and tranquil island that has long exercised a great appeal for British holidaymakersIt offers a very English type holiday experience.It is surprisingly easy to get to with services from Portsmouth,Southampton and Lymington, and you dont need to take your passport ! Osborne House near Newport was the favourite residence of Queen Victoria and much of the epic film Mr Brown was shot on location there.These days the elegant rooms of the Queen's fave spot are open to the public and you can spend an enjoyable hour or two seeing how royalty lived in the old days. Sailors,yachtsmen,families, and men of letters have been attracted by this diamond-shaped little Island. Among famous literary figures that have connections...

ashford 23.06.2000 (11.10.2001) · Read review
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Review of Isle of Wight (England)

My ups and downs on the Isle of Wight

Advantages: Lovely scenery
Disadvantages: Very hilly and not much to do in the rain

...We chose the wrong time to travel to the Isle of Wight, Cowes Week no less. Made the mistake of not booking the ferry, so our holiday started off on the wrong foot with a six hour wait at Portsmouth, not the best place to be stuck in for that amount of time. On the Island we stayed at a very nice, small, friendly family B & B hotel in Shanklin, which provided comfortable en suite accommodation and served an extremely good breakfast. Eating out - We started out by trying a different restaurant each night and after six days only found one we would consider returning to. We were very disappointed with the standard of food and service. Some of the pubs and restaurants we went to looked in need of some freshening up. There were few vegetables apart from peas in most places and chips were the order of the day, with the occasional...

Youngatheard60 18.08.2004 · Read review
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Review of Isle of Wight (England)

The Isle of Wight from someone who lives there.

Advantages: lots to do when you get here, plenty of places to stay to suit all budgets
Disadvantages: expensive to get to, car parks expensive

...stay on the island. I think every town or village must at the least have one guest house or hotel. There are some camp sites and caravans site all over the island so the choice really is yours. Again the cost of staying on the island varies considerably and it is impossible to give you a guide but there is something for all budgets. The island has a long history which I am still learning about after 4 years. As the history of the island is varied and interesting I will cover that in another review that I will do soon. How do I get around the island? I hear you ask. Well I would say its best to have a car to really enjoy the island to the full. But there is a train line that runs from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin stopping at a variety of places along the eastside of the island. There is also the bus services run by Sothern Vectis...

troublemaker 05.10.2004 · Read review
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Review of Isle of Wight (England)

Isle Of Wight

Advantages: Ideal for the older generation
Disadvantages: For younger people its boring

...I lived on the island all my life (yes that makes me a corkhead!). I've always lived in the islands capital which is Newport. There are so many things about the island that I love and hate. I like all the history on the island and the countryside, and the fact in the summer I don't have very far to drive to get to a beach! The Isle Of Wight has many things to do, in the summer there's the Isle Of Wight Festival, which is excellent for people who like rock and indie rock music. Over the last two years we've had bands such as REM, The Who, Coldplay, Faithless and Razorlite perform at the Festival. Then there's the Bestival where bands like the Scissor sisters performed last year. We have Cowes week, which is obviously held in Cowes. There's the Motorcross which is ideal for people that like trials bikes. There's many places to see too...

soapsalf 15.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Isle of Wight (England)

Discover one of the Isle of Wights Hidden Gems

Advantages: Loads To Do, Admission reasonable and return visit within 4 days is only £1 per person
Disadvantages: Some areas are very steep and it can be hard work getting around however there are lots of seating areas dotted along the route

...If you have read my opinions on Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park , Robin Hill, The Needles Park and Shanklin then you will already know that my family and I are great lovers of the beautiful Isle of Wight. There are many reasons why we are attracted to the Island but some of the main reasons why we keep returning are because the Island is a very beautiful place and one of the few places in England today that remains unspoilt and has not become overdeveloped, there is still a vast amount of breathtaking scenery to enjoy and lots of coastal footpaths and other walks taking you further inland if you wish. Having said that the Isle of Wight is also home to a huge amount of tourist attractions including Blackgang Chine which is the subject of this opinion. Blackgang Chine is a family theme park which nestles on the cliff edge at Blackgang...

junkboxjules 15.05.2002 (05.07.2002) · Read review
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Review of Blackgang Chine, Isle of Wight