Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight, that delightful, diamond shaped island is separated from Hampshire by the Solent and Spithead. As it has a milder climate than most of the rest of England, it attracts tourists like a magnet. But climate is not all the Island offers, small coastal resorts, sailing, fishing, natural heritage plus walking and cycling in attractive terrain. The island is rich in fossils of dinosaurs.

It is a natural habitat for the rare red squirrel, almost extinct on the mainland pushed out by the imported American grey squirrel.

It was home to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Osborne House, East Cowes. Alfred Lord Tennyson lived at Freshwater. He was in fact Baron of Aldworth in Sussex and Freshwater on the Island.

Cowes, a small town famous for its sailing regattas, is situated on the northern tip of the island. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built Osborne House in East Cowes, now run by English Heritage it is open to the public. From West Cowes a floating bridge runs a regular service throught the year across the River Medina to East Cowes.

Ryde – Gateway to the Island. That is why it has the fourth longest pier in the United Kingdom, an absolutely necessary structure to ferry passengers by train from the Portsmouth hovercraft and ferries to the town. The water is very shallow at low tide and it does make for a wide sandy beach beloved of sunbathers and children with their buckets and spades. Ryde loves carnivals, there are five during the year.

Newport, capital of the island. It embraces the head of the River Medina's navigable section that sees its mouth at Cowes. It is about 7 miles from Ryde and 5 from Cowes. The Quay at Newport has been modernised with an Arts Centre and galleries. The town has a couple of new shopping centres.

Sandown is a charming seaside resort on the south east corner of the Island. With Shanklin it shares the English Channel golden sandy beach of Sandown Bay. Suntrapped they are ideal for safe bathing. Sandown pier entices both holiday makers and fishermen. Want to feed a tiger? The Isle of Wight Zoo at Sandown's speciality is tigers.

Shanklin with its sheltered beach, the clear waters of Sandown Bay and the cliffs behind. There is a lift to the top of the cliffs and the views from there are magnificent. If you are feeling more energetic there are steps. In the summer season a road train runs to the town centre and the beautiful old village with its thatched cottages and appealing old fashioned shops. Among them there are enchanting cafe's for a delicious cream tea.

Ventnor – The Island's most southern resort. It is a charming town of the Victorian era. A bit hilly as it was built on the side of St Boniface Down which in turn shelters the beach. St Boniface Down is the highest point on the Island. Ventnor is noted for having more sunny days than most of Britain and not so many frosts making it popular with visitors and residents. Walking in Ventnor Botanical Gardens brings a delightful haven of peace and tranquility among plants from the world's temperate and sub tropical regions of the world.

Bonchurch is the new venue for the Isle of Wight International Jazz Festival that was held this year in East Dene from 17th to 19th April. Booking is already open for next year! Bonchurch is on the Shanklin side of Ventnor and like Ventnor is built on the side of St Bonface Down in the Victorian era. The sand and shingle beach is ideal for children for there are also rocks to scramble over and rock pools to investigate.

The Isle of Wight Walking Festival was held this year between the 9th and 24th May. There were over 300 walks to enjoy. For a copy of the programme next year stay in touch and visit www.isleofwightwalkingfestival.co.uk Join in, the festival is getting bigger and better than ever.

The Wight Mountain Bike Festival 2009 was held on 3rd to 26th May

The Isle of Wight Cycling Festival held this year on 19th to 27th September 2009. www.sunseaandcycling.com The Isle of Wight Council is showing considerable foresight with its vision for the Island's future to make it an eco island and to become carbon neutral by 2020.

If one excludes the City of London, at high tide the Isle of Wight is the smallest ceremonial county in England, but at low tide that honour still belongs to Rutland on the mainland. The Island is however the most populated Parliamentary constituency in the UK according to the 2001 census.