Isle of Wight

At one the small village of Alverston probably held a strategic position on the Isle of Wight. Archaeologists have now found Roman military artefacts, including a broken spearhead, on the shoreline and believe they have also uncovered evidence of prehistoric structures in nearby marshland.

This small but fascinating village lies below the 444ft Arreton Down and boasts a 1,000-year-old church which has, among other items, a Saxon doorway, Tudor porch and no less than eight Saxon windows. A carved table made during the reign of Elizabeth I lies in the south chapel together with two brasses, one of which has a poem by William Serle, who died in 1595. The Down itself holds the remains of Saxon settlements.

A local farmhouse dates back to Jacobean times and there are several manor houses nearby. Arreton Manor is one of the island’s most historic houses, standing on the site of earlier dwellings dating to 872AD. The house was once owned by Edward the Confessor. Charles I stayed in it before being imprisoned at Carisbrooke Castle.

Stone-built Bembridge Windmill, erected in 1700, has been fully restored by the National Trust and is a genuine curiosity. It was originally operated by a man and a boy who worked 15 hours a day producing flour and animal feed. Convict ships bound for Australia would stock up with grain – and the windmill would be the last thing they would ever see of their beloved homeland.

This coastal village lies close to the southern tip of the Isle of Wight and is noted for its remarkable ‘chine’ or ravine that slices through local cliffs, permitting a stream to descend to the sea below. From the top of the cliffs the visitor can enjoy superb views of the coast, which end at the rocks known as The Needles. On top of the cliffs is a ‘fantasy’ theme park offering, among other attractions, a dinosaur feature and a full-sized cowboy town.

Brading – known as ‘Ye Kynge’s Towne’ after its first charter was granted by Edward I in 1280 – is an ancient town whose origins date back to the Stone Age. Although it was once the main port of the Isle of Wight, it now stands a mile from the sea (the old sea walls lie behind the 12th century church of St Mary the Virgin).

A notable attraction is the well-preserved remains of a Roman villa that was once the home of the island’s all-powerful Roman Governor. The town was also the first part of the island to be introduced to Christianity by St Wilfred at the end of the 7th century.

Outside the new town hall is a bull baiting ring which shows marks of wear made by terrified bulls as they tried to charge at wild-eyed dogs.

Close by is 16^th century Nunwell House and its glorious garden which contains a fountain from the Crystal Palace.

Visitors often head for Brighstone to see one of the most remarkable views on the Isle of Wight. The village nestles beneath Brighstone Down, the top of which rises to 700ft. From here you can see from one end of the island to the other.

Steeped in history, the fishing village of Chale lies at the southernmost tip of the Isle of Wight. Its rugged, storm-tossed coastline has witnessed numerous shipwrecks, not to mention tales of smugglers and treasure trove. Stout oak beams from foundered merchantmen adorn many local inns. Just two miles away is St Catherine’s Point and some of the island’s finest views. On the hilltop is a 35ft obelisk, the remains of a tower built to house a lighthouse in 1323 and locally called the ‘Pepperpot’. It is reputedly the second oldest lighthouse in Britain. Nearby is the relic of a second, unfinished lighthouse built in 1785 and known as the ‘salt cellar’. The present day lighthouse, built shortly after a ship was wrecked here in 1837, is west of Niton.

The towns of Cowes and East Cowes lie on either side of the mouth of the River Medina and are linked by a floating-bridge ferry. A combination of location and old-fashioned enterprise have turned the sail-filled resort of Cowes into England’s leading yachting centre. The annual Cowes Regatta, run by the Royal Yacht Squadron, has been held since 1776, while Cowes Week, which is staged annually each August, was once a key part of the ‘high season’ enjoyed by wealthier Victorians.

Cowes Regatta - Photo: Isle of Wight Tourism

Nearby is Osborne House, formerly a country retreat for Queen Victoria – who died here in 1901 – and Prince Albert. Now controlled by English Heritage, it has a superb garden with views over the Solent. Swiss Cottage is a charming chalet in the grounds and once rang to the sounds of royal children playing within.

Osbourne House - Photo: Isle of Wight Tourism

Appuldurcombe House is the impressive shell of an 18th-century mansion built in 1701 by Sir Robert Worsley. Now run by English Heritage it has parkland landscaped by the great ‘Capability’ Brown.

Although the village of Downend has plenty to please the visitor, many pleasure-seekers will also be heading for the nearby 88-acre country park at Robin Hill. It promises family-oriented fun, with themed activities and exciting rides.

The tiny village of Fishbourne may be the first place many visitors see when they journey to the Isle of Wight. Lying between Cowes and Ryde, on the northeast side of the island, it is the terminal for vehicle ferries making the six-mile sea crossing from Portsmouth.

Standing on the River Yar, Freshwater’s sandy beaches have made it one of the Isle of Wight’s most popular destinations for seaside-seekers. Nearby is Tennyson Down where the poet Tennyson sat for hours each day gazing out to sea for inspiration. A stone cross in his memory stands at the summit.

Tennyson lived at Farringford House from 1853 to 1869 and was given the title Baron Tennyson of Aldworth and Freshwater. The highly-regarded photographer Julia Margaret Cameron also settled here in 1860, making a studio in a chicken coop and a darkroom in her coal bin. She did not take up her ‘hobby’ until she was given a camera at the age of 48 but still went on to achieve fame with portraits of celebrities such as Tennyson and Darwin. Her home, Dimbola Lodge, is run by a trust and preserves much of her work.

Newport is the administrative centre of the island and its Guildhall has a clock tower commemorating Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Built in 1816, it stands on the site of a much earlier building where, in 1648, Charles I met the Parliamentary Commissioners in an ill-fated attempt to hold on to his throne. The remains of a Roman villa also stand in Cypress Road.

A ‘must see’ is the Museum of Island History which gives an overview of the island’s turbulent past, using touch-screen computers, hands-on exhibits and audio experiences.

Newtown was once one of the Isle of Wight’s most strategically important towns but these days is more closely associated with tourism. The old town hall, dating from 1699, had to be saved for posterity by a group of anonymous local people in 1933 and is now maintained by the National Trust. The Trust also runs a nature reserve covering 800 acres on the nearby estuary. Consisting of mud flats and salt marsh, it is an important wintering ground for wildfowl. Oysters have been farmed here from pre-Roman times.

At Bonchurch, the old church is 1,000 years old. The poet Algernon Swinburne (1837-1909) was christened here and Dickens, Keats and Tennyson were often to be seen in the congregation.

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway and its restored engines run for five miles from here en route to Havenstreet, Ashey and Smallbrook.

A ferry plies between here and Lymington on the mainland and, in keeping with the island’s maritime heritage, Yarmouth’s deepwater harbour is popular with the yachting brigade. The approach to the town offers spectacular views across the Solent to the Hampshire coast.